Poland
There was a strike at the airport in Cairo. Of course there was - this is post-revolution Egypt. So, now the air traffic controllers wanted a pay raise of 300%. My friends who were heading to Sharm had been delayed 12 hours. Ahamdooleela, I was only delayed a couple hours (albeit at 4 in the morning), so I took it as a blessing.
So.....Poland.
When I said I was going to Poland, every person I told looked at me puzzled. "Why?" was the usual question, believing Poland had nothing really to offer.
Poland, though, was beyond my expectations. Beautiful churches, charming plazas, alcohol, uncovered women, pork, cars that aren't trying to run me over. Okay, I may just be naming things are not Egypt, but still.
Growing up, the idea of Europe was that it was a relaxing romantic place. Cafes lined the streets and some guy named Pierre read poetry in the park or some shit like that. After going to London, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, I learned that the European stereotype was mostly a myth. Europe was crowded, loud, poluted, fast-paced and often very uncultured. That is, until you head east. Starting at about Vienna, Europe shifts to everything one imagined. All of a sudden there's cobblestone, violins and traffic laws.
But what about the post-communist ugliness? I certainly remember Prague in 1996. But Warsaw and Krakow in 2011 were mostly lacking the specter of the USSR's influence. The people were clean and healthy. The buses and cars had all been updated. Crowded shopping malls, busy restaurants and other "positive" economic indicators were everywhere. Poland was simply charming in every way. Friendly people, lots of entertainment, inexpensive, great food, wonderful sites.
There had to be something wrong with Poland. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a good story. I mean, walking into pubs and having herring and vodka shots is fun, but that's not a story. I once thought I was buying bread, but instead bought two pounds of smoked cheese. Funny, but not a story. What makes Poland stick out from the rest of the world?
Oh right, the holocaust.
I went to Auschwitz.
So, Yiddish speaking Jews were almost a third of Krakow's population. And now there's roughly 200 of them left in the city (and they're pretty old). The Jewish quarter has a half-dozen synagogues of which only one small one is used. There are a few Jewish souvenier shops, Jewish restaurants, Jewish bands and Jewish history tours. Jews don't run them or frequent them - they're for tourists. For the most part, one would not notice they were in the Jewish quarter. Almost all evidence of the population, like the population itself, has been erased.
As grim as Auschwitz was to see, the creepiness of a Jewish quarter empty of Jews or even the trace of a Jew was more powerful to me. And still, there's anti-Jewish graffiti on the walls of the Krakow (some of it crossed out as well). Maybe they're conflating "Jew" and "Israel." I don't know. Still, when you're only a few miles from a death camp, one would think one would have more tact.
So.....Poland.
When I said I was going to Poland, every person I told looked at me puzzled. "Why?" was the usual question, believing Poland had nothing really to offer.
Poland, though, was beyond my expectations. Beautiful churches, charming plazas, alcohol, uncovered women, pork, cars that aren't trying to run me over. Okay, I may just be naming things are not Egypt, but still.
Growing up, the idea of Europe was that it was a relaxing romantic place. Cafes lined the streets and some guy named Pierre read poetry in the park or some shit like that. After going to London, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, I learned that the European stereotype was mostly a myth. Europe was crowded, loud, poluted, fast-paced and often very uncultured. That is, until you head east. Starting at about Vienna, Europe shifts to everything one imagined. All of a sudden there's cobblestone, violins and traffic laws.
But what about the post-communist ugliness? I certainly remember Prague in 1996. But Warsaw and Krakow in 2011 were mostly lacking the specter of the USSR's influence. The people were clean and healthy. The buses and cars had all been updated. Crowded shopping malls, busy restaurants and other "positive" economic indicators were everywhere. Poland was simply charming in every way. Friendly people, lots of entertainment, inexpensive, great food, wonderful sites.
There had to be something wrong with Poland. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a good story. I mean, walking into pubs and having herring and vodka shots is fun, but that's not a story. I once thought I was buying bread, but instead bought two pounds of smoked cheese. Funny, but not a story. What makes Poland stick out from the rest of the world?
Oh right, the holocaust.
I went to Auschwitz.
So, Yiddish speaking Jews were almost a third of Krakow's population. And now there's roughly 200 of them left in the city (and they're pretty old). The Jewish quarter has a half-dozen synagogues of which only one small one is used. There are a few Jewish souvenier shops, Jewish restaurants, Jewish bands and Jewish history tours. Jews don't run them or frequent them - they're for tourists. For the most part, one would not notice they were in the Jewish quarter. Almost all evidence of the population, like the population itself, has been erased.
As grim as Auschwitz was to see, the creepiness of a Jewish quarter empty of Jews or even the trace of a Jew was more powerful to me. And still, there's anti-Jewish graffiti on the walls of the Krakow (some of it crossed out as well). Maybe they're conflating "Jew" and "Israel." I don't know. Still, when you're only a few miles from a death camp, one would think one would have more tact.
posted by American Dilettante at
8:21 AM
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