Discovering Roots in Poland

For our trip to Poland and Romania in August ’07, Orbis Polish Travel Bureau, Inc. (347 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016-5020; 800/867-6526, www.orbistravel.com) had assigned to my wife, Margi, and me a guide and driver in each of the cities we visited. This made sightseeing easier and more flexible.

The cost of the Poland portion of our trip (nine nights) was $4,807 for two, including breakfast, hotels, private car, driver and guide, rail travel and entry fees. Other meals cost extra.

Our explorations in Poland were assisted by the driver and Orbis guide Margaret and by Lukasz Bielecki. I had found Lukasz on the website www.discovering-roots.pl, which is involved in genealogical research. I arranged to have him spend the whole day with us as we drove through the western part of Poland.

We paid Lukasz $110 plus a $20 gratuity. The cost was agreed to in advance during our e-mail correspondence. (If Discovering Roots provides the guide AND car, the rate is 500 zloty [near $226] per day, not including fuel.)

Near the western city of Poznan´ were three villages where Margi had family roots: Zwierzyn, Trzciel and Klepsk. So we made the rounds of these villages.

In Zwierzyn the buildings were definitely north German in appearance — half-timbered, with reddish stucco. We saw many storks in the fields and sitting in their big nests.

In Klepsk the main feature of interest was a gorgeous wooden church that, by itself, could have been a UNESCO World Heritage prize. The interior was still filled with German inscriptions and icons.

We ended at Trzciel, where the streets looked very much like those in the old photographs that were taken around the time of Margi’s great-grandfather’s boyhood and youth.

It was meaningful for Margi to stand in three places where her ancestors actually lived and get a sense of the countryside and the village life.

DUSTY MILLER

Worcester, MA