I suppose it is every young girls dream to be mistaken for 21 before her time and every old girls dream to be mistaken for under the limit for a Senior Discount. Well I had mine today!
The day started in a routine manner. I had purchased a pair of boots for Ania for Christmas only to have her come back from her grandparents last night sporting new boots they had purchased for her. So I rushed back to the store - on foot of course - to return the boots I had purchased. Too bad, so sad, no refunds and we don't give a damn. Boy was I bummed. But in the course of pleading and arguing our case we discovered that the owner has a second store in the Market Square in Knurow. So we walked back home and prepared for our late afternoon date at the swimming pool with a quick side trip to Knurow's market square to plead with the owner to take the boots back. No dice. However, I was welcome to exchange the new, unworn, still in the original packaging, with the original receipt, boots for anything else in the store I might like. Let's just say I didn't leave empty handed and a couple of adorable little girls are going to get something to make them very happy when I return home - of course I ended up paying an up charge of an additional $19 to make my "exchange". Such is life.
Anyway, back to my Senior Moment. We went straight to the swimming pool where I had been told I was to do 20 laps today or I couldn't go in the jaccuzi. URRRR, she is such a slave driver.
Well, slave driver went to the desk to purchase a Senior Saver swim pass for me and the young woman behind the glass enclosure looked at me very suspiciously and then said something to Aneta. Aneta looked at me and said something back (all in Polish, of course) while I stood there with a blank look on my face. The woman behind the glass insisted I show identification to prove I was a senior citizen - she didn't think I looked old enough! Thank you God!!!
Naomi, about that skin care.....
So, electronic swim bracelet in hand I went through the turnstile and Aneta told me to find the numbers for the room that matched the number on my bracelet and go in and change while she finished registering Ania for swim class. I looked at a couple of doors and found the one where locker 95 would belong. I marched up to the door and pulled it open only to be confronted by a wall of nearly naked MEN! If any were actually naked I don't know because I slammed the door so hard it almost knocked the building down as I whirled around and shouted "Aneta! There are MEN in there!" In my most horrified tone of voice.
"Yes," she calmly replied, "they are changing, but there are rooms."
"They're changing all right," I shot back, "but they sure aren't in any rooms!"
I think it was then I noticed a man about my age sitting in the lobby covering his face with one hand and his mouth with the other while doubled over in his chair - obviously laughing and clearly understanding English.
Aneta said, "Just wait for me then. I will take you." She thinks I'm such a boob sometimes.
Well, it turns out that they have co-ed locker rooms in this place. She didn't think it was in the least unusual so she didn't think to forewarn me. Natural I suppose if you think the whole world operates the way Poland does.
Anyway, she found me a private changing room and I got into my suit and made my way to the non-co-ed showers for women and children and then into the pool where I put my head down and knocked out my 20 laps like a pro. I still had 7 minutes left over to go in the jaccuzi and put the jets on my tired, sore back muscles. I only had to share the jaccuzi with one young man this time and he left as soon as the two bikini bodies showed up and slithered, giggling, into the water next to him. I pulled some muscles along my left rear rib cage swimming but the exercise feels so good and I know my body will respond in a positive way one of these days. (hope, hope) Tonight's my night to make dinner and Aneta has ordered spaghetti so as soon as we hit the door to the apartment I head for the kitchen and start dinner. Who knows what torture she has in store for me tomorrow!
Naomi, the recipes are coming. We got them from Alycja last night and translated them. Aneta will put them on the blog tonight. No one in this country uses a measuring cup or spoon and they are on the metric system so it has been process to determine what a "handful" means or "by the eye". I hope it comes out okay. Let us know! The test kitchen doesn't have measuring deices either!
Linda
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