Missing the cold...
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| View near Wawel Castle (Krakow, Poland) |
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| Krakow Market Square,The Rynek (Krakow, Poland) |
Przepuszczenie chłodu...
It has being a month exactly since, I return from Eastern Europe. Glancing at the photographs that I took while I was there. It made me miss the places that I went, especially Poland. I miss the cold weather, the autumn leaves, the beautiful old buildings, the simple food, the layering of clothes.
The Polish must think I am mad to miss the cold weather, after all it is now 1 degree Celsius in the city of Krakow now. Having live in sunny Singapore all my life and being a "Polar Bear"; ie: I can tolerate cold but not hot. Being a polar bear in sunny Singapore is no joke, I have being suffering all my life with attacks of heat rashes, soaked sweaty shirts and various other ailments associated with heat.
Poland especially to Singaporeans seems to be a forgotten land which is always seen as cold, foreboding, under the influence of the old Soviet Union. To put salt to the wound, it is always remembered as the place where thousands of Jews were gassed by the Nazis.
Actually, it is a peaceful place with old classical buildings and beautiful churches and parks. The city is modern and safe. I could do my runs in the streets and parks without worrying about coming in harm's way. Unlike other European cities, food and most items are affordable and to be frank, it has a lower cost of living than Singapore despite being a more developed country. Using their own currency, złoty, they are unaffected by the troubles of the Euro and that also explain their lower cost of living.
Perhaps, we can take a leaf out of the Polish in the development of our little nation. Our rapid drive for economic development has made our sunny island into a very clinical, advanced but cold and unfriendly place. Whereas in cold Poland, a warm, beautiful country has emerged by mixing development with preservation of old places and values. I can be pretty sure if I were to return to the Poland ten years later, I can expect to still find the streets and beautiful parks thats I once ran in, unchanged. But I wouldn't say the same for Singapore.
I doubt I will be able to go back there in a very long while. But I will miss the place and endeavor to go back there someday...
It has being a month exactly since, I return from Eastern Europe. Glancing at the photographs that I took while I was there. It made me miss the places that I went, especially Poland. I miss the cold weather, the autumn leaves, the beautiful old buildings, the simple food, the layering of clothes.
The Polish must think I am mad to miss the cold weather, after all it is now 1 degree Celsius in the city of Krakow now. Having live in sunny Singapore all my life and being a "Polar Bear"; ie: I can tolerate cold but not hot. Being a polar bear in sunny Singapore is no joke, I have being suffering all my life with attacks of heat rashes, soaked sweaty shirts and various other ailments associated with heat.
Poland especially to Singaporeans seems to be a forgotten land which is always seen as cold, foreboding, under the influence of the old Soviet Union. To put salt to the wound, it is always remembered as the place where thousands of Jews were gassed by the Nazis.
Actually, it is a peaceful place with old classical buildings and beautiful churches and parks. The city is modern and safe. I could do my runs in the streets and parks without worrying about coming in harm's way. Unlike other European cities, food and most items are affordable and to be frank, it has a lower cost of living than Singapore despite being a more developed country. Using their own currency, złoty, they are unaffected by the troubles of the Euro and that also explain their lower cost of living.
Perhaps, we can take a leaf out of the Polish in the development of our little nation. Our rapid drive for economic development has made our sunny island into a very clinical, advanced but cold and unfriendly place. Whereas in cold Poland, a warm, beautiful country has emerged by mixing development with preservation of old places and values. I can be pretty sure if I were to return to the Poland ten years later, I can expect to still find the streets and beautiful parks thats I once ran in, unchanged. But I wouldn't say the same for Singapore.
I doubt I will be able to go back there in a very long while. But I will miss the place and endeavor to go back there someday...
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| Country road out of Poland |
Just from the pictures, Poland looks like a small unpolished gem that doesn't hog limelight. It's a place that I'll likely not be able to visit in my life, I'm glad someone I know managed to do that and shared some details about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure wondering how do you decide if it is 'safe' to run at a new place by taking a look. You'll never know until you run, no?
Of course, it is always good to ask around to see if it is safe to run, before starting. The other way is to observe if there are other runners around. Most importantly, you will also need to note how many layers they are wearing to protect yourself against the weather.
ReplyDeleteFor running in Poland, I was wearing a cap, gloves, thermal wear and a heavy jacket. After all it was 5 degrees Celsius when I ran. Towards the end of the run, my jacket was off.
So far, I found Austria and Poland, good places to run. However, one will not be able to find H2O or 100plus in these countries. You will have to adapt to using their own version of sport drinks.