Dzien dobry!

I'm several days behind, so I'll try to keep this updated in small
chunks: The trip over was uneventful, save for a couple tense moments
during the layover in Copenhagen, where we first learned of the London
bombings. From where I stood, everything was business as usual, which
is much different than the reaction I expected from the US, which is
to go on high alert.

We landed in Warsaw during a thunderstorm, which makes for a
convenient yet cliched metaphor for what we were to expect for the
next few days. JM and KW, along with JM's mom LM (who had arrived a
few hours earlier) and KW's dad, KW (let's say Chris)-LM's checked
baggage had been "delayed," which was the one kink in what was
otherwise a smooth arrival.

We piled into Chris' van and headed out. Now, I've heard that driving
in some foreign countries can make the most hardcore atheist find
religion, but while I wouldn't call the drive to Kolumna relaxing, it
wasn't white-knuckle either. To us Ameriyki, the technique seems a
bit aggressive, and shoulder driving is common (2 lane roads are
effectively 3 lanes, the middle one for passing). Needless to say,
you don't see many bikes on the busier roads.

4 hours later, we're in Kolumna, which is a small district outside of
the town of Pabianice (pah-bee-a-NEE-tsay). At this point I've been
up for more than 24 hours. Here's our hotel:

www.hotel-unia.pl