After I was an RAF Twister navigator, the phrase ‘going to Poland’ would have meant the Chilly Warfare had turned sizzling and we have been on a one-way journey to ship nuclear Armageddon.
In my early days within the army, communist-ruled Poland was on our goal checklist for destruction, and positively a rustic forbidden to go to.
How occasions have modified. British stag events head off to cities comparable to Warsaw for a weekend of debauchery, and we now have numerous Poles settled in Britain.
Blissful visitors: John visited Poland together with his household to attend the marriage of an previous buddy
Extra importantly, a number of years in the past my previous buddy Terence met Asia, a fantastic Polish lady working as a nanny in Sunderland.
And so it got here to go that I finally went to Poland – not in an RAF Twister, however with my spouse and daughter, who’re each referred to as Suzie, on a extra comfy Ryanair flight and armed solely with a marriage current for Terence and his bride.
Asia (the Polish nickname for any lady named Joanna) comes from Slawa, a small city 70 miles southwest of Poznan.
As we neared her residence, her household and neighbours got here out to offer us a improbable welcome, setting the scene for a weekend of enthusiastic friendliness and unbridled hospitality.
Water fans flock to the Lake Slawskie – the focus of the city and its rising vacationer business
We have been staying at Bar U Dudka within the centre of Slawa, which was additionally the placement for the marriage feast.
The proprietor, Jerzy Dudek, was a most convivial host, whereas the rooms have been clear, comfy and extremely good worth at about £50 an evening, together with breakfast for all three of us.
As we found, meals was to play an ever rising a part of our transient keep in Poland.
Our first expertise was on the native pizza restaurant, the place 14 of us feasted on large pizzas washed down with copious portions of beer and crimson wine. The invoice got here to an embarrassingly small £100.
Breakfast the following morning took almost an hour to finish, with platters of chilly meats, cheeses, eggs and pastries flowing from the kitchen till we needed to name a halt to the countless procession.
In an effort to decrease the calorific consumption, we strolled by means of the dense pine forest all the way down to the attractive Lake Slawskie, the focus of the city and its rising vacationer business.
Watersports fans flock right here throughout the summer time for crusing and water-skiing, and within the winter for iceskating tournaments.
Again at Dudka’s for the marriage celebrations, I used to be amazed to see tables already groaning underneath the load of salads, fish dishes, breads, chilly cuts and numerous bottles of vodka for the toasts.
To my astonishment, this was simply the starter, and for the following ten hours an array of luxurious dishes marched from the kitchen.
Flagons of soup have been adopted by countless platters of roast meats, fried potatoes and extra fish.
Every course was interspersed with more and more enthusiastic dancing, toasts, speeches and singing.
Whereas the British contingent was small, we gave hearty renditions of Jerusalem and the Nationwide Anthem.
In the direction of the top of the evening, our repertoire had pale, so we resorted to We Want You A Merry Christmas and that Scout favorite Ging Gang Goolie.
I prefer to assume we gave an honest account of ourselves, however the vodka could have affected my reasoning.
Lastly, at 3am, as a huge wedding ceremony cake was introduced in, I dragged myself off to mattress, harbouring the uncomfortable thought that one other large breakfast was only some hours away.
Our household journey to Poland was a beautiful perception right into a bygone tradition of openness and unbelievable hospitality. I simply hope stag events do not damage it for the remainder of us.
John Nichol’s newest ebook, The Pink Line, is printed by Collins, priced £8.99.
