Archive

Krakow, Poland I’ve written a fair bit about Poland in the past few weeks and a lot of that has referenced Krakow. Not surprising really, seeing as it’s Poland’s second largest city and its most popular tourist destination. The history draws some people and the culture others. For most, it’s the combination of the two. ...

Polish vodka “You must have more vodka,” the Polish men say to me with hospitality that is starting to border on hostility. “Together we will drink,” they insist. Or at least they’re saying something along those lines… my memory of the night is little hazy. I’d been invited to join the men at their table ...

Chocholow church, Poland Sunday in Poland. In the small towns and villages of the countryside, Sunday means church. If it’s not something the locals want to do, it’s something they’re expected to do. As one person explains it to me, the communities are so small that it’s noticed if you don’t attend. This Sunday morning ...

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Poland If you consider just the numbers, it’s hard to comprehend. When you think about the individuals, it starts to feel more real. Galka Wladyslaw, inmate number 10557. Wrebski Walenty, inmate number 10410. Libucha Jan, inmate 10743. Their names, their photos and their numbers line the hall of one of the internment ...

Guided tour of Wroclaw “Perhaps she’s lost in the matrix,” our guide says of one of our group who hasn’t turned up. “Perhaps we’re all in the matrix.” What a welcome to Poland. We haven’t even left the airport and already I am worried we have somehow entered a world in which I will have ...

Euro 2012 “You didn’t hear this from me,” someone whispers in my direction. “But I’m not sure Poland will be ready in time for the matches.” I take it with a grain of Polish salt. You seem to hear these things before every big international sporting event – and Poland is about to put itself ...

Polish food I had been expecting cabbage and I wasn’t disappointed. My very first meal after arriving in Poland presented me with an opportunity to try it – red and sweet, it was just how I had imagined the country would taste. What I was about to discover was that food in Poland is much ...

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland In twelve steps, they say you can cure alcoholism. To get to the bottom of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, it takes 810. And in this case, it’s an intoxicating experience that will leave your head spinning. This is no ordinary mine, no warren of small dark tunnels and dangerous industrial ...

The gnomes in Wroclaw, Poland It starts with just one of them. One little guy, all bronzed and steady, looking up at you from a pavement in Wroclaw. He’s a blend between a gnome and a dwarf – for the sake of this conversation, let’s call him a gnome. This guy isn’t your usual garden ...