Just like that, after only two and a half weeks of settling into our condo in Mościce, we found ourselves back on the road to Grajewo. It’s really starting to feel like our second home here in Poland.
The main reason for this trip was to tackle some car registration requirements — because apparently, in Poland, cars need to pass a whole different kind of “eye exam.” Headlights must be on all the time — day or night, rain or shine — and while U.S. cars are perfectly roadworthy, they don’t quite fit the European rulebook. American headlights shine with a flat, symmetrical beam, while European ones tilt slightly downward and to the right, supposedly to better light the roadside and avoid blinding oncoming drivers. Add in the requirement for amber turn signals and a rear fog light (which U.S. cars don’t typically have), and suddenly our Altima needed a little European makeover.
Now, I’ll be honest — I still don’t completely understand the full extent of Poland’s lighting laws, but here’s what I do know: the mechanic swapped out my fog light bulbs for dual-color LEDs that shine white while driving and blink orange when the turn signals are on. He also installed a mysterious little switch by the driver’s seat to control a rear fog light that has to be used when driving in fog so cars behind you can spot a bright white light on one side. That mod also changed how the reverse lights work — apparently, only one is required in Poland, so now one’s a fog light and the other’s the reverse light.
That’s about as much as my brain could handle. The way I see it, if the lights turn on, the signals blink, and the car makes it through inspection, I’ll call it a win.
Initially, we’d gotten a quote from a local mechanic in Tarnów that Wujek Krzysiek recommended, but he wasn’t familiar with this particular model and estimated it could cost upwards of $1,000 since the front bumper would have to come off. Time for Plan B. Luckily, Marzena found a mechanic just outside Grajewo who had worked on a similar Altima before and was willing to take care of everything for about $100. Needless to say, that’s the route we took.
While in Grajewo, the boys made the most of the bike track at Park Solidarności and even made a few quick friends there.
Around that time, Artur wasn’t feeling well and ended up checking himself into the hospital for the night. The next day, Marzena and I went to visit him — he was in good spirits, and after some tests, doctors couldn’t find anything serious, so he was discharged soon after.
The week in Grajewo flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to head back home — this time with bikes in tow. We had extra space, so Damian’s new bike went in the trunk while Grayson’s and mine went on the bike rack. I actually ended up taking Kamil’s old mountain bike, the one I’d given him a few years back. He’d never been too fond of it and hardly used it, and since he has a new one now, I happily claimed it.
We had to leave when we did because the next day we were picking up Uncle Filip from the Kraków airport. He was flying in to visit family in the Czech Republic. After picking him up, we stopped at Pizza Paolo near the airport for some pizza and burgers — and by chance discovered a kids’ zipline park next door called Linolandia Kryspinów, Park Linowy. It was perfect for the boys, and they couldn’t wait to try it out. While they played, Filip’s dad, brother, and nephew arrived to pick him up for the two-hour drive to Ostrava. It was great to meet his family and see how close he actually lives to Kraków.
While in Kraków, we stopped by Agata — a popular home goods store — to pick up the office chairs we’d ordered a couple of weeks earlier. That same morning in Tarnów, we finally collected the kids’ mattresses from a local shop after a two-week wait. It seems every special order in Poland takes at least that long to arrive.
The Altima finally passed inspection in Grajewo, and back in Tarnów, it now proudly wears Polish plates — officially a Polish citizen, no passport required.
An old friend from our Lake Villa days, Pan Romek, stopped by to visit. He moved back to Poland about 18 years ago, and since Tarnów is his hometown, we’ve been lucky to reconnect. He’s helped us countless times over the last couple of years — picking up mail, handling errands, and taking care of things while we were abroad. As a small thank-you, we gifted him a set of new headlights for his old Dodge minivan. It was the least we could do.
While playing at the local pool, Grayson lost his very first tooth — just after his sixth birthday. Exciting stuff! The tooth fairy had some work to do that night.
We also enjoyed a barbecue at Sylwia’s cousin Sebastian and Ania’s house. Our boys had a blast playing with their two boys, Filip (10) and Mikołaj (2), in their big backyard.
Tarnów hosted a back-to-school event in the city center, and the boys had a great time — games, face painting, music, and more.
Not long after, Uncle Filip was back in town, and we met up for a nice visit and catch-up.
A few days later, Grayson lost his second tooth — this one right before bedtime, just in time for another visit from the tooth fairy.
Paweł arranged for a plumber to fix the kitchen drain, which hadn’t been installed properly during the renovation. It’s finally fixed the way it should be.
Next up was tackling the basement storage — or piwnica, as it’s called in Poland. It was packed with old items left behind by Sylwia’s aunt, so we spent several days sorting, tossing, donating, and keeping only a few mementos. It finally feels organized and usable.
New bean bags for the boys.
A company came out to install a couple of security cameras we’d prewired during the renovation — one in the living room and another facing the entryway. It’s good peace of mind for when we’re back in the States.
We visited Uncle Zbyszek and took a nice walk around his neighborhood with Mikołaj and the boys.
And finally, we made it to żużel — motorcycle speedway racing — after hearing the roaring engines from our balcony all week. Żużel is a huge deal in Poland. The bikes have no brakes and only one gear, and the races are short but intense. It was the season finale, and the boys loved every second. By the end, we could literally feel the dirt and sand in our teeth.
We wrapped up the week with a weekend trip downtown, taking the city bus to explore Tarnów’s old town and enjoy a fun, relaxing day together.
