Why?
Because they said so. And when a Pole tells you: ‘Chodz du’, you do it. The
tone is unmistakably firm and is in stark contrast to the much more friendly ‘Dzień Dobry’ (good morning/good day) as you enter
most shops, bars and restaurants.
In
fact, this warm welcome gives you a false sense of security as everything that
follows is not repeated in such dulcet tones.
As
for 'Chodź tu', no-one is spared. From an
errant child to an innocent passer by, never mind dogs. All obey as they dare
not confront someone who utters these words.
Even
the elderly are warned to ignore it at their peril. Especially the wheelchair
ones!
Anyway,
I digress, where am I? Ah yes, Wrocław
in Poland. Or Breslau as the Germans call it, and they are never slow to remind
you that the town used to belong to them before they came second in World War
II.
Which
brings me nicely to Poland’s favourite topic. Moaning.
The Russians are the first to get in the neck, then it’s the Germans. The
Ukrainians are not overly popular. Nor are the British or the Spanish.
The
Americans are not liked. Why? It all comes down to the visa scenario. Apparently
what bothers them most is that our friends from over the pond don’t require a
visa to visit Poland, yet it is not reciprocated. Oh well, there’s no pleasing
some.
Anyway,
I’m not really too sure who the Polish are keen on. Ah yes, the Monty Pythons.
They like them.
Thus
far, it sounds like I am not painting a particularly nice picture of my Polish
experience in Wrocław yet, as the
weeks unfolded, I discovered a depth to the locals that was not apparent upon
arrival.
The
harsh tones of the people of this western Polish city are soon got used to and actually begin to amuse
after a while, particularly when being berated in the supermarket for choosing
the wrong sized trolley.
In
addition, some of the early frustrations with organisation begin to dissipate
when you begin to see the funny side.
Take
the coffee machine experience, for example:
Me: Does this coffee machine work?
Polish person: Yes... it should...
Typical Polish response.
In Germany they would just say: Yes, of course it does.
And in the UK
they would say: No bloody idea.
Then
you factor in the pleasant streets, the overall safety of the town in
comparison to other Eastern European cities and you begin to appreciate Wrocław all the more.
Even
the trams and buses are pretty reliable. There is one tram, the 32plus, which puzzled me throughout my
stay. What was the plus all about?
Did you get free vodka on board? No. Were there heated seats to keep you from
the Polish cold? No. Was it something even more special? Most definitely not.
Then
I thought, what was the regular 32 like? It must feel so inadequate in
comparison to its illustrious rival.
Seriously,
you can’t just go giving out pluses willy-nilly. These should be prestigious
awards.
I
do have one other bone of contention, though. No matter how many times I visited
football pitches, longing for an invitation to be involved, it was never
forthcoming. I guess the Polish are friendly, but not that friendly.
Oh
well, at least the women looked good!
