Anticipating thanksgiving traffic and extensive security lines, we (going forward all mentions of "we" unless otherwise specified, are me and my boss, I'll call him DJ) leave Hartford at 10:30 am for a 6:40 pm flight. Perhaps a bit over cautious, but we agreed better safe than sorry. Worst case scenario we have some extra time to shop duty-free in the international terminal. The ride is quite pleasant, we are being driven in a BMW 750 something (I am not a car person, but it was nice ) and arrive in record time by 1:00 pm, maybe earlier. So quickly in fact that we have 2 plus hours until we can even check our luggage; the $5 investment in the luggage cart is well worth it. We do many laps around the food and shopping concourse, visit the restrooms, stop and chat with other travelers from our group, grab a fast lunch and repeat the whole process, minus the lunch, multiple times. Check in time finally arrives and I end up being that person at the airport (who we all make fun of) whose luggage is overweight and have to shamefully open and redistribute in front of the mocking crowd. To be fair, it was my carry on that was the culprit, and I intentionally overloaded it. When was the last time someone weighed your carry on? Doesn't make me feel all that secure when the counter agent instructs me to put the overage in my larger checked luggage, because "she already weighed that one, and it was good." Good reasoning, I'm sure that the 6 kilos that I moved from the overhead compartment to the luggage bay made all the difference in overall flying weight. Oh well, Lot Airlines, the official airline of the Polish people, their rules, I am just a passenger.
After checking our individual seat assignments, one row behind each other, we decide to request new seats to share a two-seater section of the 2 - 3 - 2 configuration. Success, or so we thought, until we realized that our new location was in row 34, out of the possible 37. I decide to focus on the bright side, for a 9 hour flight it's not a bad idea to be close to the restroom. Settling in at the gate I start the process of getting to know my traveling companions; DJ has been a part of this professional circle for a longtime and it seems like one big reunion for him. I am not shy, but I'm feeling a little less confidant than usual, perhaps a bit tired. Slowly but surely I ease into introductions and small talk. I go easy on the "Jewish geography"; sometimes I can be a slightly annoying with an endless barrage of "do you know so and so, I went to (fill in the blank) with them?" If you are currently nodding your head in agreement with my previous statement, keep it to yourself, I am very self aware. I am certain that I committed less than 25% of the names to memory, let alone what JCC they are from, but give me a day or so and I will have it down (including assorted extraneous details of their lives). More than likely I will discover less than six degrees of separation with most, less than challenging in the already narrow demographic of JCC professionals.
The flight, (at this point I am about 1:15 minutes from landing in Warsaw) has been relatively uneventful. No crying babies (strike that, screams currently developing on my left), no awkward seatmate (only DJ), and no white knuckle turbulence. We were served two hot meals, the first of which was something called "dumplings", with an unidentifiable brown filling, accompanied by the ingredients for a minimalist make-your-own sandwich and the second was some sort of a ham and cheese breakfast sub. I preferred the latter, but wouldn't order it in a restaurant. We watched a movie, Legends of the Fall, together (the head phone splitter jack was a useful gadget) which took care of close to 3 hours of flying time. I attempted sleep with a Tylenol PM (chickened out on the prescription option) and failed other than a glorified nap. I'm sensing a VERY long day ahead.
Picking up where I left off, it is now Tuesday morning and I most definitely understated the "length" of Monday. We arrived in Warsaw around 9:30 am and did not check in at our hotel until roughly 9 pm. In between we spent 80% of the day outside exploring the rich and powerful history of Warsaw. The cold wind and freezing temperatures as the early sunshine faded to grey and then black made a difficult day even more raw. More than once, I was sure that if I closed my eyes, even while standing, I would simply drift off and fall to the ground. I did my best not to be a baby, but I felt like crying like a 10-year old on a long family car trip, "how much longer?" I did my best to stay focused, but the exhaustion was overwhelming. (Details of the days events can be found on a new "work" blog, www.postcardfromthemandelljcc.blogspot.com). Within minutes of checking in to our Warsaw hotel I am rewarded with a long hot shower. Afterwards, I visit the lobby to take advantage of the free wi-fi and have a nightcap (Polish Beer) with DJ and a new friend. Sleep comes quickly after that, as does the wake up call at 5:45 am. I arrived on time for breakfast at 6:30 (not surprising, I love hotel breakfast) and fortify with fruit, yogurt and strong coffee.
I'm back on the bus, sitting with the "cool" people in the back, facing another physical and emotional marathon. When night falls I will be in Krakow; never expected those words would come out of my mouth. Apparently the itinerary of my personal "journey" still has a few surprises in store for me. I'm enjoying the diversion, as long as all roads still lead me back home.
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