We Made It!

Wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely and soundly to Warsaw!  We took the overnight flight on Sunday night and arrived on Monday afternoon.  The flight was uneventful, except for Tom and I worrying quite a bit about Charlie in the cargo area for pets under the plane.  When we picked Charlie up in the airport he was thrilled to see us and seemed to be just fine...which was a welcome relief.  We then took our 7 bags and Charlie and headed to our short term home- the Westin Warsaw.

The Westin is a great hotel and is located right downtown, only a few blocks from Tom's office (which is really convenient)!  We also were able to get an executive level room which gives us free internet, free breakfast and free cocktails from 5-7pm.  After showering and trying to unpack all of our bags in our room we took Charlie for a nice long walk around the city.  He thoroughly enjoyed all of the new sights, smells and sounds.  He was quite inquisitive.  We went against the Polsih norms and picked up his feces...although it is quite apparent that what we heard is true...the Poles don't pick up after their dogs.  : )

The Westin - Our Interim Home

Charlie checking out his Food

Charlie's New Dog Bed

Then we headed to the 19th floor for our free cocktails.  I enjoyed a glass of champagne and Tom had a glass of red wine to celebrate our arrival.  I could defintiely get use to champagne every day!  We then went out to grab dinner but had trouble finding a spot to eat since it was Valentine's Day and we did not have reservations.  Apparently, the Poles adopted Valentine's Day about 5 years ago and it has been super popular ever since.  At this point we were totally exhausted and hungry, so we headed back to the hotel and grabbed a quick bite at the hotel bar.

Charlie relaxing under the beautiful flowers that Tom brought me home from the market for Valentine's Day!

After an okay night sleep (we both woke up in the middle of the night wide awake)  Tom got ready and headed off to work.  Charlie and I slept in and then went for a walk.  When we woke up we had a quick skype session with my parents, which was great!  We later met Tom at lunch time for a quick walk which was nice. 

It feels great to finally be here and in some ways we still feel like we are in limbo until we are in a real new home (e.g. our apartment).  But, that will come soon enough.  I also feel a bit lost....as if I am in the middle of this city with no idea what is going on and where I am. I know that this will change over time as we get more and more adjusted.  Charlie and I have plans for different walks each day to start getting our bearings.

Thank you all for your emails, messages and notes of support!  It means the world to us as we undergo this transition.  Please note that my cell phone number does not work over here...so if you text me or call me on it I will not get it.  We are working on getting me a local cell phone this weekend...so stay tuned.  And, I will provide updates on the cheapest and easiest way to stay in touch.  In the interim, log on to skype so we can try and reach one another.  And, if you are a verizon customer or own an iphone you can download skype mobile/skype to your cell phone and we can talk for free!