Day 2 and 3

What an unimaginative title, but hey, I'm not feeling very inspired. What I am feeling is homesick. For my kids and my husband and down to the small things in life, like my toilet.

It turns out that when you are older, you have a hard time adjusting to things as well as you did when you were little. I'm talking about wrecking havoc with meal times and such.

Yesterday, we went to pay respects at two cemeteries. One of the cemeteries was fertile ground for my obsession with photography and wrought iron. It heartily fed both. Except that I wore the wrong shoes and of course it killed to take every step. Then we went to a supermarket, and those have changed. I miss the old communist-era supermarkets that were tiny and offered no choices. Now, they are just like our stores, and it stinks. Even most of the signage is in English.

By the time we got home, my feet ached, I was starving and very tired.

On a happy note, I was able to get ahold of a friend from the First Grade. I have not seen her in eleven years, but I will see her next week. I will also hopefully see my Grade 1 teacher. Fond memories of those moments in childhood. My old school is now a high school, which is kind of sad. Apparently, my home town has changed a lot, but I haven't been able to go there yet.

Today, we set out to Lublin. We walked all along the old part of town, and I fed my passion for photography. Bitter disappointment after coming back. Most of my shots blow. I'm not sure what to do differently to make them better either. Urgh.

We did have a run-in with the old system in a restaurant/pub we went to. The food was atrocious and the service was just confused. It was not pretty, but I ended up with a full belly, so that was OK. We were approached by lots of people on the way around as we walked by. Some wanted money, some started talking to my mother in English. It was a bit surreal. I don't think I would do well there by myself. The two churches we went into were gorgeous, though. Baroque inside, no fanciness spared.

Lublin is in a renaissance. Most dilapitated buildings are being restored. The castle is restored. Everything looks fresh and almost new. I was impressed.