Buses, Trams, and Taxis

From the beginning of my stay in Poland, I was frequently asked "when will you get a car?" "Have you gotten a car yet?" "How come you do not have a car?".

I had learned the general consideration is that Americans spend a lot of time in their cars and cannot live without one.  So, I decided to show that this American did not need a car.

We traveled by bus/tram most of the time, but also called taxis when we needed to go somewhere or some time the buses were not convenient.  This did give everyone more freedom to travel and we became very comfortable with how the public transportation system worked (Jakdojade was an incredibly useful tool for us).  The kids could travel without us (Patrick went many times to visit his friends in different parts of town).

For almost 3 years, I have not owned a car.  I could have won some big bets if anyone would have put money on this.

It was a point of pride for me to show this stereo type was not for everyone.

There were many things we may have done if I had a car, especially visiting more sites outside of Krakow.  I could have rented a car for individual trips, but I did not.

I originally looked to lease a car because I did not want to buy one and have to sell it 2-3 years later.  Leases are not common in Poland and I found a few companies, but they only leased to companies (not personal leases).  I did look at a used car dealership a few times, but nothing really struck me to buy.

I now know we can survive without a car (even in the US), but I do not think I will do that again in the future.

Time to buy two cars now that we are back (any bets for how long it will take to get one or two?).

The 'More Equals'

Poland has a long and interesting history.  Over 1000 years ago, it was formed as a unification of several kingdoms.  It has been a center point of both World Wars.  And it was under communism/socialism with a lot of influence by the Soviet Union following World War II, even though it appeared to be separate from the USSR.

During WWII, most of Poland was destroyed by Germany and Russia, but Germany used Krakow as it's eastern front headquarters and it's buildings had been preserved.  This allows so much history and architecture to be seen in this very old city.

Krakow was the capitol until about 500 years ago... UNTIL 500 years ago... when the capitol moved to Warsaw.  Krakow is still considered the Royal Capitol and location for many formal events.

In preparation for the end of my assignment and my departure from Poland, the site sent myself, my wife, and another US Manager who was on assignment to get the NOCC/SysOps up and running, on the Communist Tour.

The tour was given while riding in an old communist era car... the Trabant.  A luxury car ;) (this was a station wagon model with a few feet of trunk space).  Melanie and I sat in the back (no seat belts and she sat with her legs across mine and my feet on her side, so that we did not have our knees in our throats).  The suspension was non-existent.  The manual transmission was controlled with a column stick that had to be directly connected to the gear box in the engine as the driver had to twist, push, and pull as he changed gears... very different than I had experienced driving a stick shift many years ago.

Our first stop was to a shooting range :):):).  AK-47 (10 rounds semi-auto mode), shotgun (5 rounds), and a small caliber rifle (20 rounds?) were included in our basic package.  Then we could choose other shooting options... different guns and number of rounds to shoot.

• I shot the AK-47 in fully automatic... full 30 round clip.  I think I need more practice.  It was very easy to shoot 5-10 rounds at a time, even when I only wanted to shoot 2-3 (my excitement made it difficult to release the trigger without a very conscious effort).  In Bellevue, the indoor gun range I liked to frequent had fully auto options, but they had to make special preparations and times for such shooting.
• I shot a WWII era Soviet sniper rifle... 5 rounds, bolt action.  It supposedly had a 2 or 3 kilometer range, but I was shooting a target 25 yards away.  I know I would not be close to any target even a few hundred yards away, but I was firing it from a standing position and I did not have much practice.
• Finally, I decided to shoot the Desert Eagle 0.50 caliber... 1 round.  The range master made me extra concerned as he told me how I needed to adjust my position and grip and everything.  It was a powerful shot and I *knew* I had fired a big gun, but it was not as overwhelming as I feared.  I would like to shoot it again and I know I can often find them to shoot in the USA.

I could figure out all the models, but it was a blast either way.  I need to find shooting ranges in the Bay Area.

After our shooting experience, we went to the perfect communist community built in Krakow... Nowa Huta.  We saw the area, got a historical run down while sitting in an old restaurant with a statue of Lenin nailed to a table so no communist would steal it, and visited a home kept decorated with era appropriate equipment (TV, radio, oven, refrigerator, shower, furniture, etc).  We watched a communist propaganda video about the building of the perfect communist community... how the builders were the benefactors by moving into their own homes with such perfect design.  The (false) excitement on their faces really sold the propaganda in such a (non) believable way (I am trying to be a good communist, supporting the party lines).  The home had a picture of Lenin prominently presented in the room which they would invite their friendly communist officials when they stopped by.

I have been told that no one really wanted to live in such a community, even though everyone was told that it was great and desirable and had video to prove it.

Another benefit of communism is that everyone is treated equal, even the "more equals"... sort of.

As with any system, those who are in control, positions of power, or in tight with those on control, have benefits above everyone who is not in such a position.  These were the "more equals".

Bigger homes in better locations. More access to goods or privileges.  In a perfect communist community, everyone is equal... even the "more equals".

If you live in a communist area, life is not so bad for these More Equals!  Why did communism not work?  Why is the USA moving towards communist government policies?

Sign me up to be a USA More Equal, if I get a choice.

European Travels... for fun, not business

Going to Europe for vacation for most Americans who make the trip is an adventure to many destinations, crammed inside of a short period of time.  They get to see a lot of tourist spots as they rush from city-to-city and country-to-country to catch as much as they can after spending the time (long flights) and money to make the journey.  Europe is, after all, about the same size as the United States with a very large number of countries, each with their own culture, history, and well known sites to see.

We have been blessed with the opportunity to live in Europe for nearly three years and took advantage of the proximity to see and experience this part of the world without the rush of a typical "European Vacation".

In previous posts, I shared experiences in France (Paris for a week) and Italy (Rome and Pisa).  Now I want to add the other places we visited and memories.

(We visited Szczawnica, Poland, for our first Spring Break (2012) which is in Southern Poland.  We went up the ski lift and walked around the top of the mountain to the Slovakia border, crossing it at times.  We have a picture of Patrick sitting on a border marker.  We were there for minutes, not days, so I am not sure I count this as visiting Slovakia.)

5 days in Paris, France on our first home-visit (2012) after moving to Europe was a very nice trip to an iconic European city, with museums and landmarks known around the world.

We visited Rome, Italy during fall break (2012) with a day trip to Pisa.  More experiences and sites we will remember and will say "I was there" when we see them in movies and TV shows.

The kids asked nicely ("pleaded, cried, and whined") to not have another "museum vacation", so we had to consider how we planned our future trips.

For 2013 Spring Break, we thought we would go to Greece, but travel agencies told us it was too cold and no one goes to Greece in April... fortunately, my (Spanish) Manager gave me another GREAT option... Canary Islands (Lanzarote) , Spain.  We had never considered the Canary Islands until the recommendation, but we had a great relaxing vacation (and one tour of the island, lava flows/museums/artists).  We stayed in Playa Blanca at a "resort" with a pool and I included meats with our rooms, so we had plenty to eat and no concerns about (the kids) grabbing food at nearly any time of day.

We walked to many areas around town and along the water front, ate at many different restaurants, and swam in the Atlantic Ocean at the beaches.  The kids enjoyed the ocean swimming, but typically preferred swimming in the pool (less sand in their shorts and included food nearby).

The islands were created by volcanoes and Lanzarote has one of the largest lava flow fields in the world.  There is a restaurant that uses volcanic heat for all of it's cooking.  They have some demonstrations of the volcanic heat with holding gravel that was a few inches under the surface and creating mini geysers by dropping some water down a vent hole.

This was a mostly-museum-free vacation and it was very relaxing and fun.  

For the summer of 2013 home visit, we stayed in London, England for a week.  We mixed in more museums than we had in Lanzarote, but still had relaxing times.

We went to the Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards.  We got there early enough to be standing against the gates and had a great view after a long wait.  It was a wonderful experience with the guard band, the pomp and circumstance of their formal changing ceremonies.

We went through the London Science Museum with a temporary Alan Turing exhibit, which was very nice for me.  They have many displays for the progress of mechanical and science technologies, space and farming, trains and flight.  I think we all had a lot of fun, but Turing's was the best in my opinion.

We went to many fun sites, such as the London Eye and several underground tours and scare shows. Walked through the London Tower (Kaitlyn and I saw the Crown Jewels).  We walked across both the London Bridge and the London Tower Bridge, walked through several parks and gardens.

It was a pleasant time and we were happy to be surrounded by a lot of English language (signs and native speakers:)).

Last fall, we traveled to Athens, Greece, staying near the ancient sites for the first 5 days, then moving to the Mediterranean Sea for the end... relaxing again.  Being a California kid, I thought going back to Boston was visiting "old cities"; coming to Krakow gave me a whole new perspective of old.  I was told by many that Krakow was not old... go to Athens to see old; I agree.

Everything started out pretty good on the first day, seeing the Parthenon and some of the oldest sites. Unfortunately, that first day ended on a sour note... my wallet was picked on the train as we headed back to our hotel.  I knew it was taken just as soon as I got off the train.  Melanie's purse was unzipped on one side, but that side had nothing important. The hotel was very good about it and there were two restaurants, so we were able to eat and charge to the room.  I was on the phone to my credit card companies for several hours; fortunately, my HSBC Premier status was a great benefit as they were able to send me a new credit card urgently and it arrived the morning we were checking out of our hotel.

We were able to continue to visit many sites and enjoy our time in spite of the early challenges.

The final few days were in the coastal area of Athens.  We went swimming in the Sea and it was very nice, though the locals thought we were crazy.  We went into the swimming pool and I was surprised it did not have a layer of ice on the surface... it was very cold.  We walked around that part of town, ate some very good Greek food, and just chilled.  Definitely a great way to end a vacation.

I truly appreciated the closeness of travelling to other European countries and the ability to stay in a city for a week or longer without being rushed to see everything.  Being in the same (or close) timezone made it easy to adjust to the local time and beginning our vacation.  

Many Europeans are able travel to these countries and take it for granted, because they are very close. Many like to travel to lands much further way.  It is very good to live during a time where we can get on a plane and be half way around the world in half a day's travel instead of several weeks by boat. Get travelling everyone.

A long time ago....

It has been a long time since I posted to this blog (almost 1 1/2 years), but many things have happened which I wanted to post and never took the time.  Now my assignment has ended and I will add a few posts to catch up.

Travelling Europe... one country at a time: Italy!

During the kid's Fall Break, we were able to take a trip to Italy for a week... mostly Rome, but also a day trip to visit Pisa.  Paris in June, Rome in October, and trips to California and areas around southern Poland... a great way to spend a year.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves pretty well.  The Colosseum, the Vatican (and up close with the Pope himself), the Trevi Fountain (very cool), the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the leaning tower (and a train ride), and a lot of old Ruins.  Of course, Italian food actually IN Italy!  

Unfortunately, we selected a hotel that was WAY away from town (pretty much at the northern edge of Rome), but there was a very close bus connection, which we figured out pretty quickly.  

The first night, we took the bus a few stops to a large residential area of the city with shops and restaurants, but not near the heart or tourist areas.  After wandering around and exploring a bit, we decided to eat at a pizza shop in which you just picked the items you wanted behind their counter, they cut to size, and they gave it to you (for a price, of course)... if you speak Italian!  We had communication issues at first, but living in Poland for a year told us we could over come that without too much frustration (hand gestures work well almost anywhere).  We were able to communicate what we wanted but understanding they were asking about the size to cut was a problem.  Never fear, the cook in the back understood a little English; not enough.  Fortunately, their English speaking delivery driver showed up and very quickly had us with food and drinks in hand ready to go to the tables on the walk way to eat our dinner.  It was good!  After a little more walking, we ended the evening with Gellato (Italian ice cream, which is on every corner, just like Starbucks in Seattle).

We ate at many different areas of the town and different styles of food.  I cannot complain about almost any food and had no reason to this week.

Wednesday morning, we planned the tour of the Vatican.  The Pope was giving his weekly Wednesday morning address in front of St. Peter's Basilica (under a cover because this was a crazy rain day) and we could see him way off in the distance as we waited for our tour time to start.  We could also see him on huge TV screens, but seeing him with the naked eye was pretty cool (even if he was very far away).  

The Sistine Chapel was closing down early for some activity that evening, so we rushed through the first parts of the Vatican, saw the famously painted chapel (definitely glad we saw that), then slowed down a little, but could not go back to everything we rushed through.

After the Vatican tour, we decided to go through St. Peter's Basilica on what was the rainiest day we have seen in ages.  We had to stand in line for more than 2 hours... outside... in a torrential down pour which soaked through umbrellas... moving slowly in a loop under the open sky to go through the metal detectors that granted us entry.  When we finally made it inside, and away from the rain which did not stop the entire evening, we were able to see so many wonderful things.  As I have gone through the cathedral at Krakow's Wawel castle, I was not surprised at how many "final resting places" were within this church, or their ranks in the Catholic faith/leadership (this is St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, after all).  I was a bit surprised at how large it was.

After we reached the final corner of his huge sanctuary and turned back towards the front, we were stopped as the church officials/security (?) blocked traffic just as we approached (there was only one row of people in front of us).  I saw acolytes and minor priests moving around and arranging things as we waited.  "Cool, they must be getting ready for some type of service," I thought and told my family.  We waited for about 5-10 minutes as a few people adjusted this, moved that, brought forward certain implements for their worship... then the procession began:  acolytes, choir, priests, bishops, cardinals, and >>> THE POPE <<< no more than 10 feet away, walking by, going to give a Wednesday evening mass.  We are not Catholic, but this was still one of the coolest things about the trip to Rome!!!!  In the USA, a new president every 4 or 8 years, but Pope John Paul II (from Poland and served at the Wawel cathedral before becoming Pope) was in this role for most of my life and Pope Benedict XVI is only the 2nd Pope I remember.

Pisa was nice, especially the buildings around it and the mausoleum.  It was a holiday, so not much was open, not that there is much else to do in Pisa besides hold up the tower to prevent it from falling (or to push it down so that it does fall :)).

We had many great experiences and a lot of fun.  I hope the kids can appreciate what a great opportunity we have living in Europe and these trips to countries it is unlikely we would have visited while they were this young if not for living here.

What movie are we seeing?

Almost everyone loves going to the movies... escape reality watching a good action movie as if you were the hero/spy, laugh so hard at a comedy that your sides hurt, watch a children's movie and remember how simple life was when you were so much younger.

Most of the time the movie titles in the US make a lot of sense to Americans, but these titles do not always translate well into other languages. Often the movie title only makes sense in the context of the movie, often a short and catchy phrase.

Earlier this year I had a discussion with my team about a few of the more interesting translations of American movies titles. Review the following movie titles from their Polish translated names and see if you can figure out the movie or TV show:

Twirling Sex ("Wirujący Seks")
Glass Trap ("Szklana Pułapka")
Involuntary Fiance ("Narzeczony Mimo Woli")
Absolute Memory ("Pamięć Absolutna")
Underground Circle ("Podziemny Krąg")
Electronic Murderer ("Elektroniczny Morderca")
Western Sultans ("Sułtani Westernu")
Steal the Moon ("Jak Ukraść Księżyc")
Fashion On Success ("Moda na Sukces")
Dear Troubles ("Kochane Kłopoty")
The World According to Bundy ("Świat według Bundych")
Reality Without Sugar ("Orbitowanie bez Cukru")
Prisoner Hate ("Więzień nienawiści")
Won Dreams ("Wygrane marzenia")
Ready for All ("Gotowe na wszystko")

Most of these titles can make sense in some way if you know the show, but language translations are not always straight forward. I have heard many translators say something 2-3 times longer than the original words spoken in English... and a few times the same thing the other way around. What may be captured in a small word or phrase may require an entire sentence or two if you want to convey the same thought in another language.

How did you do above?

Twirling Sex  ==>  Dirty Dancing
Glass Trap  ==>  Die Hard
Involuntary Fiance  ==>  The Proposal
Absolute Memory  ==>  Total Recall
Underground Circle  ==>  Fight Club
Electronic Murderer  ==>  Terminator
Western Sultans  ==>  City Slickers
Steal the Moon  ==>  Despicable Me
Fashion On Success  ==>  Bold and Beautiful
Dear Troubles  == > Gilmore Girls
The World According to Bundy  ==> Married... with Children
Reality Without Sugar  ==>  Reality Bites
Prisoner Hate  ==>  American History X
Won Dreams  ==>  Coyote Ugly
Ready for All  ==>  Desperate Housewives

Since we would not like titles to movies that require a sentence, those creating titles in other languages need to be "creative". What becomes even more challenging is when a sequel arrives that has no association to the original title's translation:

Die Hard 1 ==> Glass Trap 1 ... the big building with a lot of glass windows trapping everyone.
Die Hard 2 ==> Glass Trap 2 ... ??? no big glass building, but Dulles airport, not really trapped.
Die Hard 3 ==> Glass Trap 3 ... ??? now in NY financial district, in a dam tunnel... but not really trapped
(Really "Die Hard with a Vengeance", but "Vengeful Glass Trap" does not make sense either).

You get the idea. Titles are not easy to create.

I wonder what non-English titles have done this the other way around.

Color in a very gray world

I had a fascinating conversation with a few people at work the other day about a bright light in a gray world:  Pewex!

It first came up while I was talking to Kasia and the topic somehow shifted to old days during communism.  She suddenly remembered Pewex and lit up as extremely fond memories came to the front of her mind.  The store near her home was pink and she remembered getting Barbie dolls and other wonderful things a young girl would love to have, and she also remembered Coca-cola as  introduced into Poland through Pewex.

Magda also lit up and recalls a jeans jacket she got from Pewex with very special fondness.  Nothing like this was available in communist Poland elsewhere; these were valued possessions cared for with great personal pride and joy.

Kuba's first comment when I asked about this brand was "lots of color in a very gray world".  Both Kuba and Kacper quickly thought about Lego.  A small box of Lego blocks (80 pieces?) was a treasured toy for a young boy... colorful building blocks and an infinite imagination provides many hours of entertainment. Kacper received a Lego Fire Station set after eye surgery, as promised by Mom and Dad, because he was such a good boy... a great prize and another fond memory.

During the 80s, communist economic policy was having problems. Money was tight. Inflation was high.  Some had more ability to purchase these goods than others.  Parents could provide a great joy to their children with a small purchase; children would save to buy their own prize.

Pewex was a view into a different world.  Literally a lot of color in a place that saw little, but also a hope for a brighter future like Dorothy landing in Oz... so many colors it is hard to believe.

There is definitely a generation born in the late 70s to mid 80s that remembers Pewex in the same way as I remembered Toys-R-Us and several other stores... a place of pure children joy, where wonderful things happened (at least they were possible, if you could save the money).  As communism fell in 1989 and imports increased, shopping malls began to open providing so much more access to these items, Pewex because less THE store and eventually the brand faded away.

Pewex was a store brand in Poland during the 80s that brought western world products to Poland and all sales were completed in US Dollars, Deutschmark, and a few other foreign hard currencies, USD was the most common everyone remembers.  Owning foreign currency was illegal (I believe), but many people had it (often sent by family living in the US, generally Chicago) or bought on a black market of currency.  Did I mention these stores were run by the bank, which was run by the government?  The government wanted to get this foreign currency off the street and into their hands to help support the Poland economy.

Growing up, there were so many things that I wanted, yet I had so much (in the discussion, I reflected on the few huge Lego sets I had growing up)...  Learning what real life was like in Poland  (not information written into history books) can be so humbling.