We headed out to Grajewo late Monday morning—our last trip there for a while. Before leaving, we packed up the condo and got everything ready for an extended break: fridge emptied, water shut off, cameras on, and a spare set of keys left with family, just in case. The plan was to spend a few days at Marzena’s, visit with loved ones, and say our goodbyes before catching a ride to Warsaw for our flight back to the U.S. The Altima is staying behind at Marzena and Artur’s—big thanks to them for looking after it while we’re gone for the summer. During our time in Grajewo, we visited my aunt Gosia, stopped by the cemetery to light candles and tidy up my grandparents’ grave, and even pitched in with some landscaping projects while the weather held up. It was a peaceful, meaningful way to wrap up this chapter before the next begins.
Things got a little CSI: Grajewo when the police showed up looking for a guy who used to rent a room from Marzena ages ago. He’s been out of the picture for a while, but the cruiser in the yard definitely livened things up. Naturally, we couldn’t resist turning it into a photo op.
Dinner, photos, and goodbyes—it all happened at my aunt’s place.
My half-sister Ewelina and her boyfriend were in town too—perfect timing! She lives in Germany, and we hadn’t seen each other in about seven years, which in family time is basically a full season of life. It was great to catch up, laugh, and of course, wrangle everyone for a photo. Miraculously, we got a good one before we left. The only missing piece was Kamil, who had conveniently vanished the day before to visit relatives—classic timing. Who knows when we’ll all be in the same place again, but at least we have proof it happened… mostly.
Saturday kicked off what turned out to be a very long travel day for all of us. We were up bright and early, packed the car, and hit the road for Warsaw airport—a 140-mile drive that took just over two hours. Huge thanks to Artur, who generously offered to drive us, giving the Altima one last cruise before its summer break in the garage.
At the airport, check-in got off to a bumpy start due to a hiccup with our checked baggage. When we originally booked our tickets through a third-party site (Go to Gate), we included one checked bag for me. Soon after, we realized we needed a second and bought one directly from SAS for Sylwia. That’s when the baggage confusion began. A few months ago, I noticed only Sylwia’s bag was showing up on the SAS website. Mine had vanished. I called customer service, waited on hold for nearly an hour, and finally got someone to update the system. Problem solved—until the night before our flight, when I tried to check in and… yep, same issue again. Another long phone call, another fix, another assurance: “It’s all set now.” Spoiler alert—it wasn’t. At the check-in counter, we went back and forth with the agent until they finally saw what had happened, untangled the glitch, and generously added a third checked bag for Damian—no questions asked. We didn’t argue. Airport prices for extra bags? No, thank you. Hopefully the return flight won’t be a repeat performance, but I’m not holding my breath.
The flight to Copenhagen was short—just an hour and fifteen minutes—but we had a generous four-and-a-half-hour layover. I floated the idea of leaving the airport for a quick stroll through the city, but Sylwia, ever the voice of reason, vetoed it. “What if we get stuck and miss the flight?” So instead, we wandered the terminals in search of food. I landed on a surprisingly decent bowl of airport ramen, while Sylwia and the boys played it safe with pizza. We also shared the smoked salmon sandwiches I made the night before. The boys found a few play areas to explore, which helped them burn off some energy before the long-haul flight across the Atlantic. They both did great on the flight—watched a few cartoons, had some snacks, and Damian even slept for a couple of hours toward the end. He was the only one who managed to catch some shut-eye.
After spending a full year in Poland, we were more than ready for our next chapter—summer back in the U.S., full of new adventures waiting to unfold.
We got confirmation that the Altima is safe and settled in the garage—ready to wait out the summer until we’re back.
