Well, another family trip to Europe is in the books and what an adventure it has been! I’m still getting over a massive jet lag (getting older stinks), but wanted to write an introduction post while my memories are somewhat fresh. I’m certain I’ll miss something important anyway, but such is life. Again, I’m blaming it on getting older.
And then there were three…
So, as is my tradition, let’s start with what went wrong. First, some minor things. Three out of five of our flights were delayed by 1.5 hours on average. Not the end of the world, but it messed up some of our transfer arrangements and cost me extra money. However, all the flights left the day they were scheduled and most importantly, we arrived to our destinations alive.
All the seats were in economy, and I plan to do short review posts on Jet Blue, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Ryanair and Wizzair. Spoiler alert! Out of all of them, British Airways flight from London to Tampa was the most tolerable, my highest form of compliment when it comes to cattle-class. Ryanair was the runner-up. Not surprisingly, those are the two flights that left on time.
We had a very unpleasant surprise in Brussels when we discovered that my SIL’s luggage didn’t make it from JFK. I wish it was me instead, alas… In the meantime, the transfer driver kept messaging me with a reminder that each 20 minutes of him waiting for us costs an extra 10 euros. And he has already been there an extra hour.
On top of it, my SIL’s husband (who just finished a job in Belgium and was planning to meet us in Bruges) accidentally got on the wrong train and was heading to Brussels airport. My SIL was in tears and said she was just going to wait for him. My husband was getting frustrated and we were all exhausted after spending 1.5 hours in passport control line. After some back and forth, I convinced her to come with us and let my BIL find his way to Bruges. Reluctantly, she agreed. We finally made our way to arrivals and I handed the driver 60 extra euros. Not a good way to start our European adventure, to say the least.
A quick reminder on our itinerary for those readers who don’t regularly follow the blog (also see how I used miles here). We flew from Sarasota to JFK and spent the night in Manhattan. I’m happy to say that I was able to do all the things on my list, except at the last minute my daughter has decided to substitute MoMa museum for MET. I approve! Thanks to readers for all the input.
Afterwards, we flew from JFK to Brussels and drove to the medieval city of Bruges for two nights. Then we took a bus to Brussels Charleroi airport and flew to Krakow, followed by a two-hour drive to Zakopane. After a week in Polish mountains, we left for London where we spent three nights. A rollercoaster of an itinerary, but that’s how I usually roll.
Sadly, my husband doesn’t appreciate this fast pace and my lust for adventure. Apparently, we are getting too old for this. Say what?! Oh, and he also doesn’t like red-eye flights to Europe in economy. Pfft. In all seriousness, next time we go to Europe, I’m going to put in extra effort to redeem miles on business class for at least me and him. It wasn’t feasible this time around, but we are getting too old for this indeed. Flying back to US in economy, however, is still doable since it usually takes place in daytime.
That said, we survived, and paying 22k Avianca miles for economy JFK-BRU flight sure beats 63k in business class. Miles are not free, especially if you are getting them via flexible points transfers.
Besides, our hardships in no way compared to what my family had to go through on Belarusian-Polish border. They had a 26-hour wait in each direction, and a week before our trip there was a talk of shutting the land border altogether. So, I was facing a prospect of buying two sets of tickets for three people: one from Minsk to Istanbul, and another from Istanbul to Krakow. Needless to say, this wouldn’t be cheap. But I was prepared to do it if necessary. Oh, and my sister had minor issues with her visa, and the Polish border guard was thinking about sending her back.
Fortunately, everything worked out in the end. Unfortunately, my oldest nephew didn’t get approved for EU visa and wasn’t able to come. And as I’ve mentioned in my earlier post, my dad’s health has deteriorated to the point that he had to sit out the reunion as well. So, three out of five.
But we made the best of it, and I wasn’t about to wallow in self-pity. Sure, I would have loved to visit my home in Belarus instead and see my dad, but it wasn’t an option. So why waste your life wondering what could have been? Besides, Poland is the closest substitute for Belarus I can think of .
Potato pancakes? Check.
Berries we can’t get in Florida? Check.
Giant baked potato and fish with eyes for lunch? Check and check!
My husband commented how much our son looks like the local boys. That’s not surprising since my grandmother was Polish. Like many folks in the area, one day she all of a sudden became a Soviet citizen after Hitler and Stalin divided Poland in 1939. I still remember her speaking a weird mix of Polish and Russian to us. Some things you just don’t forget.
Moving further east, I was so happy that my mom brought me the 120-year-old photos of my great-grandmother on dad’s side. A countess, who was born in the Russian empire, she was a remarkable person, the most amazing woman I’ve ever met in my life. During the trip I guarded these photos more than even our American passports.
My sister, mom and I had had long conversations about our childhood, remembering how everything was. There are some things you just can’t do over the phone.
My mom
Some surprises and highlights
I plan to do separate posts on each destination we’ve visited, but wanted to mention what surprised and delighted me the most:
1) How beautiful Zakopane area is
We’ve come here for a day trip from Krakow about twenty years ago and I really liked it. However, I didn’t have time to truly explore it then, plus, the weather wasn’t the best. This time around we mostly had clear days which revealed one of the hidden gems of Europe.
Eye of the Sea (“Morskie Oko” in Polish) is located about 25 minutes from Zakopane. It’s one of he most scenic places I’ve ever seen in my life. Not the easiest spot to get to, but worth it 100%.
2) Bruges was more delightful than I expected
We only flew to Brussels so I could finally use up my Avianca stash, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. I’ve heard of Bruges before and figured we might as well drive an extra 1.5 hours to stay there rather than Brussels. It was the best decision. I fell in love with this city and rank it close to Venice (my all-time favorite) and Kotor in Montenegro.
We got to stay in Boutique Hotel Die Swaene which was actually visited by Napoleon back in the day. Yes, that Napoleon, not Napoleon Dynamite.
3) Our visit to Dunkirk was more moving than I thought it would be
Obviously, with two nights in Bruges after a long flight from US we wouldn’t just limit our time to that city. Cue a day trip to Dunkirk (1 hour away) to visit the sights from WWII Operation Dynamo. I expected the famous beach to be filled with people, but nope. It was beautiful, in a haunting kind of way.
Standing there, it was easy to picture a swarm of British recreational boats coming from across the Channel in order to save these young boys (over 300k) from certain death. It reminded me yet again of the futility of war and the fact that humans fail to learn from their mistakes. I’ll have a separate post on our visit to Dunkirk.
4) How much I enjoyed our three nights in London
I wasn’t super thrilled to add London to the end of our trip, but I promised my son, and I always try to keep my promises. My husband and I have visited London twenty year ago, and it was alright. Obviously, I loved the British Museum. But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t itching to go back. When we landed in Gatwick airport I actually thought I made a huge mistake. The whole place was very hectic, and at some point this one guy started screaming profanities in the middle of the train station. I thought he was upset, but nope.
Apparently, UK made it to Euro soccer finals with the last-minute goal, and he couldn’t contain his joy. My husband turned to me and jokingly said: “Take me home!” No can do, our hotel and tours were nonrefundable at that point. The next morning our “Doctor Who” guide told me that half of London was celebrating that night.
Anyway, my expectations were low, but we all ended up loving our time in London. It was hectic, yet exhilarating. Between private walking tour with the emphasis on “Doctor Who” filming locations, a trip to Stonehenge and watching a “Phantom of the Opera” in opulent His Majesty Royal theater, these were three nights we will surely remember.
Big Ben
Stonehenge
His Majesty Royal Theater
5) How many interesting/kind people we met along the way
We had an old Uber driver in London who mostly does this job to meet new people. His main passion is giving lectures on human rights in UN and he himself worked as a peacekeeper back in the day. There was also a friendly conductor in the old double-decker bus who happily chatted with us and let me take his photo:
My favorite encounter was with the Indian lady who runs Khan Cafeteria located near The Who shop in the working-class neighborhood of London. We needed to find a spot to have lunch and my original pick didn’t have any tables. So we just walked to the place next door and there she was, sorting our colorful saris. We asked if she had a place we could sit and she promptly gathered all the packages and cleared the area. She brought us these interesting food contraptions, Indian shepherd’s pies of sorts.
My whole family loved the taste, even my picky son. She was the kindest, sweetest lady who charged us only 18 pounds total (about $23) for all the food, including drinks. I left her a small tip, but then caught her whispering to my son to take a free drink because she felt bad taking it. We also met quite a few Ukrainians separated from their families due to war. One young guy actually works in a cafe in Bruges making the best Belgian waffles you could imagine. Like me, he also isn’t able to see his dad.
Final thoughts
It’s very hard to summarize this whole intense experience in one post, though I’ve tried to convey the general feeling. There will be more to come, so stay tuned. This trip was a thrilling roller coaster full of emotions. The hardest part was when my mom burst into tears while saying goodbye, just as I knew she would. When will see each other again? Who knows. But we made the most of our time together, and for that I’m grateful.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@harv Thanks for reading! I haven’t even mentioned some “warts”, as it would get too personal. The truth is, trips rarely go according to the plan. The trick is not to let occasional issues ruin everything. I try to look at the big picture on stuff like that. On the whole, travel enhances our family life. It’s something we all find valuable and worth the cost. And of course, you can’t put a price on letting my mom hug the kids in person.
Thank you for this detailed warts and all write up. Sounds like quite a trip.
@Arkansas Traveler Thank you, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s getting harder and harder to organize these reunions, but the time together is worth it 100%.
Leana, I am so glad that you were able to visit with at least part of your family and the rest was nice, too. Family is so important, and sharing that time with each other is something that you will never regret.
@Nick It actually reminded me of Lake Louse in Western part of Canada. Definitely not what folks think of Poland, but the country has respectable mountains that rival southern Germany, at least IMO. Very pretty area that is also quite affordable.
Sounds like a great trip! And wow, I just don’t expect dramatic mountain scenery like that in Poland.
@Aleks Thanks for reading! Review posts take a lot of time to put together, and I’m kind of lazy. 😉 But I’ll try to get them out promptly.
I absolutely loved Bruges and feel it doesn’t get enough attention. Not to say that it’s undiscovered, there were lots of European tourists there. But it’s not on American radar the way Venice is.
@Christian I definitely pushed my family to the brink of exhaustion! However, when I asked what they would have cut, their answer was “nothing.” Even my husband said he had a great time.
I was planning to briefly mention it in my Zakopane post, but if you like planes, you should absolutely visit the Museum of Aviation in Krakow https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g274772-d586963-Reviews-Polish_Aviation_Museum-Krakow_Lesser_Poland_Province_Southern_Poland.html
Probably my husband’s favorite part of the trip. He could have stayed there all day, but sadly we only had a few hours before our flight to London.
I also strongly recommend spending two or three nights in Zakopane if you can. Booking a transfer should be easy (I used Booking.com) and it will look like a winter wonderland in December. There is a Radisson resort, though it might be expensive around Christmas. Lots of other options, though I would stick to central hotels if you don’t speak Polish.
If you choose to stay in Zakopane, definitely visit one of thermal pool complexes in the area. They do get crowded, but it’s so much fun to soak in an outdoor pool fed by hot springs. And it’s dirt cheap compared to Iceland.
Very memorable trip indeed. Thanks for sharing!
Eager to see more of Belgium and Poland reviews.
Wow, quite the journey. I look forward to reading more about it. I was raised on the It-must-be-Tuesday-because-we’re-in-Belgium school of travel where you never spend more than three nights in one place but my wife has gradually brought me around to longer stays. It’s nice to not pack and unpack as much and if you like a restaurant you can actually go back a time or two.
As someone who just discovered Krakow last year I must admit that I’m particularly interested to hear about your visit to Poland. I enjoyed my last visit so much that I’m dragging a sizable contingent of my family there around Christmas. Hopefully they’ll like it in the winter.