“The snow is falling and we are together, in Warsaw”. Even now, weeks later, these words transport me back to those Eastern European streets and I can see the ice and snow packed between the cobblestones and cracked pavement as I move with quick, but ginger strides in my stilettos. My roommates and travel companions S, J, and X were beside me along with our Swedish friends, one of whom had spun the delightfully simple and poetic phrase about the snow in Warsaw. Our acquaintance had only been newly made, but that was no matter. We were going out to celebrate.
The cause for celebration was this; while it was our third day in Poland, it was only our first day with our luggage. Actually, it could hardly still be called “day” at all. It was just after dinner and the girls and I watched from the hotel bar, with tear augmented eyes, as the staff wheeled our suitcases through the door. Trying not to be overcome with joy at the prospect of putting on different clothes after showering, we agreed to first finish our drinks before going up to our rooms. It was at this point that the Swedes entered our story.
They swaggered amicably into the bar, all blond hair and fitted shirts, laughing at indiscernible jokes. The mystery men sat down in a seating area right next to ours. Perhaps it was the knowledge that only a few yards away was my luggage, containing all of the needed tools to be ready for a night on the town that gave me an additional burst of confidence. It also could have had something to do with the empty cordial glass on the sleek brushed steel table. Whatever it was, it prompted me to turn around and inquire as to what language they were speaking and if they also spoke English.
The strangers did, in fact, speak English and their country of origin was Sweden. We started chatting with them and they ordered a bottle of wine for us to share. Thus, began the “getting to know you” dance. Andreas was the lead guitarist of an up and coming band and Joachim was a recently retired soccer player. They were in Poland as friends on a joint business venture having something to do with ridiculously low-priced real estate. The Swedes then wanted to know what had brought us, lovely ladies as we were, to Eastern Europe in the middle of winter. We accepted the compliment, however fabricated it may have been considering the fact that we were approaching the 72 hour mark of wearing the same clothes, and explained that we were looking to see the old cities of the region and discover the mysteries of their faded grandeur.
