adam, krystyna & gosia - world travellers...

During my first dinner on the train, Sunday June 16th, I had the pleasure of being seated with Adam, his wife Krystyna and their friend and travelling companion, Gosia. They are from Melbourne, Australia and are in the midst of a two-month long trip in North America.

I may have missed a detail or two, but basically... Started in Los Angeles, went to Arizona, Nevada, flew to NYC, drove to Canada along the east coast, visited Boston (Salem, MA was a highlight), Acadia National Park, made their way to Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto. They are now making their way to Jasper, and will catch the train from there to St-Rupert. Their plans also include a visit to Alaska, then returning to L.A. for their flight home. Wow!!

Conversation revealed that they were originally from Poland but left there in 1974 under the communist regime. Adam & Krystyna ended up in Africa (Zambia) where they lived for 14 years and started their family. They eventually emigrated to Australia with their children.

I was amazed at the extent of their travels. So I asked Adam, amidst all this, was there anything he was particularly grateful for. He took a few moments to reflect and surprised me with his response. I was expecting something related to his travels, but here's what he said:

He was grateful for the life and the opportunities his parents had given him.
Yes, he was most grateful for his parents. His father owned a bakery in Poland (I forgot to ask where) and worked throughout the night to ensure fresh baked goods would be ready for his customers first thing every morning. Adam admitted that he never really appreciated it at the time, but now that his parents were no longer here, he knew the sacrifices they had made. I thought this was a particularly beautiful response on this Father's Day. His parents never left Poland, but Adam & Krystyna went on to build their own family in Africa and Australia, and are now the parents of two, grandparents of three with a third grandchild on the way.



Later in the conversation, Gosia shared one of her travel highlights from her own visit to Africa: being on the Serengeti and witnessing the great migration with her own eyes. She was moved to tears and vowed that she could never again visit a zoo.

Many thanks to Adam & Krystyna Parzybok and Gosia Urbanski for sharing their gratitude - and for their wonderful company!

gratefully yours,
jag
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