The other morning, on the way to my early morning tennis lesson (7am!), I noticed two men dressed entirely in black. On their heads they wore small black caps, and over their shoulders carried long coils of cable.
I realized they were chimney sweeps. Their outfits reminded me of the illustrations in one of my favourite childhood novels, The Water Babies.
Although Krakow is in many ways a modern and westernized city, small details like the chimney sweeps in their Victorian era uniforms remind me daily that this is a very different place, with a much stronger sense of history and tradition, then where I'm from.
The sweeps I've had in to work on my chimney in Toronto wore blue jeans and white coveralls. Not nearly the same effect.
If only I'd had my camera with me.
Note: The wikipedia article linked to above mentions that sweeps in Croatia still wear the traditional dress with the small black caps. I should write in to append that they do in Poland as well. Note that the sweeps in Krakow were not wearing the extremely odd headress-like hat that is in the accompanying picture.
Friday, March 13, 2009
March fool
When I returned to Krakow from Canada March 2nd the weather here was positively balmy, at least compared to Toronto which hit -25 the day I left. Somehow I convinced myself that spring had sprung.
I wasn't the only one. The restaurant and cafe owners in the Rynek put out their tables, umbrellas and chairs March 1st, ready for the spring/summer tourist traffic to appear.
Since then it has snowed at least 3 times.
I wasn't the only one. The restaurant and cafe owners in the Rynek put out their tables, umbrellas and chairs March 1st, ready for the spring/summer tourist traffic to appear.
Since then it has snowed at least 3 times.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Family
My grandma has three children (all daughters), ten grandchildren, and fourteen (I think) great-grandchildren. In honour of her 90th birthday, many of us met in Toronto yesterday to celebrate.
Not all of us were at the party, but it was the largest gathering of the clan that I can remember. My entire immediate family (parents, two brothers, two sis-in-laws and 4 nieces) flew in from Western Canada for the festivities.
Seeing the four generations of our family in one room was fantastic: Grandma's smile was ear to ear for most of the day. Watching the tribe of great-grandchildren roar around the hall together was even better.
It took me 24 hours to get here for the party, and my luggage didn't arrive until after it was over, but I'd do it all again in a minute.
Happy Birthday Grandma!
Not all of us were at the party, but it was the largest gathering of the clan that I can remember. My entire immediate family (parents, two brothers, two sis-in-laws and 4 nieces) flew in from Western Canada for the festivities.
Seeing the four generations of our family in one room was fantastic: Grandma's smile was ear to ear for most of the day. Watching the tribe of great-grandchildren roar around the hall together was even better.
It took me 24 hours to get here for the party, and my luggage didn't arrive until after it was over, but I'd do it all again in a minute.
Happy Birthday Grandma!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Winter travel: Part 2
I'm in Toronto right now. It is 5:37 am and I've been wide awake for an hour thanks to jet lag.
I arrived here around 11 pm (Toronto time) Friday night after a very long and frustrating travel day.
My trip started off well enough Friday morning. I got up sometime around 6 am, the taxi arrived promptly at 7 and I made it to the airport and checked in without incident. I did note as I left the house that it was snowing, but that didn't worry me.
It should have.
After I checked in the clerk mentioned that my flight was about 15 minutes late arriving. Three hours later I finally boarded the bus to take me to my first flight to Munich. Apparently a snowstorm in Munich had slowed all traffic in and out of that airport, so I had hopes that my Canadian flight, which was supposed to leave shortly after I finally left Krakow, would be delayed long enough for me to make it.
No such luck. It left one minute before I arrived in Munich.
Then I was rerouted to Frankfurt to wait for another flight to Toronto. I boarded that flight on time, but it ended up leaving an hour or so late because of various difficulties, my favourite being the plane parked behind ours, which meant we couldn't back away from the gate.
Finally 20 some odd hours after leaving my home in Krakow, I arrived in Toronto, only to discover that my luggage hadn't.
Thirty-some hours later it still hasn't appeared. I just checked the baggage tracer online and the status is still showing as tracing in progress, which means they don't know where my bags are. When I called to check on them yesterday, the clerk told me that they had located one of my bags and it would arrive tonight (48 hours after me), but that they didn't know where the other one was yet.
And, somehow while sitting on the plane, I managed to rip the knee out of the only pair of pants I now have.
Ain't air travel grand?
I arrived here around 11 pm (Toronto time) Friday night after a very long and frustrating travel day.
My trip started off well enough Friday morning. I got up sometime around 6 am, the taxi arrived promptly at 7 and I made it to the airport and checked in without incident. I did note as I left the house that it was snowing, but that didn't worry me.
It should have.
After I checked in the clerk mentioned that my flight was about 15 minutes late arriving. Three hours later I finally boarded the bus to take me to my first flight to Munich. Apparently a snowstorm in Munich had slowed all traffic in and out of that airport, so I had hopes that my Canadian flight, which was supposed to leave shortly after I finally left Krakow, would be delayed long enough for me to make it.
No such luck. It left one minute before I arrived in Munich.
Then I was rerouted to Frankfurt to wait for another flight to Toronto. I boarded that flight on time, but it ended up leaving an hour or so late because of various difficulties, my favourite being the plane parked behind ours, which meant we couldn't back away from the gate.
Finally 20 some odd hours after leaving my home in Krakow, I arrived in Toronto, only to discover that my luggage hadn't.
Thirty-some hours later it still hasn't appeared. I just checked the baggage tracer online and the status is still showing as tracing in progress, which means they don't know where my bags are. When I called to check on them yesterday, the clerk told me that they had located one of my bags and it would arrive tonight (48 hours after me), but that they didn't know where the other one was yet.
And, somehow while sitting on the plane, I managed to rip the knee out of the only pair of pants I now have.
Ain't air travel grand?
Monday, February 16, 2009
4 weekends, 3 countries
After a relatively travel free January (I only left Krakow for a few day trips to ski), I've got the traveling bug again.
I spent the first weekend in February skiing in Austria, the second shopping for Polish pottery in a town near Wroclaw, and will spend the final two weekends of the month with family and friends in Toronto.
I spent the first weekend in February skiing in Austria, the second shopping for Polish pottery in a town near Wroclaw, and will spend the final two weekends of the month with family and friends in Toronto.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Let it snow!
I made it home safely today, on clear roads until about 50 km outside of Krakow. Snow started to pile up on the roads then and it started to snow.
It is snowing lightly now and the forecast says more snow for the rest of the week. But I don't have any road trips planned between now and Friday, so I'm happy with more of the white stuff, just as long as it stops snowing long enough for my plane to take off Friday morning. . .
How much of the white stuff should I expect in Toronto next weekend?
It is snowing lightly now and the forecast says more snow for the rest of the week. But I don't have any road trips planned between now and Friday, so I'm happy with more of the white stuff, just as long as it stops snowing long enough for my plane to take off Friday morning. . .
How much of the white stuff should I expect in Toronto next weekend?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Winter
My first two experiences of Polish winter were disappointing. The temperatures for the two weeks I spent here in February 2007 were all well above freezing, and last winter we barely had any snow after November. Thus I was pleasantly suprised this year when Krakow had snow for most of January, and even happier when the mercury dipped to nearly -20 one day. Yeah, I know you all think I'm crazy, but I grew up in Edmonton, and we pride ourselves on our cold winters.
Plus, I just like snow.
Or at least I thought I did.
I've only been on two roadtrips in Poland this winter: the first one in December with my parents to Krynica, and the second one this weekend to Wroclaw and Boleslawiec with some friends.
On the first trip in December I had to drive through the mountains in blowing snow for nearly 5 hours to reach a town that is normally a short 2 hour drive away.
Yesterday, it started to snow early in the morning, and kept up all day, snowing particularly hard when we left around 4:30. Snow was piled up on the highway, and I constantly used my windshield wipers. But when we reached Wroclaw around 8 pm the snow had stopped and the town was bare.
However, when I woke up this morning at 7 am to drive to Boleslawiec (a town that is all about pottery), sure enough, snow had accumulated over night and was still falling.
And it continued to fall throughout the drive there, the entire day, and the drive back. We witnessed several cars in the ditch and one big pile up, but made it there and back safely.
As soon as we got out of the car, the snow stopped falling.
I am just waiting for it to start again tomorrow around 2 pm when I plan to head home.
Plus, I just like snow.
Or at least I thought I did.
I've only been on two roadtrips in Poland this winter: the first one in December with my parents to Krynica, and the second one this weekend to Wroclaw and Boleslawiec with some friends.
On the first trip in December I had to drive through the mountains in blowing snow for nearly 5 hours to reach a town that is normally a short 2 hour drive away.
Yesterday, it started to snow early in the morning, and kept up all day, snowing particularly hard when we left around 4:30. Snow was piled up on the highway, and I constantly used my windshield wipers. But when we reached Wroclaw around 8 pm the snow had stopped and the town was bare.
However, when I woke up this morning at 7 am to drive to Boleslawiec (a town that is all about pottery), sure enough, snow had accumulated over night and was still falling.
And it continued to fall throughout the drive there, the entire day, and the drive back. We witnessed several cars in the ditch and one big pile up, but made it there and back safely.
As soon as we got out of the car, the snow stopped falling.
I am just waiting for it to start again tomorrow around 2 pm when I plan to head home.
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