After 20 Years, Why Move?

The Conclusion of Spirited Travelers, Part One

Hello, Friend ~ I’m Scott and welcome to your 5-minute vacation for Oct. 1st. I share these snippets of our travels in the hope that my photos and stories will allow you to go on a vicarious vacation and “get away from it all,” if only for a moment. I appreciate you inviting me into your inbox today.

This is the beginning of the Spirited Travelers finale. Beginning with this postcard, I’ll reflect on why we moved, what we thought would happen, what did happen, some lessons learned, some favorite memories, and conclude with what’s next.

The previous 5-Minute Vacation is here if you missed it.

A late November sundown in northern Poland.

Eight years ago, we packed up and moved to Poland. Our European adventure had begun.

When I told people that we were moving to Poland, their reaction was, “You’re moving to Portland?” After clearing up the “Poland/Portland” confusion, their next question was always, “Why?” It was a fair question since we had lived in Louisville for two decades and had just completed a 13-year restoration of our century-old home.

The answer? It was a great job opportunity for Rosemary and we had always dreamt of living in Europe.

That dream, however, had never included Poland. Growing up in the era of the Berlin Wall, Poland seemed inaccessible, an unknown land hidden behind the Iron Curtain. We had never imagined visiting, let alone living, there.

Yet our dream – which now included Poland – had become a reality. After selling our beloved home, shuttering my freelance design business, and tucking my nervousness and excitement into my carry-on, Riesy (our dog) and I boarded the flight to join Rosemary.

Now that the dream was real, how did we plan to make the most of it?

We planned to travel widely, letting our interests in food, wine, architecture, history, and art guide us. I intended to share our travel adventures via a travel blog, “Spirited Travelers” – the one you are now reading – whose name was inspired by our interest in wine. We planned to bring Riesy (our dog) along whenever possible, since European hotels and restaurants welcomed canine family members. We also set out to learn enough Polish and German to be understood while shopping, visiting the doctor, and so on – all the normal things of everyday life.

What happened when our plans collided with reality? I think “mixed results” is a fair assessment. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.

But first, let’s go on a 5-Minute Vacation. Today, I offer a few photos of lush Poland.

We quickly discovered that Poland is a beautiful, bustling country, the opposite of what we had imagined. Spring brings fields of flowers, such as these crocuses.

Summer brings field after field of blazing yellow rapeseed.

There are so many other colors throughout the year.

Our favorite time of year in Poland was August through the end of October, during what the Poles call their “Golden Autumn.” The temperatures are mild, the days are still fairly long, and the countryside is lush.

We were fortunate to live close to the Baltic coast. We enjoyed the luxury of being only 30 minutes away from the wide, sandy Polish beaches. On this particular morning, I w as the only one on the beach. I felt like the only person in the world – a bit like Charlton Heston at the end of “The Planet of the Apes,” except without the horse. Or the great abs.¹

Until next time,

Cheers!

1. Yes, I realize that Linda Harrison was also in that scene, so he wasn’t the only person in the world. Still, it’s how I felt on that morning.