The Dining Scene

Dining in Poland is itself an experience and offers travelers a different array of cuisine not often found in the U.S. The restaurants in Poland, often fairly quaint and many family-owned, range from traditional Polish to Indian and Thai food. The amount of choices in restaurants in Poland certainly isn't slim. Further, despite the choice in the style of cuisine, each restaurant seems to create it's own unique atmosphere adding to the charm of the establishment. Pirogi, one of the most well-known Polish dishes can be found at many restaurants throughout the country. The dish itself consist of dumplings with a potato and cheese filling and often toped with sautéed onions and/or bits of bacon. Another popular dish in Poland is known as "zapiakanka."

A traditional fast food item, it's simply a piece of bread with cooked onions and mushrooms, melted cheese, and a dill sauce or ketchup on top.

In addition to traditional Polish restaurants, numerous other establishments offer international cuisine. This restaurant in Kraków serves Georgian food, including these meat-filled dumplings. The atmosphere found in restaurants throughout Poland were each unique and provided variety that cannot be found in the U.S.

In the mountains of southern Poland, wild mushrooms are a common side dish. The way the Polish traditionally eat daily is to have a small breakfast, often containing cold-cuts, a larger multi-course lunch, and a smaller dinner. The multi-course lunch often begins with a soup followed by a serving of (occasionally) potatoes and dill (one of the most common herbs used in Polish cooking), and either pork, chicken, or fish. Mushrooms and pickles are often included in this main meal.

Street Performers

Street performers can be found lining the streets of many Polish cities. From guitar players, breakdancers, and human statues to clowns and vampires, performers tried to capitalize on the summer tourist population. Some performed near their homes while others traveled short distances by train to busier and more profitable cities.

What all seemed to have in common was a little creativity and a lot of patience. Some could be found performing throughout the entire day. One guitar player in Sopot was nearly famous to the locals who had seen him performing in the same general area for years. Another spoke English after 3 years in an English prison. He was a native Pole and performed in Sopot for supplemental income.

While some performers seemed to take their time "on stage" lightly, others took their work more seriously. One middle aged man playing accordion and dressed as a clown, would stop and gesture at the hat by his feet if tourists made an attempt to film or photograph his performance before paying.

Street performers, in all their many forms, provide a dynamic and often changing cultural landscape for tourists and locals alike. Whether in the busy streets of Krakow or a quiet alley in Sopot, performers play a lasting role in Polish cultural life.

The building in the background is called "The Crooked House" and is part of Sopot's eclectic atmosphere.

Streets of Kraków

After a 8-hour train ride, we arrived in Kraków while the rain was pouring hard. We set out the next day to enjoy the scenes in Kraków and take pictures. Tourists crowded the streets in Kraków. The Square was full with people - tourists buying souvenirs or little trinkets from stalls; people basking in the sun while having a cup of coffee; street performers having their pictures taken by tourists and so on.

Photomonth in Kraków

May 2010 brought in the 8^th annual Photomonth in Kraków, this one was dedicated to British photography with eight monographic and three joint exhibits around the city. Two of the exhibits were The Sound of Two Songs, Photographs by Mark Power and Facts of Life, an exhibit encompassing work by ten different photographers.

The Mark Power exhibit was located in the International Cultural Centre. It contained his photographs of the different aspects of Poland since 2004. He used his photographs to make something of a photographic portrait of how he, as an outsider, saw Poland.The Facts of Life exhibit was located in the Main Building of the National Museum and consisted of British documentary photography from three different decades. The photographers whose work was included were: Chris Killip, Chris Steele-Perkins, Jem Southam, John Davis, Paul Graham, Tom Wood, Martin Parr, Anna Fox, Richard Billingham and Tom Hunter. Many of them are well-known Magnum photographers. The focus of this exhibit was a variety of portrayals of the various aspects of British life and society.

This picture is from the Paul Graham portion of the Facts of Life exhibit.


This photograph is from the Tom Hunter portion of the Facts of Life exhibit.

Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle, having deep roots in Poland's political history, holds the bodies of the countries past kings, military leaders, and national poets. The complex, in Poland's southern city of Krakow, consists of a castle, cathedral, and various fortifications.

The recent death of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and plans to bury him in Wawel led to divisions across the nation. While the country was largely unified in it's mourning of the President's death, some questioned whether he

was worthy of being buried amongst kings. With campaigns against the decision and protests in the streets, others claimed that Kaczynski would not have been considered for Wawel if he had passed under natural causes.

Despite the resistence, Lech and his wife Maria were eventually buried in Wawel castle.