The May long weekend, which includes Labour Day (Swieto Pracy) on the first and Constitution Day (Dzien Konstytucji) on third fell on Friday and Sunday. Which means only a three day weekend. Last year it worked out to five days.
Fortunately Poland is a small country and you can drive from one end to the other in about 10 + hours depending on your speed and persistence. Though I wouldn't advise on breaking speed limits or making records, the roads are ridiculously dangerous, and highways lack good conditions to drive faster then 80km (though many might disagree here). There are crosses and flowers every couple of hundred metres or so reminding drivers of people who have lost their lives, this is enough to cause me to slow down.
But what this short distance across the country means is that it only takes a few hours to get to your favourite weekend away destination. The popular hot spots are Zakopany, Mazury, Gdansk and its surroundings. Mountainside, lakeside, seaside, whatever tickles you fancy. Relax or be active, dance the night away at a disco or settle down on a blanket and read a good book, the choice is yours.
Many Poles were lucky this year to to soak up the spring sun, which is the best, and has been with us for a good few weeks allowing a nice tan to form. The past couple of days it actually feels like summer which is even better for me as I miss the hot Australian sun. Right now I am writing this on outside, on the stairs of my boyfriends house, the birds are chirping in the background, the roosters are singing cock-a-doodle-doo, and the sun is getting hotter and hotter.
This year Jarek and I decided to stay home. Warsaw that is, or a couple of kilometres outside the city which is much better, clearer air, more birds and green grass. On the Friday we did a 30km round trip on our bikes to visit our families and recover from a hangover caused by our birthday and namesday (imieniny) BBQ where we downed five or six bottles of vodka the night before.
Saturday we spent visiting Nowy Swiat and Foksal Street (great restaurants, fashions and exorbitant prices), soaking up the sun, browsing through stores and moving on to Stare Miasto (the Old Town), enjoying a delicious vanilla swiderek (swiderek is an ice cream sold during the warmer months, yummy).
We were lucky as the main street was closed from traffic and only pedestrians, cyclists and skaters were allowed. Sometimes it's nice to stay put and discover the place you live and work in.
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