VirtualTourist Member marishabandb
| Page Views: 11,047 | WELCOME TO MY WORLD by marishabandb - last update: Sep 11, 2002 |
I'm just starting to build my world travels, starting now in Poland and Krakow, then working my way backwards to my very first trip abroad - in 1952 from Poland to Scotland. If you are still alive by the time I finish all this
CONGRATULATIONS
My first visit to Krakow was in 1976 and as I stood in the incredibly beautiful Market Square, I had a strange feeling that one day I would live here. Ten years later, that fleeting feeling had become a constant nag that try as I might, I could not ignore. After all, I lived in Central London, ran my own business, had tons of friends - why would I want to give all that up and go to live under a Communist regime.
Still the nag grew louder and still I ignored it. Then 1989 came along and I ran out of my main excuse. Poland was no longer a Communist regime.
When Sasha came along in September 1989, Poland in general and Krakow in particular started to take on a reality that I seemed powerless to control. A few weeks old and she was already steering the direction my life would take.
April 1990 saw us visiting Zakopane in the high Tatra Mountains of Poland, for a short holiday.
1991 saw us returning to Zakopane by car and renting an apartment for five months, using this as a base while touring the whole of the country.
1992 saw us returning once again by car, but to Krakow this time and renting an apartment for another three months.
1993 saw us loading up a furniture van in London with the contents of our 2-bedroomed flat - 3 year old Sasha and me - and setting off for Krakow to start our new life together.
As I write, it is now 2002: twelve years have passed since I started visiting Poland regularly, and nine years since I moved here. The Poland I moved to in the early 1990s seemed to me to be just emerging from the 19th Century. So slow was the pace of life, so contained were the communities, so undeveloped was the infrastructure.
Today, Poland is definitely in the 21st Century, and has made this transition from 19th to 21st Century in just over ten years. This applies to all of Poland, even the small rural communities. There is still a way of life here uniquely Polish, rich in culture and tradition, heritage and history. All of Europe was like this once, but very few countries have managed to hold on to their traditions in the face of economic progress. In time, Poland will go the way of the others, but there is still time to experience and flavour its uniqueness. That's why I use the title on my Krakow page
"Thinking of Visiting? Make it Soon."
Throughout the pages I have written and will write about Poland, I want to interweave the changes I have observed over these twelve years. Progress isn't necessarily all good, so there will be a liberal sprinkling of praise and criticism I think.
I hope you enjoy seeing Poland through my eyes, as much as I enjoy showing this beautiful country to you.
My travel pages on Poland so far are:
Krakow
Wroclaw
Czestochowa
Poznan
Kazimierz Dolny
Wieliczka
Dolega
Zalipie
and of course POLAND
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 Comments for marishabandb | | | | |
olja1234 Fri Apr 18, 2008 09:27 UTC
Happy Birthday, and all the best, Marisha! Greetings from Slovenia. | MITNIC Thu Apr 19, 2007 06:03 UTC
Happy Birthday to you, I wish to you the best. | Daja123 Wed Apr 18, 2007 19:53 UTC
"Happy birthday, Marisha! Best wishes from Slovenia! | sayedaburas Wed Apr 18, 2007 04:46 UTC
♫•:*¨`*:•Happy birthday to you♫♫Happy b-day to you♫HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ღMARISHAღ ♫♫Happy b-day to yoou•:*¨`*:•♫ I wish you not only a happy year, but also happier maany returns (~_~) |
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