Poniedzialek...

Yesterday, despite the rain we wandered around the city mooching through some churches, book shops and poking our faces to the windows of museums which were closed (on Mondays all museums are closed).


St. Cathrin's church
The museum for Tadeusz Kantor was open (well the door was ajar which was invitaion enough). We met an interesting characher involved in the archiving of TK's work. Greg introduced me to him and explained I don't speak Polish but I'm learing. He looked me up and down with a winced expression and said to Greg; "she shouldn't bother; you can never understand the soul of a language. It's so depressing! I'll never understand French or English!" He let us sit down at a computer and look through all the photographs of the stage sets, TK's hand drawings of set design ideas, performances, costume design... some of the photographs were from performances during the 40's! His work I can only describe as surreal. The conteporary ballet performance we went to on Sunday night (free!) was in an area which Krakow is about to re-develop with some great contemporary architecture which will become the Crikoteca- a meauseum dedicated to TK and his work.

http://www.likeyou.com/en/node/5364

We stopeed for lunch (obiad) in a traditional "Bar Mleczny"- Milk Bar. The decor was that of a hospital canteen! Ugly laminate as far as the eye could see and lacey curtains hagning over the windows! We ate barszcz, pieorgi and crepes folded around a sweet cheese drizzeled with thick strawberry sauce and piles of fluffy cream. The food was FANTASTIC (perhaps the best we have had so far!) The whole meal cost about $3AU!!

At Bar Mleczny.

Afterwards we went to the centre of the square to the "wool market" for a "sumptuous epicurian" experience: coffe, tea and vanilla slice ... the building, the decor and the location were brilliant, but the drinks and food were so far below average! and it came to $20AU!! I think we paid the rent for them!

At "Noworolski Cafe" - order a glass of water only!

To walk off all the sugar we just consumed, we went into the XIX century city quarters. Lots of imposing buildings, plenty of secession too.

Did not realise that all museums are closed on Mondays, so we just zig-zagged through the streets. Ended the day at my friends drinking cofees and Grand Mariner, playing with her St. Bernard's (dog, not a slave-saint), cat and an assortment of rodents.

Got picked up by my mum, who mysteriously materialised next door after a 70'th birthday meeting with Norman Davies. The doo took place around the corner from where we were and we scored a lift home.

Today, more rain... procrastinating...blogging...off to the museums.

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Main Square in the rain

It's OK

We are sitting in a cafe in the main square. The whole city is covered
with fee WiFi network. I call that NICE...
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Lajkonik did not hit on me (Lisa's post)

Thusday (17.06) was one of the oldest folk traditions; the Lajkonik procession!
Lajkonik is a Tatar horseman symbolising the Turks who attacked Krakow in 13th Century. He parades through the streets from a church courtyard to the Market Square accompanied by a folk orchestra and a colourful entourage of flag bearers.

Lajkonik in all his glory.

Attacking a huge red flag with Krakow's emblem on it, to symbolise the siege of Krakow. He eventually gets entangled in the flag as a symbol of his defeat.

Dancing with a little girl in a traditional Krakow outfit. People dress their children for the occasion.

The orchestra follows...

Lajkonik carries a large wooden mallet with which he hits people , bringing them happiness, prosperity and luck. I tried to get "hit" by Lajkonik, not once, not twice but three times! and he refused every time. I'm hoping this means he could see I was already happy, prosperous and lucky, otherwise I'm in trouble! The costume Lajkonik wears today was designed by Stanisław Wypiański, a highly regarded multitalented secessionist artist of all sorts (he designed theatre sets, stained glass windows, costumes, he was a writer, poet ... i tak dalej i tak dalej (and so on)).
A new contemporary art gallery has recently opened up on a sliver of land in the centre of Krakow (3.6m wide!) and incorporates several stained glass windows designed by Wypiański but created posthumously (2005??).

The gallery, stainglass windows on the left wall.

There is also a museum dedicated to him which we have yet to visit.

The Franciscan Church (Gothic era) has an amazing Stanisław Wypiański stained glass window (1897) over the west end nave which strikes the fear of god into you- even for an unbeliever! the walls are adorned with polychrome floral motif paintings.

XIX century stainglass in a mediaeval church.

Close up.

Polychromy by Wyspianski.

been a while...

As expected we are spending quite a lot of time in churches and castles - absolutelly amazing stuff. Walking on stone floors, worn down over millenia gives one goosebumps. The granites and marbles have little "valleys" worn into them...

Floor at the Franciscan Monastery

Yesterday we went to an abbey outside of Krakow in Tyniec.

The abbey was originally built in th X century but went through many changes since then. Perched on a lime rock hill, it looks magnificent.

We listened to a bit of latin chanting and went for a walk round the place. In the abbey's museum we came across an amazing thing. During recent archeological diggs, they discovered that there were buildings on the site around 800BC and they were inhabited by the Celts.
Now, talk about a small world!
The Celts were involved in the Amber trade between the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

Celtic capitels, my mum, and some guys discussing sizes of bricks...

Remnants of Celic colums

Jim and Anna, does that mean we might be brothers and sisters (of sorts)?__________________________________________________________________________________

A proof that builders should always read the drawings, and that structural engineers save the day.

Structural ceiling members hit an opening for a chapel, panic strickes, architect away... structural engineer devises a stirrup to suspend the members from the roof struture - "That will do for now" he says. It's been like that for around 1000 years.

Father Leon talking about the history of the Benedictine order and let me tell you, he CAN talk...

In his spare time, he runs a national radio show under the name of "Leon the professional" - get it?

Living proof that 3.6m width is enough to build an arts gallery and a city information office.

Two things to note about this picture. One, while being restored, buildings are covered entirely and the future look is shown on the cover. Two, Aphext Twin is plazing in Krakow, but not until September, so don't wait for me...

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G.

First leg

Day 0.5
Got to Tulla on time just to wait for the plane being late due to "... engineers found wrong air (or no air) and had to replace the unit" a great explanation and a great job they did as the plane was full of air allowing us to breathe.
Our seats were just at the gully so we got all the commotion and smells, at least it kept us awake on the 7-hour "lift to the bus stop" flight to Singapore.Late here, late there and Singapore became a blur jog jog, run jog run...On the flight from Singapore we had back of the plane seats which meant that it was quite rough but to compensate - very noisy.
Just after boarding we knew we were on Air France. Within the first half an hour the attendant had an argument with one of the passengers and stormed off puffing, leaving the food trolley behind. On Aussie sheila, sitting just in front of me attempted to pick a can of beer from the trolley just as the harpy returned, grabbed the can off the aussie and stormed off again, this time waving her hands in the air.See, I said to Lisa, you Aussies call us rude, we are only efficient - that's all. You know how much time one can save dispatching with meaningless smiles, and chit-chat!!!
After a 13 hour long night, we eventually made it to Paris... For some strange reason meal times were perfectly timed with turbulence, or railway crossings, don't really know, but drinking cups of coffee with the liquid at 45 degrees to horizontal is quite an experience.Beautiful scenery on descent. Villages, fields, patches of 4:30am fog along rivers and in groves - quite magical really.
Transferring between the terminals was a very French experience. The documents were checked 5 times, often by guys just standing in the middle of a walkway, and for no apparent reason at all. A blank, expressionless stare is French for "Yes, I will be happy to see your documents now".
Imagine this: A thick yellow line across a corridor with a friendly red STOP painted on it, you stopped politely at the line, 3 or 4 officials locked in glass boxes 3 metres in front of you, and 2 of them sitting motionless, starring at you. (For an explanation of the blank stare, see the previous sentence.)

Quick observations.
1. If you don't speak French the help comes in the form of a tongue-click and an eye-roll. Very efficient and considering that they probably think that you must be English, Australian or American - completely justified.
2. You have to pay for the Internet at the Airport - very uncivilised (It's half price of the Oz charge, but still...)
3. Clochards are still considered a part of the ambience of Paris. I spotted one living out of a small camp site he set up in the middle of the international terminal at CDG. The cops and general public walk quietly around his little campsite with food all around, a single bed base etc. Unthinkable in Oz, having homeless camp at the airport - viva la France! Very Civilised.
4. Viva la bureaucracy!!! The French seem to love checking passports. Visualise a 50m long, enclosed corridor with no doors or windows, ending with a staircase to the tarmac... are you done imaging yet? good. Now there is someone checking your passport at the beginning of that corridor, at the top of the staircase and at the bottom of the staircase as well. When I asked politely "What?! Passport?!? Again?!?" The answer was "Oui monsieur, pas problem, votre passport! So there! If you were planning to cheat by materialising out of think air half way through a corridor - forget it, the French are onto them tricks!
5. The customs speak is simple and not open to interpretation. "shoos" means: Could you please take off your shoes. "shoos shoos" means: Could you please pick up your shoes and hand them to me for closer inspection. See, it's all about efficiency.
6. The French have female pilots on international flights - very civilised!

A disclaimer. If it seems as if I am postulating that the French should learn English - it seems incorrectly. I do believe that I should have learned more French, but reserve the right to be a narrow minded moron and make fun of people who speak English much better than I speak French... oh! you know what I mean. Every person whom I greeted with: Bonjour, je ne parle pas francais followed by a look straight in their eyes and a smile, was very helpful and lovely (apart from the shoos-shoos guy)
TBC