Moments of spring

February. I leave behind the sunny blue skies of Hellas and I fall into the misty greyness the Central and Eastern Europe. As soon as I put my legs down on a Polish soil icy wet flakes of snow stick to my face and slowly drip trickle my neckline. Quickly pull out of a hat and gloves panniers, and immediately get them into use. I want just to turn around and get back on a plane, that will return to Greece in a hour or so. With remnants of sanity I force myself to stay in place, but it will take me still several days to get used to this rather radical change of aura. I want to stamp the anger like a baby ... , but „sorry, that is sort of climate we have here" I think to myslef. Welcome home, unruly little girl.

March. I travel and talk to, adults, youth and children, in clubs, libraries and festivals. With scheduled three or four meetings I finish doing a dozen and it is like a tournee all around the country. Apparently even it is interesting!

I have to tell you something. In my former life, at school and work – I was frozen at the mere thought of talking in public, and it drenched me in a cold sweat. So stressful, which was seen, heard and felt. My crawling around at a basement level -1 self-esteem worked well, and now - not only I like it, this whole sharing experiences about my travels on Asian routes, but also others like it too. I'm not in the habit complimenting myself, but also I have no reason, not to believe what I hear, repeatedly. Thank you all for this, that you come to share-story meetings (there is still one more the coming week in Krakow) and thank you for this very kind words. It probably works this way, that if you do something you love you do it with satisfaction, and it works, because it is authentic.

Can I ask, what do you escape from? I thought, that I will see ugly , tired of life woman and you entered smiling and relaxed, like a runaway bride – I have hard such words from one of the participants . I have no idea, why he thought so, What is even gingerbread windmill, but answering this imprecisely – I do not know if I am running away from something. Maybe a little, from a daily routine? I always liked to move, changing environment and so it obviously is stil this way. Bicycle usually helps me with this lots.

My dear classmates from college make a big surprise and big joy by coorganizing meeting in my hometown the library in his hometown of Sochaczew they come there numerous. Hey, girls and boys - I love you! When we talk after years I feel as if, time moved back . You did not change at all, not at all. It was great.

I have the impression, I found myself in a colorful tunnel of human kindness. I visit different cities, Etraordinary people host me, share with me their time, conversation, food and free bed in the apartment - I, I fell as I was given from one hand to another . Some of you I did not know before, well- it happens so, that I did not even have the possibility to get to know, I get a key to the apartment but tenants (hello Kajtostany - thanks a lot!) go elsewhere and leave me the key. I do not want to name each and every of you , every meeting is important for me and delightful experience. Thank you all so much. It's an unusual time.

I am experiencing every meeting, but especially the fact that I was invitated to participate in the biggest of Travel Festival in Poland which is The Meeting of Travelers, Sailors and Mountaineers KOLOSY in Gdynia. Presentation of someone's journey there is at the same time nomination , it is a kind of Oscar prize in travels. Although I do not completely control my allotted time, "I reach" in the story only China, I am very pleased, I had a chance to present myslef in front of a few thousand people, who come to Gdynia from all over Poland. In retrospect, I conclude though, that it is, so to say, valuation of something so personal, as travel is. Exposing to the assessment of others personal experience . Judging by the venerable body and the audience, that one trip was better and more interesting than another. Why a week in Poland may have for this or that person the value of the discovery of the Colca Canyon in South America? There is no longer just travel, and a but an "expedition", often "lonely" and not alone. faster, further, higher, more extreme, in the heat or cold, by swimming, on foot, hitchhiking, by bike, bicycles-dinghy, sail boat, way or another - a race of ideas. I do not know and I will not know, whether the person's travel was caused more by curiosity of the world more then by mere desire to stand out from others. Someone can say the same thing about me and also will not be sure. To tell the truth, is it wrong at all? By doing what, I am doing I became a part of this machine. I know, that I have read about it somewhere already , someone is extremely aptly described as "self-marketing". I look for, I find and again I read a great text of Lukasz Supergan. So now it is-after all, that is the climate we have now ".

April. Awakened a sudden burst of heat whirligig circling around above my head like a broken helicopter. Feet desire to be free from too heavy boots, the world smells like spring new. You have bad medical test results, you have to quickly make further evaluation .. doctor finidings wakes me more than the morning cries of birds and remind, what really came here for. Why is it? I made a call last month to check it – someone gave me wrong inforrmation? After all, I am gonna go back travelling in just two weeks time.. back on the road.. I already have a ticket.

No need to look back, you need to act. Nothing happens without a reason, just sometimes it takes time, to understand the "why". Since can we be sure, whether, what's happening now, it is certainly good , or bad?

But most important is, that spring came.