A Cold Polish Greeting

Life changes and at the same time it remains the same.

Nadine and I, and as a result of being in our family, our children are creatures of certain family habits. Since living abroad the last seven consecutive years, you can expect at Christmastime, spring break, and in the summer, the White family will be exploring some corner of the world. This year, a ski trip in southern Poland.

An Aussi Reunion

We managed to coerce our Qatari friends to join us, the Aussie Growetts. Now they live and work in Bangladesh, ironically at a school we almost worked. The Growetts and Whites also skied together in Guadauri, Georgia four years ago.

Christmas was celebrated at home in Cairo before flying on LOT Airlines to Warsaw, Poland. Our Christmas vacations only briefly overlapped. With the busyness of our teaching schedules, a ton of planning did not happen our departures.

Even a Doctor Named After a Soda Can Sometimes Be Correct

This is where a certain Dr. Pepper enters this story. A year or so ago, Pepper was so proud to atone for his rookie travel mistakes of forgetting to renew an expired passport before flying to Costa Rica. Thus, like any Eagle Scout, he over prepared for a trip to Europe by securing an international driver’s license. I informed him I had gotten one once back in 2013 before moving to the Cayman Islands and had never needed it . . . a single time.

So back to Poland in late December 2025. At our discount car rental office, the elegantly dressed Polish woman informed us we would have to purchase an extra $830 worth of car insurance and purchase an online international drivers license. This American driver’s license wouldn’t work this time. This insurance was much more than the actual car rental. Our Christmas evening travel plans were now in flux. Santa never put an extra $800 in our stockings for insurance. Dodo’s pizza that night made Nadine feel better.

Just like the shock of that cold wind whipping us in the face in Warsaw, trains, public busses, Ubers, and walking were now our new transport. The same happened to the Growetts.

The next day a yellow Regiojet train swiftly carried us to the city of Krakow. Then the six person White family piled into a Prism Uber with bags and backpacks on our laps for another two hour drive to the Polish/Slovakian border town of Jurgow.

Ski Poland

Once in Jurgow, we heard those familiar Growett Aussie voices. Subsequently it would take us a few days to understand them again.

These Polish ski slopes were different from Georgia, Greece, and Slovakia. The Polish slopes were much busier and packed with more skiers. The first spot to ski was Jurgow Ski, a small slope, but popular with the locals. The temperatures were cold, it was windy, and the snow was icy, and that was the first day. The next day which was even colder and windier.

Białka Tatrzańska was the next and much larger ski resort for us. All 90 kilometers were covered with plenty of blue and red runs. The family liked Białka Tatrzańska better with longer runs and more slopes.

Dumplings by Another Mother

The Growetts and Whites found a familiar rhythm. Their two little girls and our two youngest played around the shared house or outside in the snow. Our two eldest humored themselves like teenagers do. Izzy, Nadine, Robyn, and myself reminisced about the past over semi sweet Georgia wine.

Just like Georgian dumplings, I discovered Polish pirogies, the smaller dumpling cousin. They came with cheese and potatoes, meat, and even cheese and blueberries. I brought back several dozen to the families, but by the time they got them, they were cold and they didn’t truly enjoy their true deliciousness.

A Little Salty Krakow

Once the Growetts and Whites said their farewells at the Krakow Glotz central station, them returning to Dhaka and us staying one more week in Poland.

In Kraków one late morning, Dom and I visited the Banksy Museum. Banksy is the English graffiti artist who tags walls railing against communism, capitalism, and authority. His art can be witty and clever and at times in your face. Many of the replica exhibits in Krakow were thought provoking and funny. Yet I found it quite ironic that at the end of the exhibition was a souvenir shop selling overpriced Banksy merchandise with images critiquing consumerism.

Is That Catholic Polish? Quite possible

Nadine and I went to Pope John Paul II’s Papal audience in 2001. We were aware even then that Poland was a major Catholic country. Going to Mass in Jurgow and Krakow, every service was full. Running alone the streets, intermittent statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary with flowers at their base watched as I trudged by.

Another touristy site, and definitely worth the visit, was the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a historical and UNESCO World Heritage Site as these salt mines were discovered in the 13th century. The mines produced table salt for centuries and was vital for region’s economy, and more importantly, they are more intricate and expansive than Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Take that New Mexico.

The mine extends hundreds of meters underground, featuring tunnels, chambers, lakes, and elaborate sculptures carved entirely from salt. Deep in the recesses of the Wieliczka Salt Mines is the Chapel of St. Kinga. It includes chandeliers, statues of Pope John Paul II, and even a recreation of the Last Supper made of salt. This Catholic chapel was built by three workers who chiseled this impressive chapel after their work hours. Told you this was a very Catholic country.