First Impressions of Poland

Krakow's John Paul II International Airport lies 9 miles west of the city center, 15 minutes by train. As we stepped out of the airport to catch the train to the city center, we were surprised to walk through a small neighborhood on the way to the train station (it's just a five minute walk - at the 2nd largest airport in the country). Astonished, we witnessed some very rural scenes: a woman pulling a bucket of water up from her well, a man sitting on his front steps peeling potatoes, with a goat and goose at his feet, and a park protected by a barbed wire fence. The air was clouded by a fragrant smoke from fires on the farms, marking the end of a long harvest day.

First steps out of the airport

Camouflaged building next to the train stop and
barbed wire park; woman in hooded shawl

View from the train; hundreds of little fires

 We checked into our hostel, which was operated by a pleasant girl named Aga. She always hung out in the main living room with us and liked showing Daisy Polish (or old Czech) cartoons. It was fascinating to talk with her and the other guests about where they came from and what they thought of America.

Chris, Daisy, and Aga at "Elephant on the Moon" hostel

Although the hostel was a thirty minute walk from the city center, we would choose to stay there again, not just for the company or the free juice in the fridge for Daisy, but for the fact that the walk hugged the Vistula river. Our first night, the sky was still thick with smoke but cloudless; the moon shone brightly over the smoke-shrouded old castle and cathedral. It was magical and added to the first day's thrill of seeing something different

Although Poland shares a border with Germany, it feels far removed from us. Krakow is almost as far east as other cities we've visited (Helsinki, Tallinn, and Athens), and it feels just as exotic because of its Slavic language and different currency. We only learned how to say "hello" and "thank you." I think it scored us big points. Aga said that most Polish people don't expect visitors to learn Polish since it is just used in one country (as opposed to German, which is used in multiple countries). "Hello" in Polish is Dzien dobry, which translates as "day good." In Czech, it's reversed and said Dobry den. It was fun to see the plural ending of "y" around the city. Toilety, Banknoty, Computery, and Hot Dogi are just funny words to see.

We've heard that Prague is how Western Europe was 20 years ago, and that Krakow is like Prague 20 years ago, so we were expecting something different. I think I might know what that little saying means after visiting: We would follow public signs leading us to landmarks (on the outskirts of town, granted) and find ourselves alone on torn up sidewalks next to abandoned lots. The Jewish ghetto, made popular by Spielberg's Schindler's List, still lies in ruin (there is a tiny area with new booming restaurants). Investors will probably soon restore some old homes, repave tourist thoroughfares like the road from the airport to the city shuttle train, and create restaurants and gift shops on sleepy corners, giving the city the slickness of the tourism machine in other large European cities. Until then, though, we are happy to have witnessed Krakow in 2010: woman at her well and all.