It was day 21 when our team arrived in Krakow, Poland and it was a special feeling being there, I felt a sense of being home and the look of the Polish faces seemed familiar to me. Poland was where my ancestors were from and my mother had provided me with a list of family places to visit. One of them was the Palace of Potochich in the market square and above this building was the family crest, I was determined to go and see it and because our team had just finished our 3rd day of the 9am-3pm shift this had given us off an evening in Krakow.

It was one of those beautiful evenings and along with some of the Blue Planet Run staff we made the most of it. Even though I was in Poland there was an Italian flare to the evening, about 8 of the support staff on the first part of the European adventure have been Italians and I have got to say they have added colour, style and humor to our last 3 weeks and made it one of the most memorable times in my life. We had a lovely meal and then made our way to the market square to sit outside at a café which was beneath the Potocki crest. I got a great photo beneath the crest and felt a strong energy while around it.

The company that night was all energy and we all let off a bit of steam and danced the night away in the market square of Krakow. I’ve got to say Fabio from Turin was the best mover out of the lot of us and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing with him - those Italians eh - Mamma Mia! The next morning it was running towards Warsaw and I’ve got to say I had the best run since starting this Blue Planet Adventure. Perhaps it was that wonderful night in Krakow or perhaps it was my ancestors carrying me along those Polish roads, I hoped that my Great Great Grandfather Joseph Waldislas Edmond Potocki would be proud of me.

Warsaw was an interesting city, it didn’t quite have the same character as Krakow, but this was because 90% of this city was completely destroyed during World War II. My teammate Richard and I had to appear on Polish TV in Warsaw and I enjoyed the experience. They asked Richard about why he was participating in the Blue Planet Run and my conversation centered on my Polish Heritage and the fact that I was from the Potocki family which was the Noble family of Poland. The Polish media really embraced the reasons behind us 20 athletes running around the World for the water cause and that made me feel really proud. After leaving Warsaw it was a drive to the Belarus border and on to start Phase Two of this Journey……