Krakow Factoids
Time to Rock and Roll, Or Better Yet---Polka!
07/04/2012 09:08
Well, here we are, the last day before the trip! Perhaps most importantly: No more Factoids for you to suffer through! Well, maybe just one last time. Actually, I just wanted to say that I am really looking forward to spending the next ten days or so with you guys. I hope that these daily bits of...
Live Webcams
07/03/2012 08:41
The other day, I did a fun experiment with Ewa. We decided that she would go to an intersection on Grodzka St. when she was out running some errands for the restaurant. There’s a webcam there. She Skyped me from her cell phone, and I was able to go to the webcam site and see her calling. It was...
Annual Jazz Festival
07/02/2012 08:47
There is a strong tradition of jazz in Europe. Even from the early days, artists regularly came from the US to play with an emerging crop of talented Europeans like Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.
Poland is no different. Jazz has been a popular art form here for a long time, with many...
Apron Strings, Part 2
07/01/2012 09:18
Today, we’ll look at more places that offer a touch of home. We might not go to any of them, but they’re there just in case.
Yummie
“Yummie remains a tribute to American-style overconsumption.” Again, when I’m in Krakow I usually go local, even for meat feasts and overeating. However, if...
Apron Strings, Part 1
06/30/2012 10:36
It’s inevitable. Even the most adventurous traveler needs a breath of home at some point. Here’s the first of a two-part blog dedicated to keeping in touch with the fabulous fifty.
McDonald’s (Szewska, Florianska)
Okay, maybe not the most fabulous part of the fifty, and quite possibly our...
Lumpy
06/29/2012 09:45
Ahh yes, no trip to Poland would be complete without mentioning lumpy (plural). These are the drunks who hang out in front of convenience stores and other places where there’s alcohol for sale. I used to be afraid of them, because they smell pretty bad and tend to ask you for money to buy some...
Polany
06/28/2012 09:03
I figured that I’d try to put something down so that you have a general idea of what to expect when we go to Polany. Although it’s been a good several years since I’ve been there, and much has certainly changed in Poland, my sense is that things have happened slower in and around Polany, and that...
Beer, Mad Dogs and Kwas
06/27/2012 09:59
Beer
I’m very curious to see what our expert Bob thinks of Polish beer. I don’t believe that Poland was ever really known for its beer, or “piwo” (pee – vo). It’s always been more noted for its vodka. The truth is that, regardless of where you are in Europe, it’s very hard to match up with...
Art
06/26/2012 11:00
I’m not sure how much we will be interested in discovering art in and around Krakow. My hunch is that, on a nice summer day, the thought of walking through galleries might be a little further down on the must-do list than it would be if we were there in cooler weather. There are a few quick-shop...
Wooden Churches in the Countryside
06/25/2012 09:30
In the summer of 1995, I decided to take a month or so and go walking around the Beskid Niski and Bieszczady regions. To this day, I look at it as perhaps one of the best times of my life. My old girlfriend Kim and I hiked trails and back roads all over southeastern Poland, staying mainly at...