The Beggars of Krakow

Krakow is challenge for beggars. On the one hand it’s a comparatively wealthy place with lots of even wealthier tourists, but on the other Krakowians are notoriously the tightest citizens of the republic. The inside of the average Krakowian’s wallet receives less hours of sunlight annually than parts of North Wales. There are reputed to be solid gold coins from the reign of Kazimierz Wielki (1310–70) still officially in circulation because no government department has yet figured out how to liberate them from the purses of Krakow citizens.

Rear Krakow Window

I never regarded voyeurism as a vocation, I just kind of drifted into it. Having a designated smoking window that looks directly onto a dozen brightly illuminated flats on the other side of the street didn’t help. I’m sure you’ve seen Hitchcock’s Rear Window as many times as I have. The difference in my case [...]

Bus TV

I always thought the one thing missing from the whole experience of traveling by bus was the opportunity to watch mind-numbingly dull commercials on TV. Simply enduring repeated umbrella blows to the thorax from combative old ladies is not enough these days. As if by a miracle my fantasies have been fulfilled by the advent of Bus TV. Apparently this miracle occurred some time ago but I haven’t been on a bus for a while, or at least sober on a bus for a while, so the revelation has been late in coming to Polandian.

My Polish Street: The Ballad of Pani Basia

I don’t remember the first time I saw Pani Basia, but I do remember the last. She was sitting on a battered chair on the pavement outside my building. Blue lights and paramedics were standing by, hands on hips. It looked like she’d fallen again. I didn’t see her fall, but then I didn’t see her fall the first time. We just found her on her back, struggling, for all the world like a cartoon turtle, except the splash of blood from her head wasn’t funny.

My Polish Street: Polish Graffiti

Polandian Theme Month is a cunning invention that does away with the need for me to think up a new idea every week. This month’s theme is My Polish Street, which has the double advantage of providing a framework for a series of devastatingly incisive posts on modern urban Poland as well as eliminating the need for me to walk very far to take pictures. Today: Polish Graffiti.

Early 80’s Swedish meat in Poland!

When I first saw the headline I thought “My God, an ABBA revival concert!” and started checking the listings for Sala Kongresowa!

1980’s Swedish meat
However, it turns out that this is a far more sinister plot that should have everyone who’s eaten pierogi z mięsem in a Krakow bar mleczny heading for the toilet.
Almost 200 tonnes [...]

The leaflet plague

Ah, September. Season of mellow fruitfulness, misty mornings, and fistfuls of glossy leaflets. Kids are back at the chalkface and private language schools are scrambling to snare all those eager young brains and parental wallets with visions of Big Ben and Times Square. The prime weapon in this battle is the leaflet. “Your child must [...]

Krakow’s WWII 70th anniversary ceremony: A spectator’s-eye view

I attended the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II yesterday in Krakow. It was an understated but moving event.  Attendance was low and seemed to consist mainly of people who happened to be walking past at the time plus a gang of frenetic photographers. As we know, Poles have [...]

Polandian in the Krakow Post

In a moment of madness the fine people at Krakow Post asked me to write a column for them. I protested that I was an extremely busy man, what with toenails to be clipped and windows to be stared out of, but they twisted my arm and waved beer coupons under my nose until I [...]

Kraków to fine noise-makers during hejnal

From TVN24 via Polskie Radio we bring you the exclusive (ish) news that from now on the making of any kind of noise in Krakow during the playing of the “hejnał” will leave you open to fines, embarrassment and a general talking-to from the city’s guards.
The hejnał, or Hejnał Mariacki to give it its [...]