The day of the flight was still busy. Our son had an exam at school, but as soon as he finished, he came home, and we started packing. We had some extra space in our luggage since we barely packed any clothes, so after dinner, we even went shopping.
We left home on January 10th at 7:40 PM (close to 1 PM in Poland) and took a taxi to the airport. We arrived at 9 PM for a flight scheduled at 11:10 PM, but it didn’t take off until midnight.
The meal on the plane was just so-so. It was served at 1 AM—quite late for a meal—but since the next one wasn’t scheduled for another 12 hours, we had no choice but to eat it. The breakfast was better in my opinion, especially the Chinese dish. The kids received a gift of crayons and a coloring.
Our flight was entirely during the night and lasted around 16 hours. I have trouble sleeping, especially while sitting, so spending so long in that position wasn’t great for me. Luckily, there were some Korean movies available. I can’t remember the last time I watched something non-Korean, though usually, it’s dramas, not movies. But with no other choice, it was better than nothing.
Our son, being small, was able to stretch out his legs on me and sleep for a bit. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long—after just five hours, he was wide awake again.
We arrived in Germany at 8 AM (about 3 PM Taiwan time). The atmosphere didn’t feel very friendly. We were questioned extensively about the length of our stay and had to show our return tickets. The airport security checks were much more detailed compared to Taiwan, they even conducted body searches. The tone felt less polite, but perhaps I’ve just gotten used to Asian hospitality, and what’s normal in Europe feels unfamiliar to me now.
The flight from Taiwan to Germany was about 16 hours, mostly during the night, so it was nice to finally see the view outside the window. Germany welcomed us with beautiful sunny weather. Despite the temperature being just 2°C, it felt much warmer than the 10°C back in Taiwan.
To transfer, we had to take the SkyTrain to another terminal and then a bus to the airplane. The next flight was scheduled for 10:30 AM but didn’t take off until 11 AM (6 PM in Taiwan on January 11th). Surprisingly, they didn’t announce any delays until boarding began.
I had checked the weather in Poland several times before the trip, and it didn’t seem like we would see winter—just cold and cloudy days. But to my surprise, snow began to fall early in the morning. My family messaged me about the snowfall and slippery roads, which sounded a bit scary since such conditions never happen in Taiwan. I’ve never driven on icy roads, but I have walked on them—and fallen—so I know how unfriendly they can be!
The flight provided buns and another small gift for the kids. My advice: choose the sweet buns over the savory ones, as they usually taste better—but that’s just my opinion, as not everyone enjoys sweets.
The sweet version was filled with prunes, and that’s what all three of us chose. Since there were still leftover buns available, only the savory version filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms was left. I decided to take it anyway, knowing we wouldn’t be eating for several more hours. My husband and son didn’t like them, but I thought the flavor was still fine.
We arrived in Poland close to 1 PM (8 PM in Taiwan). From the sunny weather in Germany, we returned to gloomy Polish skies.
After collecting our luggage and picking up the rental car, it was nearly 3 PM when we were ready to leave the airport. It was a bit inconvenient to find car parking since it was a fair walk from the airport. We also took a wrong turn since we’re not familiar with the area. Instead of going up the bridge, we ended up going below and right back to the airport. Never mind, though—after a few turns, we were back on our route and took the highway, which was a fairly easy drive.
As we drove, the snow became heavier, and it got dark quickly since the sun sets before 4 PM.
We arrived at my father’s house around 5 PM (midnight in Taiwan), but we were actually staying at my aunt’s place. After a meal and an hour-long drive in poor road conditions, we finally reached our destination at 8 PM (3 AM in Taiwan on January 12th).
The snowfall became heavy, and the roads turned slippery. We could only drive at 30–40 km/h instead of the 90 km/h speed limit on that road. Along the way, we saw a tow truck pulling a car, and two others stopped on both sides of the road. Another car behind them had slid off the road entirely.
Slowly but surely, we arrived safely at my aunt’s place.
It was exhausting—so many hours of different modes of transportation and walking. I can’t sleep on airplanes, so I went two days without sleep. By the time I went to bed, it was already Jan 12th 7 AM Taiwan time (midnight in Poland). Strangely, despite the lack of sleep, I didn’t feel very tired.
This time, I experienced severe ear pain during both landings, which was terrible. Even after going to bed, one of my ears still couldn’t hear properly. I’m not sure if my body is still adjusting to Taiwan time, but I woke up at 4 AM after less than four hours of sleep.
It snowed the whole time, which was wonderful. However, the weather is expected to warm up to 6–7°C after the weekend, so goodbye snow—but at least we got to enjoy two days of winter fun!
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