Althouse: Full moon in Warsaw.

December 9, 2011

Full moon in Warsaw.

The cab driver "does not like it when foreigners think of Poland as the 'former communist country.' It’s not that to him and I can tell that he dislikes my references to that communist past.... He does not know that I am, in fact, Polish. Or from Poland...."

19 comments:

Peter Hoh said...: I love her stories.; 12/9/11, 9:45 PM
Kirby Olson said...: The giant building is the first one that you see in Warsaw. The basement was used to torture political prisoners in the old days. I attended a book fair there in about 1996, and there were wonderful books from all over the world in the same rooms that were once used to smash cosmopolitan notions with brass knuckles.

Maybe China will change over one day.

We will be able to visit the rooms that Tibetans are now getting their heads smashed in, and be able to read the books of poems for which their heads were cracked open.

From Krakow, it's an easy hop to Auschwitz. I hope Nina goes there, although I have to say I didn't have the nerve. Many cab drivers offered me a visit for a pittance, but I couldn't see the positives. I stayed inside the gihugic Catholic cathedrals instead.; 12/9/11, 9:55 PM
Tim said...: Wonderful story. It makes me wonder, for an old culture with its future before it, if we might someday feel as that cab driver does, again?

My own guess is not bloody likely. I fear things will have to get worse before they get better. Too many people need to see the path we're on now is unsustainable, but they won't be able to see it until it crashes to the ground, failed. People are dimwitted that way.

Anyway, "gihugic"?

Larger, or smaller than "ginormous"?; 12/9/11, 10:10 PM
Irene said...: That post truly warms the heart.; 12/9/11, 10:23 PM
edutcher said...: Poland was occupied by the Communists the way it was by the Nazis.

The period was measured in decades instead of years, but the Polish people won through.

Kirby Olson said...

Maybe China will change over one day.

Your lips to God's ears.; 12/9/11, 10:28 PM
T J Sawyer said...: Sounds like it was a very good visit. We spent two weeks in Romania during October.

see http://sawyertravel.blogspot.com/
for pictures

Our tour-guide was very good about contrasting the communist era with the present. He was especially proud of NATO membership and Romanian presence in the War on Terror.

And he said to me on day 2, "What were you people thinking when you elected Obama?"; 12/9/11, 10:32 PM
ricpic said...: I knew a woman from Krakow who missed the place terribly. "You don't have any buildings here" was a constant refrain. Of course we do...but I knew what she meant.; 12/9/11, 11:12 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: I hate that we'll soon be a "formally socialist country," too.

Don't bring it up - it hurts.; 12/10/11, 12:13 AM
Ralph L said...: Ann Althouse said...
Quite aside from the moon, I love the light bulb in the kielbasa pic.
You do like the incandescents. There's still time to order some more through my Amazon portal!; 12/10/11, 1:45 AM
rcommal said...: Nina's blog is a gem, as it has been and likely always will be.; 12/10/11, 1:55 AM
nina said...: Ann,
Did anyone ever tell you you have some of the nicest commenters?

Kirby,
No Auschwitz this time. We're in Krakow briefly and I need to visit an old highlander in the mountains -- a day trip in itself.; 12/10/11, 2:35 AM
Anonymous said...: I love her stories; 12/10/11, 3:00 AM
Palladian said...: Great story, Nina. Wonderful writing for those of us who only travel in our dreams.; 12/10/11, 3:30 AM
James said...: Excellent blog with wonderfully evocative writing.

I clicked through to her stories on Tobago and laughed out loud; especially at "limin'" and the use of "meh deh deh."

My wife is from Trinidad; I'm from Guyana but attended boarding school in Trinidad (where we met)and I've made countless trips by ferry over to Tobago.; 12/10/11, 6:11 AM
Ann Althouse said...: (Sorry to delete the comment responding to spam along with the spam I had to delete. Real spam, like... "buy these drugs" spam.; 12/10/11, 7:11 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Did anyone ever tell you you have some of the nicest commenters?"

People are so much more likely to let me know that the comments are a "sewer" or whatever, so thanks for the positive feedback.

Cool to be able to talk to you in Poland! Enjoy your sojourns.; 12/10/11, 7:12 AM
Rube said...: I happened to ketch comments on Boxed wine on one of the links. There are some great boxed wines out there so to be able to enjoy them where ever you go my wife bought a "Baggy Winecoat" and she has used it for years and it makes a wonderful gift. It will hold a 3 Liter bag out of the box. They can be purchased through Ann's Amazon portal for under $65.00. It's a lot of fun and quite a conversation piece. Merry Christmas to all of Ann's wonderful commenters.
Bob; 12/10/11, 8:29 AM
nina said...: Hi Ann,
I admired Meade at the Christmas Market in Krakow. Of the alcoholic honey type.; 12/10/11, 8:31 AM
Meade said...: Nina,

You could drink a case of mead, and you would still be on your feet.

Glad to see you're having a good trip (and not on a lonely road, traveling, looking for something what could it be).

Thanks for the great blogging.

Your friend, (non-alcoholic honey) Meade; 12/10/11, 1:22 PM