“Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient.” – Grace Lichtenstein

At the hostel in Warsaw, I met K. She was staying in the hostel for just a day before going home to the town of Kielce, south of Warsaw. She offered to host me for a couple of days if I were to be stopping through. So, before leaving Łódź and knowing that I had 3 days to enjoy before my reservation in Krakow, I messaged K, who, indeed, invited me to stay. Off to Kielce I went.

At the time that I made the decision to go first to Łódź and then Kielce, I didn’t realize that this is how I would decide which place to visit next for the next several months. As someone I met later in my walkabout described it, it’s almost as if I took a marker to a globe that was spinning quickly and decided that the oddly squiggled line that emerged would be my route around the world. She was right. It does look like that. 🙂

The afternoon I got off the train in Kielce, K picked me up and said, “I have Polish saber practice tonight. You’re welcome to join.” To which I replied with an enthusiastic yes. How often does someone get invited to saber fight with a member of the Polish Army (oh yeah… turns out K is a member of the Polish Army – pretty dope)? Definitely would not pass that opportunity up.

When we arrived in the gymnasium that night for the practice, we first went to a classroom and watched a lesson from the coach on fighting techniques. Afterward and before the chaos began, I was introduced as an “out of town guest” … That’s true, I was. And while I don’t speak Polish and not everyone there spoke English, we were all smiles. I was pumped to experience this with them.

In the gymnasium, we started our warm-ups with Metallica as our soundtrack. There’s honestly no better way to get ready to saber fight than listening to “Enter Sandman” at a deafening level. I was very aware of how this was no different than my middle school P.E. class with a bunch of big kids running and play fighting. I couldn’t help but laugh with excitement while everyone ran in circles chanting Metallica.

I was grouped with a few other new people and taught the basics of don’t stab here and don’t slash here. We got used to the movements of handling the sabers and gently tapping our opponents with pool noodles to learn how to strike. But then our inner children came out and we just attacked each other – with the noodles, not the swords. It was like giving a group of 8 year-olds free reign to hit each other without consequence and it. was. awesome.

Finally after an hour of practice and the do nots, I was able to put on gear and given a real (dull – safety first) saber. I started out sparring with K who taught me how to move and strike with the saber since it’s quite different than the pool noodle.

After I was okay and slightly confident, I was paired with another person to spar for points. And I lost miserably. It wasn’t even close. No mercy on the new person, but I had a blast even in defeat. At least no one bet money on me winning.

As we packed up our stuff to leave, I truly felt like I had just fulfilled a childhood dream of sword fighting. To ensure I remembered this amazing experience, I got a group photo with the two ladies that took zero mercy on me, as well as with K, and another member of the team.

I was quite impressed to later find out that I was in the presence of an award winning saber team who competes in competitions throughout Poland. You can check them out on Instagram @szermierkakielce

The next day, I had the entire day to myself, and dove straight into meandering through the town and sitting at a local coffee shop. I like watching people do everyday things there. I feel that there’s no better way to learn how the city or town functions than just sitting back and watching it happen. I saw some older men talk for hours, a lady each day would walk to the market to buy different vegetables, and the same kids would run to the school nearby after getting something from the market. Aside from perusing the local stores and museums, watching this city come to life was great. This small city was beautifully fascinating.

The night before I left for Krakow, K took me to a rock climbing gym and taught me the fundamental basics. I had always wanted to but never gotten to rock climb. The walls look daunting but I was determined to conquer at least some of it.

Like a monkey, I climbed my way to the ceiling and a bit across it before losing my grip and shouting “wee!” as I dangled from rope. It was amazing and I could have stayed there for hours, but they had to let the employees go home sometime.

The next morning I was headed out to Krakow with my memories of Kielce full of laughter and fun. I’m happy I took the offer from someone I didn’t know to experience their city. Strangers no more. Travel is wonderful that way.

Kielce was wonderful. My hope was that Krakow would be as amazing. Turns out, it would be, and I would get two new, lifelong friends out of it.

Next, Krakow.

• Have additional questions for me about my experience? Email me using the contact form.
• Check out additional pictures from my travels in the Digital Postcards.