Poland: Then & Now

Lots can change during the 46 years between my visits to Krakow. And some things don't. A few initial comparisons:

Then: Flew for 23 hours from Hartford to Copenhagen with refueling stops at Gander, Shannon ["look at that empty fuel gauge"], and London. Breakfast, then a few hours cycling around Copenhagen. Then overnight train to East Berlin, war-damaged buildings remaining, breakfast in a grubby cafe with surly waitstaff, attempt to take a picture of The Wall running through Brandenburg Gate without getting arrested by the Gestapo, another long train ride to Warsaw and finally, Krakow. Now: Flew for 14 hours from Raleigh to Krakow, with plane changes in Washington and Frankfurt. Only "refueling" was me--in the McCafe in the Frankfurt airport (my new best friend since it's the only eating place I can find in that airport other than one that specializes in duck.)

Then: One of the ways the Soviet era controlled its citizens was making their currency worthless outside the country. So unless you could (somehow) get "hard" currency, you couldn't travel. The "official" exchange rate was 4:1 (zlotys to dollars.) The "tourist" exchange rate was 24:1. The "dining table rate" (leave dollars on the dining room table at night, find zlotys at your place in the morning) was 80:1. And the "street" rate was 100:1 (unless the zlotys were counterfeit or the seller was police and arrested you for illegal currency transactions.) Now: Exit the plane, find an ATM, insert my bank card, take out zlotys. (There still is a "street" business, but I'm not sure why.)

Then: Sent hand-written(!) letters to family and friends. Written on thin, lightweight paper (postage was expensive) in tight cramped printing/writing (I failed cursive.) Take to the post office, send "air mail" and arrives 5-6 days later in the U.S. Now: Typing on my netbook, in my hotel room, when finished hit "send", and in microseconds, "you've got mail."

Then: Wander around the Market Square in the Old City part of Krakow. Cloth Hall in the center, centuries old building lined inside with shops. Ringed by stalls and vendors selling all manner of things--flowers, meat, produce. Basilica on one side, clock tower in middle that chimes the hour. At noon, large mechanized figures emerge to trumpet mid-day. Now: Wander around the Market Square in the Old City part of Krakow. Cloth Hall in the center, centuries old building lined inside with shops. Ringed by stalls and vendors selling all manner of things--flowers, meat, produce. Basilica on one side, clock tower in middle that chimes the hour. At noon, large mechanized figures emerge to trumpet mid-day.

Some things don't change.

Krakow is a beautiful old city. Once the capital of Poland, a major university center (Copernicus studied here). Largely saved from bombs during WWII because it was too close to the concentration camps. (I guess we knew they were there.)

The Old City was surrounded by the city wall, which they turned into a delightful green space that now surrounds the city. Leafy trees, flowers, grass, benches are much nicer than walls.

I don't remember there being a McDonalds or Hard Rock Cafe when I was here. There is now. I don't remember any shopping malls, either. Now there's a modern 7-story one alongside the train and bus stations. And all sorts of shops with international names (Diesel, Cardin.) And lots of sidewalk cafes, coffee places, gelato stands, etc. None before.

Then: A Soviet-era city. Now: A European city.