Hookers and Mushrooms

It's fall in Poland, and that means a few things.  One of the most cherished pastimes of the Poles (and other Slavs) is going into the nearby woodlands in the hunt for wild mushrooms.  It's a tradition and as ingrained in Polish culture as trick-or-treating is in American culture.
On a recent drive to the Zegrze Reservoir for some sailing (more on this in a later post), I passed through the woods of northern Warsaw.  The winding road was lined with parked cars whose owners were busy scurrying through the underbrush looking for fungi.  I could see several of them tramping about, holding baskets and peering around the loam.  Also, there were hookers standing alongside the road.

A few parked cars alongside the road.

That's right: hookers.  In the woods.  Remember, this wasn't a street corner in the seedy part of Warsaw, this was a thoroughfare that ran through some deciduous forest-scape.  But there they were: toting bags, wearing short skirts, high-heels, dressed mostly in black with dyed black hair to match.  Some of them were in pairs, others standing by themselves, and others were in small groups.  How they got out there was anyone's guess (their pimp?  Did they carpool?)  (I must apologize, I don't have any pictures of them because A) The car was going to fast to take an adequate picture, B) My camera totally sucks.)

So, if you want a weekend family activity in Warsaw, head into the woods for mushrooms and blowjobs for all.  These ladies-of-the-night are unmistakable, looking exactly like a stereotypical hookers, they just happen to be strutting their stuff ten minutes outside the city on the soft shoulder.