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April 16, 2005

Mass hysteria

It was a strange time to be in Poland. Everwhere there were pictures of the pope (amongst others on one side of the palace of culture and sciences, once a present from Stalin), Polish flags with black ribbons, and millions of candles. These stood on the ground before every church (there are even more churches than there are "KFC" fast food restaurants in Warsaw, and that's saying a lot), on every square, around every statue. Now I respect that the pope meant a lot to the Polish nation, not just religiously, but what was going on here seemed closer to mass hysteria than respectful mourning for an old man whose time had come. The first few days it was also eerily quiet on the streets of the Polish capital. No Polish tourists.

I spent thursday afternoon in Łazienki Park, without a doubt one of the loveliest parts of Warsaw. It was mating seasons for the peacocks apparantly: not only did they make a lot of noise, but the males also showed off their tails, somtimes in photogenic spots such as the mock-ruined amphitheatre on the lake.

On friday, the day of the funeral, when everything (all museums and sights, most shops, some restaurants and pubs) was closed anyway, I took a bus to Kazimierz Dolny. This small towns on the Wisła (the same river that flows through Warsaw and Kraków) is a favourite amongst Polish artists and tourists alike. It's old and picturesque yet lively. It reminded me of a seaside resort somehow. There are a ruined castle and watchtower on a hill, visible from most places in town. Harder to find (for once Lonely Planet gave fairly good directions, but it isn't marked on any Polish map I saw, nor signposted) are the remnants of a Jewish cemetary. Some tombstones (all with Hebrew writing, no Polish or Jiddisch or German here like on Warsaw's Jewish cemetery, so I couldn't read any of them) are scattered amongst the trees on the edge of the forrest, fragments of others have been pasted to both sides of a wall near the road, as a memorial to Kazimierz's once large Jewish community

When I returned to Warsaw on sunday, the crowds had returned, but the hysteria had not lessened yet. There seemed to be twice as many candles now as when I left. It got to the point where I almost felt guilty for not participating.

Pictures will follow soon.

Posted by Karlien on April 16, 2005 03:30 PM
Category: Poland
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