We Built Our Dream House in Communist Poland… Then Crashed Cars & Drove a VW Across Europe

n the mid-1960s we finally moved into our new Scandinavian-style house in Warsaw’s upscale Mokotów district — complete with a basement kitchen, coal storage, garage with repair pit, and custom furniture ordered through the Minister of Forestry.Life was getting better: we bought our first Polish Syrena car (and had two minor accidents), our son got his driving license, finished high school, and went to a French youth camp. Meanwhile I was invited to West Germany for six months at the University of Giessen, where I bought a used Volkswagen with help from my sister-in-law in Canada. My son joined me, and together we drove the car back to Poland via Zurich, Switzerland — even swapping Polish mountain ties with a professor!This chapter is full of family moments, building a better life under communism, international scientific work, and the first signs that big changes were coming in Poland by 1967–68.A warm, personal look at everyday life, small luxuries, and quiet tensions in 1960s Poland.Hashtags:#CommunistPoland #1960sLife #BuildingHouse #PolishHistory #WarsawLife #DreamHouse #ColdWarEra #FamilyStory #DrivingInPoland #UniversityOfGiessen #TrueLifeStory #PostWarPoland #VWCar #ScientificTravel #EverydayLifeUnderCommunism