“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

Rebekah and I picked a great location for our AirBnb. We’re in the heart of Old Town Krakow, just a few steps from the river, and an easy five minute walk to Andrew and Alicia’s apartment.

Post-flight recovery seems to be getting harder as the years go by, but a short walk in the fresh winter air helped. That and a good mug of coffee. But we were still sluggish when the Uber drive picked us up for the ride out to the school where both Andrew and Alicia teach.

ISK – International School of Krakow – is an impressive place with impressive credentials. K-12, beautiful facilities, a strong reputation as an international school, an unheard of teacher to student ratio and a positive learning environment that speaks volumes at every turn.

After our tour we joined most of the school as well as a host of parents for the Christmas music program featuring choirs from our grandson Mr. T.’s lively kindergarten class all the way up through grade five.

So say that our daughter-in-law Alicia hit it out of the park would be a significant understatement. The students responded to her beautifully, singing their hearts out. She obviously puts a lot of passion and commitment and hard work into her teaching and it shows.

The children were remarkably well prepared and well behaved and we enjoyed the concert immensely.

Also, in listening to what the other staff have to say about Andrew and Alicia it is evident that they hit the ground running in Krakow and have already made a real impact on the school.

After the concert and the school bazar that followed, we headed out to a local restaurant to celebrate and to sample our first taste of authentic Polish cuisine (well, most of us did, as Andrew went with an impressive looking pizza).

Finally, it was a cup of tea at Andrew and Alicia’s delightful Old-Town apartment and a walk back to ours.

Enjoy this survey of our first day. So far, Krakow is checking all the right boxes.

Pokój i błogosławieństwa (peace and blessings)- DEREK