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Sherlock's Genealogical Adventures

Follow Sherlock on his adventures into genealogical mysteries.

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Poland Visit 2016

Poland Traditions & Interest

Tim Firkowski

Saturday, 06 August 2016

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Airport in Bydgoszcz, PolandIt has only been one year since my last visit to Poland, but I had the opportunity to travel here again because of some genealogy
research that need to be done in Maków Podhalański. I am taking the opportunity to also visit with family again. As with visits in the past, I will make my best effort to Blog about my adventures, even if I may only have time to post a few photos with comments. I hope you all will enjoy what I will share.

I left Boston on Thurdsday the 4th of August for a two part flight going to Frankfurt, Germany & then on to Bydgoszcz, Poland. The flight was pretty much uneventful, but I discovered that the sandman was off visiting someone else or he had no clue where I was, as I found myself totally unable to get some sleep. My layover in Frankfurt was about 4 1/2 hours and I found it frustrating to have to wait such a long time for the second leg of my journey, but that is the way it goes & one must just roll with the punches. This is my 5th trip to Poland & I lost count on the number of trips to Europe itself, so this is nothing new to me.

I landed in Bydgoszcz on Friday, August 5th & was met by my

Frankfurt, Germany after takeoff2nd cousin Adam & his wife Ania with their son Artur at about noon. Plans for that day were simply... to get settled in and stick close
to "home". I went to the "Orange" shop to get a sim card for my iPhone so that I was able to contact people as needed and have internet available to me when WiFi was not available after I exchanged some $ for złoty and then it was off to do some grocery shopping. Laws in Poland have changed, so you can no longer buy a sim card for your phone as an anonomous person, you are now required to register the telephone number. Tourists must present their passports for identity verification. It is not as expenive for cell phone service here as is it is the United States. I was able to purchase a 2 GB starter pack with a special promotion that gave me an extra 10 GB of data & 1000 minutes of talk time for only 7 pln (about $2), which is good for 30 days.

As I have learned from previous visits to Poland, they have GREAT food here. One thing that you ifnd here that is not as common in the US are meat shops. There are so many types of sausage that you can get & the many small bakeries offer so many great types of bread and rolls. Your regular small groceriy stores offer pretty much everything we get in our grocery stores, just on a smaller scale. "Biedronka" (trans: Ladybug) is a chain that can be found in many small towns in addition to large ones. Some of the bigger grocery chans don't set up a store in the small towns.

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About the author

Tim Firkowski

I have been doing genealogy research since 2002 & have worked full time as a Professional Genealogist since 2008. I specialize in Polish and American-Canadian Genealogy. As a member of APG, I was the 2010/2011 President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). I have Certificates of Completion for studies in "Foundations of Forensic Genealogy" and "Advanced Forensic Genealogy Techniques". I have been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center, and a genealogy research consultant at “Ask the Expert” Ancestry Road Shows. I have traveled to Poland numerous times & researched in churches and archives. At conferences and special events, you may find me dressed up in my Sherlock Holmes outfit, or my Kujawy (the folk costume from the region in Poland where my ancestors came from).