Forks in the Trail: Mom and Mike's European Vacation

April: My parents have been the first to brave the trip to Poland. After a long and delayed flight, they were here with all of their luggage. We did not waste any time and immediately hopped a train with Royce to Krakov. We spent a couple of days there, where we stayed in a castle outside of town, visited Wawel, old town, the Jewish Ghetto, and the market. It was the anniversary of Pope John Paul's II death, so there was a lot going on and many people visiting.

After Our stay in Krakov, we headed back to Konin for a night of rest, and to drop off Royce.

The next day we boarded a train to Berlin, where we ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and briefly looked around. It was late, raining, and we only had a few hours before our night train left for Paris. The night train was not bad and we actually got some sleep before arriving in Paris. Because of some strikes in France, we were a few hours late, but everything worked out well and we eventually made it to our hotel. While my parents toured around the city and absorbed the culture, I took the opportunity to shop for things we cannot find in Poland. We needed more travel books, food items, and toiletries. I also could not resist a trip to the Gap, Celio, and Starbucks...oops!

My parents survived Paris (my mom did a very good job trusting me on the subways), and were ready for another adventure. We took the night train to Dresden, Germany this time, where we met Royce again. They were experiencing severe flooding in the area, which made the trip more interesting. We hiked around the Bastei, ate very good mountain German food, visited the Meissen porcelain factory, and did some shopping. Royce and I found a Subway Sandwich shop and could not resist the temptation. The closest thing you can find to a sandwich shop in Konin is a Kebab. After a weekend in Dresden, we made the very long drive back home. Poor Royce got very sick after eating at McDonald's and barely made it.

I was exhausted after all the traveling and happy to be home for a few days. My parents were still anxious to see more and made a trip to Poznan via train by themselves. They stayed in the center of old town and really enjoyed themselves. When they returned, we visited the gigantic Catholic church in Lichen and toured the cemetery there as well. The next day we celebrated Easter together with a large food spread. My mom brought Easter egg dye from the US, so we were able to have a little fun with that. We had a good time and were sad to see them go the following day. It was the first family Royce had seen in 10 months! We look forward to more visits from family and friends, so come on over!!

Mom, Mike, Me, and Royce in downtown Krakow, Poland