Day 1, Travel Day

First Day of Trip--Travel Day

September 2, 2025 Tuesday into Wednesday. 

--Andrew dropped me off at Dulles airport. Good traffic into the airport, despite a small slowdown over the American Legion Bridge. He says it was OK going home too, only 5-ish minutes of slowdown from construction.

--Met up with Marty and Paola at the airport.  Went through security with no problem. My carry on bag didn't fit in their size tester, so it got checked through to Wroclaw. 

--Thirteen hours of travel, including 10 hours airtime, 4 hour layover in Frankfurt before getting to Wroclaw.  Poland is 6 hours ahead of Maryland. 

An Airbus A340-300. so big there are two skyways to load the plane B45 and B47. 

Took off from Dulles airport on Lufthansa Airlines. I was hoping to ride in the Mobile Lounges, but they only serve the old part of the airport. There are several new terminals that you get to via a subway train. 

B terminal, seems to be the international terminal.

Had a pretty good meal on the plane. Roast chicken, rice pilaf, veggies, cheese, corn and onion salad, chocolate truffle, rose wine (free beer and wine on Lufthansa!).

--Lufthansa offers Free texting! But $27 to get full wifi, so no. Flight wasn't full, so I had an empty seat next to me. Got some sleep on the plane.

--Landed in Frankfurt at 5:45 am local time. Had to go through customs/immigration in Frankfurt, I think because we had to change terminal to get the connecting flight. Fortunately we had a lot of time in the layover.

--Frankfurt is a very big airport, I think it is growing faster than they can manage. To get to our connecting flight to Wroclaw we had to take a subway train to the terminal, then a crowded bus waaay out to the far reaches of the tarmac, literally a ten minute ride, to get to our plane. Walked across the tarmac and took steps up to the plane, the old fashioned way.

Air Dolomiti is a Lufthansa partner.

--Good second flight. No customs or immigration at Wroclaw! Met up with Jarek (our guide). Had the traditional Polish greeting of bread and salt. 

-- On the road to Boleslawiec. They drive on the right side like we do. On the roads, we see billboards for KFC and McDonald's. Jarek says his previous American clients tell him it's very different here.

--Getting lessons on pronunciation. I'm so lost! It's all just wrong. Polish letters don't sound the same as in English, and they have extra letters in their alphabet to make things harder.

-- Checked in to our B&B, the "Blue Beetroot", very nice, but it is an old building ~1700s so low ceilings. Marty just barely clears doorways.

--Walked around the Boleslawiec central town square, saw an old church, and had a late lunch.

Bazylika Mniejsza Wniebowziecia Catholic church. 

My lunch, pork loin, sauteed romaine and celery puree.

Marty, Jarek and Tony. Not iced tea in our glasses.

--Now back to our hotel to get some rest.

--Jarek sent a detailed spreadsheet with what is on the schedule for every day. Here's Wednesday. 

I leave Boleslawiec at 0800 and get to Wroclaw Airport by 0930 in order to park the van and wait for your arrival, 1010 (scheduled flight arrival) - 1030 ish meeting you in the arrival hall, loading luggages to More4U/ PTT van, 1030- 1200- about 1,5 h drive from WROCLAW to Boleslawiec, 1200- 1300- checking in at the Blue Beetroot Hotel and refreshment , 1300- 1400 - quick drive to the downtown of Boleslawiec , short walk around the main square and return to the hotel, rest of the day- FREE