9/17/13
Riding 6 hours back to Lublin didn’t seem so terrible, but that ride turned into 7 long hours. This ride was extended because a high speed train was behind us and our train needed to get out of the way. At the Warsaw station we were delayed for 15 minutes because the train’s engine needed to be checked. This delay caused our train to get in the way of other scheduled trains. For 30 minutes we sat on side tracks while 2 high speed trains passed us. It was a long 7 hours that was complete torture. I listened to my playlist on my iPod 10-15 times because I had it on repeat, now I know all the songs by heart.
My morning started off well with Nutella filled crepes and apple juice. Without this delicious food, I would have been beyond cranky on the train. I also packed some cookies and chocolate bars in my bag for the ride. Sadly, I did not pack 7 hours’ worth of food to keep me happy.
Around 7 pm, we all started becoming restless and hungry. Agata, Szymon, and I walked to the restaurant car of the train and ordered ourselves food. It was very interesting to see all the different seating arrangements in the train cars along with all the strange people sitting in the seats. It was a nice break from the boredom I was experiencing in my own train car. In America it is very rare someone needs to take a train from place to place but in Poland and anywhere else in Europe it is very common. I enjoy taking train rides here, but next time I will pack more food and download more songs.
Our food finally arrived in our train car as soon as we started moving towards Lublin. Another 2 hours to go, I enjoyed my Russian styled perogies which were filled with cheese. They were topped with caramelized onions and accompanied with salad. Agata ate Parmesan chicken and Szymon ate a Greek Salad.
When we finally arrived at the train station, my host mom picked Agata and me up. At home we ate beat soup and mushroom blintzes that Babcia Maria had cooked. The combination of being stuffed with warm food and being showered made it easy to fall asleep quickly.
Stephanie Raquel
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