You heard me ... Krakow
Yup,
I'm in Krakow, Poland; one of the eight cities designated as a European Cultural Capital
for the year 2000. (I don't remember all the others but Prague's on the list.) It was a
eight hour train ride overnight and we arrived here at 5:10 a.m. Nothing was open, hardly
anyone was awake and the sleepy night porter and desk clerk said, "The room, it is
busy. Busy to 2 o'clock." Being Canadian, we managed to be nice about it, dropped off
the luggage and tramped back to the railway station (not even a ten minute walk away) for
a coffee and snack joining the homeless in the shelter of the station.
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Prague was a
wonderful City to visit and definitely calls for a return visit. We did not make the
soccer game. We got up to the stadium and there were people streaming in from every
direction. The scalpers looked particularly dodgy and even though three people had told us
we could buy tickets at the stadium, none of the ticket wickets were open. We wandered
around aimlessly, along with a few dozen other Czech Republic fans, and peeked into the
soccer pitch wherever there was a break in the fence. The noise was deafening for this
Euro 2000 qualifying match and although their opponents (the Faroe Islands and no, I don't
know where they are) were negligible, there was a record at stake. The Czech team was at
the top of the standings for their group and had not yet conceded a point.
Defeated, we
sauntered down the street to the echoes of the crowd chanting and just in time to hear the
thunderous reaction of the crowd to the first Czech goal scored. As luck would have it
(well, from RGK's perspective), we found a bar with a 90" tv and settled in to enjoy
the broadcast. When beer is only a dollar or so a pint, it's not hard to enjoy your
surroundings no matter how gloomy. Thankfully the record was preserved and we were treated
to fireworks as we made our way home.
We did get into the hockey game the next night. HC Sparta Praha vs. Kladno, a larger
European ice surface and incomprehensible Czech announcements. All that pales in
comparison to the fried sausages we enjoyed, served on a paper plate with a heap of
Dijon-style mustard, shredded horseradish and two slices of rye bread. Can you say yum?
Praha lost. About the only discernible differences between a hockey game at home and one
in Prague (aside from the food): the seats are not as comfortable, there is no fighting,
players are allowed to skate, there is no fiddle playing during play stoppages, there are
no play stoppages other than those caused by the referee's whistle, and there is a
significant police presence. It's unnerving really and it was the same at the soccer match
-- regular police, army, riot squad and even a mounted force. But when the signs posted
outside the stadium tell you that it is forbidden to carry in concealed handguns, bombs,
and broken bottles, perhaps there is reason for concern.
Krakow
is a City that I think will be well-suited to my schedule. Everything opens at 10:00 a.m.
and stays open till 7:00 p.m. I've always maintained those should be standard working
hours. It's a small centre with a population of approximately 750 thousand but it looks
like a really cool place. We've discovered some excellent pastry stores and a lot of
souvenir shops so RGK's good humour has been restored. I haven't seen anything about
sports teams and perhaps we'll make it here on cultural events alone.
Cheers,
Reema
email Reema at rfaris@saraphina.com
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