The KrakCast: Recent Episodes
KrakCast
It’s easy to beat low expectations, right? A short history of Poland at Eurovision — Episode #404 is up now
After a review of Halloween in Poland, we jump into supermarkets limiting their hours due to energy costs, Poland chooses a foreign partner for its first nuclear power plant, overrated New Year's Eve celebrations Krakow's main square, LOT and their new 737 (not so) Max, Poland quietly builds a wall, the people want a bigger army but don't want to pay for it and more.
Isn't reading census data fun? Ok, it isn't but we did it so you don't have to. Listen as we discuss some of the insights into Polish society provided by last year's census, including religious beliefs, divorce, the urban / rural divide and more.
The news this week includes weird Polish privacy laws, a new runway at Krakow's airport (eventually), Poland is #1 in something good, the worst mascot ever, a Wisla stadium update and IMAX (kind of) returns to Krakow.
UJ can't pay their heating bill, U.S. nukes in Poland (or not), discussions of iodine distribution, an urgent toilet renovation update, unfair money exchange rates at the airport and more on this week's news!
William Shaw is a trained, experienced psychologist with a practice here in Krakow. He joined us to talk about the kind of mental health issues that are common among foreign residents here, the growing acceptance of the importance of mental health awareness and answered various dumb questions from us. Listen and learn what it's like to help people deal with life's problems as a psychologist.
Learn more about him at https://william-shaw.com/
The two sides in this story tell different versions of what happened but the result is the same - Roger Waters will not play in Krakow in April of next as originally planned. Did the city force him to cancel? Did Roger Waters just decide on his own? Listen as we discuss what happened and if it was the right thing to do (whatever "it" was...).
We start with a super non-sexy but important topic before moving on to Netlflix filming again in Krakow, new ideas about what to do about the plague of electric scooters, yet another bike sharing program starts (with 30 bikes...), preschool/playschool/kindergarten drama and Happy Birthday to Galeria Krakowska!
Dari, the most widely spoken language in Afghanistan, is essentially the same language as Persian, also known as Farsi, spoken next door in Iran. It's complicated. Our guest today is a native speaker of Dari and takes us through all the essentials, including the complex issue of calling someone "a dog". Listen as we learn about language and life in Afghanistan along with some great insights into the current situation there from someone who had to flee to safety in Poland.
After a sports update, this week's news covers Krakow's new train station, the infrastructure issue that will not die is back, vegetarian restaurants in Krakow, signs going up where they shouldn't, noise at night in Kazimierz and our newest "naked in public" story.
This year's observations of the anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland were spiced up by demands from the Law & Justice party for reparations from Germany in excess of a trillion Euros. Should Germany pay? Does Poland have a good case for reparations? Listen as we discuss these and other issues related to this controversial topic.
The long national nightmare is over. We are back from vacation and serving up the news, including anatomically correct waffles, Krakow Plaza-Galeria Plaza-Whatever It's Called is disappearing, Donald Tusk says you must support abortion rights or else we reveal the REAL low-price leader in supermarkets and more.
Kuba Widlarz was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as a teenager. He joined us to talk about what it means to have Asperger's and gave us some insights into many aspects of the disorder that you might not be familiar with. Join us and listen to Kuba's story and learn more about this increasingly common diagnosis on the Autism spectrum.
The news is back and so is the beach at Hotel Forum (next year), little dragons are almost ready to go, murder in the center of town, universal basic income comes to Poland, the Polish Senate welcomes Sweden & Finland to NATO and more.
There are some places and things that are part of any conversation about Poles and the holidays they take. Join us as we go down the list of cliches that define Polish habits when it comes to enjoying a week or two off and add "parawan" to your list of must-know Polish words.
After a review of Hungarian profanity, we move on to Poles and their strange relationship with water, Zakzrowek will be open...next year, "Free Ukraine Square" in Krakow, scams take advantage of old people and more.
Poles REALLY support U.S. troops in Poland, pass rates for the Matura, Papa Smurf makes the rules in Krakow, reaction to attempts to catch ticket-cheaters, the Krakow Airport apologizes, Krakow has amazing Spanish restaurant we've never heard of and more.
We start with more proof that any story is better with "naked" in it and a story about sex on a bench. After that, it's no more cheating on buses and trams, penalties for the people who drive them, ugly signs come down, what to do with Hotel Forum and OMG THE RABBIT CAFE IS COMING!!!!
Anyone who lives in Krakow has seen them many times — groups of Israeli high school kids on trips to visit various places associated with Jewish history. After being suspended in 2020 because of Covid, these trips were supposed to resume this summer but have been canceled by the Israelis after a dispute over some of the details of how the trips are organized. Listen as we discuss what the argument is all about and if there is a solution going forward.
Our first news of official summertime covers locks disappearing on one bridge and an insane design on another, skateboarders like the Grunwalk monument for their own reasons, death on an electric scooter, strip clubs finally get, uh, busted and a rare example of "good" graffiti disappears.
Hungarian is a strange language but we love it anyway. Join us as TWO experts guide us through the unique sounds, absurdly long alphabet and references to horse anatomy that make this Europe's most mysterious national language. And, yes, as usual, we include some seriously bad words.
The news is back with Iga Świątek and her second win at the French Open, Wisła Kraków's tragicomedy gets even funnier, a Polish woman turns 116, wages are WAY up since last year, sign reform and ugly streets in Krakow, you cannot keep Poles away from a place to swim and more.
Join us as we talk about two studies that rank Poland last in Europe for both access to contraception and LGBT rights. After that, we look at statistics that show a dramatic decrease in the number of university students in Poland and that more than 60% of current students are female. What does it all mean? We're not sure but that doesn't stop us from offering very strong opinions on everything.
The news is ON, with updates about parking problems, an end to free rides for Ukrainians, most Poles still think Russia is a threat, U.S. troops to stay here permanently, Le-ROY MerLIN (or however you say it), 130 women for 100 men in Krakow, another example of how bomb jokes in airports just don't work and a brush with fame in our HQ.
The Polish government places a lot of restrictions on various professions regarding how they can operate, just like any government. But there are some especially interesting restrictions on how lawyers in Poland have to work and a new law will add an indirect limitation on how doctors are used in advertisements for medical products. Listen as we discuss how these laws work (or will work) in practice and what the point of it all is.
The news is back with insulting ethnic slurs, Zakrzówek gets a makeover (and kills another person), another huge private student dormitory opens, a Good Lood update, little dragons will soon be all over town, drinking alcohol outside and Wisła Kraków goes down, down, down.
John has been open about his weird fascination with Eurovision and this week is a good time to talk about it since Poland has a chance to make the finals. Listen as we give a brief history of Poland's mostly disappointing history at Eurovision and speculate on how many millions of points Ukraine will get at this year's "competition".
This week in the news, the Matura has high school students nervous, everyone except Dr. Mike is making a lot more money than they did last year, cat cafes weren't awful enough so now we have rabbit cafes and who really thinks that Krakow has amazing street food? Seriously, we want to know.
In our second news of this week, we talk about coal mine disasters, how nobody likes skateboarders, France's Macron has some harsh words for the Polish PM, supermarket self-checkout fraud, Leroy Merlin and others attracting protests, the ongoing mystery of the blue sausage van at Hala Targowa, marathons, cheerleaders and boring European flags.
Among our totally random topics this week are vaccine shots, Iga Swiatek, nuclear power from Ukraine (?), Ryanair expanding in Poland, a mystery film crew in Krakow, new license place for cars in Krakow and pretty much everyone wants to go on strike.
Did you know that the numbers 2, 3 and 4 have some mystical, magical power in Polish? When you look at a door, do you see one or two of them? Did you know that humans and animals die differently in Polish? These are just some of the mysteries we discuss in this look at some "WTF?" aspects of Polish.
Ukrainian men are not allowed to leave the country and have to stay and fight or somehow help the war effort. What would Polish men do in a similar situation? It's a tough question with no one correct answer but we try to find one anyway in this discussion of how Poles would react to a theoretical Russian invasion.
Lots of people talk about it, but few actually do it. Losing a lot of weight takes time, discipline and a lot of...steak? Listen as our guest describes the lifestyle changes he made to lose 30kg, the foods he ate to do it and why you maybe shouldn't invite him to your next party. Congratulations, Paweł!
A Krakow City Council member says Auchan has blood on its hands, more free transport and parking (?) for Ukrainians, no increased tram prices (for now), bad timing for an air raid siren, we will never mention "Cracow Monsters" again and the worst funeral ever.
Born in Białystok, Ludwik Zamenhof was the creator of Esperanto, an invented language that was supposed to help erase conflict and bring humanity together. Join us for a short discussion of this multilingual peace activist, doctor, philosopher, humanitarian and namesake of countless schools, buildings and streets, including here in Krakow.
Listen as we discuss more news items involving the effects of the Ukraine situation on Poland, including more volunteers for the self-defense force, Biden's people clarify what he "really" said, more problems in the real estate market and more.
In the news this week, we cover how Sean Penn saved the world, the mask mandate is (mostly) gone, another tax fail by the government, stealing from nuns, getting stabbed on Florianska street, the REAL "oldest" football club in Krakow and the European Games can't find their wallet.
When a country of 40 million people adds another 2 million in less than a month, what happens to the real estate and job markets? Should Russian runners be banned from Krakow marathons? Is being associated with refugees going to affect tourism? Where are a million Ukrainian kids going to go to school? There are bigger, more important issues still in play right now but in this episode we look at some emerging topics produced by the conflict in Ukraine.
The news is back and this week it's beauty pageants, the Sahara comes to Krakow, a passenger dies (is killed?) on a local bus, a weird Polish soldier dies a weird death, baby bison are bountiful and the hardest jobs to fill in Krakow.
Everyone knows somebody who works at State Street, Shell or Cap Gemini, right? Listen as we go through the list of Krakow's 15 largest employers and see if you can guess who made the cut. Also, if anyone has any idea about what State Street actually does, please let us know.
The fighting in Ukraine is the only thing worth talking about this week, so our regular News episode is instead a discussion of what's going on, how it is affecting Poland and what could be next. Listen and remember to help out any charity or organization you can in these difficult times.
Political commentator and regular KrakCast guest Matthew Tyrmand stopped by to give us his take on the war in Ukraine, the situation at the Polish border and about 100 other topics in between.
The daughter of our own John Adkins was effectively kidnapped from him 15 years ago and his book about the story has recently been published in Polish. Listen as he recounts what happened, what it's like to disappear into the black hole of the Krakow court system and how it all became a book (which is free for five days, btw). Maja Adkins Krakow.
Kazimierz Funk is generally credited with being the first researcher to identify the substances that didn't have a name before he called them "vitamins". Listen as we discuss his primary contribution to science & medicine before getting to the real point, which is to make lots of "funk" jokes.
In this week's news, tourism is down (duh), traffic in Krakow is horrible (duh), VAT is gone (for now), the "Polish Deal" is a PR disaster and 40% of Poles don't have enough space at home.
Starting from a small settlement on some rocks by the river to the city that we see today, there have been a lot of steps in the growth of Krakow's boundaries. Listen as we list the major expansions and additions to the city's borders, from Kleparz and Kazimierz to Podgorze and Nowa Huta and a few places in between.
The news this week includes Burger King's (latest) failure in the Polish market, Krakow Plaza finally officially dies, another book retailer disappears, the European Games are more of a joke than you thought, another bike rental program is coming, a sad story about the criminal justice system, Poles love Albania (?) and Polish "travel tattoos" are apparently a thing.
There are always words that either don't translate well or have no equivalent in another language. There are also useful Polish words that we'd like to have an English translation for but, as far as we know, there isn't one. Listen as we go through our list and try to explain why English would be better if we had a more simple way to say things like "przedwczoraj" or "pojutrze" and more.
The news is much less handsome and sexy this week with John out, but fortunately Gabi is here to help the guys discuss a quota for Polish music for radio stations in Poland, mandatory COVID vaccinations & quarantines, a horrible incident brings the abortion debate back to the news, a fake cop gets in real trouble, Dr. Mike's thoughts on the subtle differences in the colors of amber and some stats on getting busted for having no bus or tram ticket.
The situation in the mobile phone operator market in Poland today is quite stable but it wasn't always this way. Listen as we discuss the history of this business here in Poland, the many brand names involved and the billions of irritating advertisements they made us watch.
Why does it seem like almost everyone in front of you in line at the Post Office needs to do five or six very complicated things, each involving lots of documents that have to be pounded with red stamps? Listen as we discuss why any contact with Poczta Polska makes you think about some easier, more efficient way of communicating with others, like smoke signals.
A new film made for Polish Netflix presents the story of a small-time thief who became one of Poland's most infamous gangsters. Listen as we give our opinions on a film that may (John) or may not (Dr. Mike & Josh) be worth your time, depending on whom you believe.
Dr. Mike is back from his Corona-cation so at least one of us knows what we're talking about as we discuss Polish political parties getting banned from Facebook, Netflix says we have "monsters" here, 30km/h will make roads safer because cars won't move, Carrefour wants out of Poland, Russian pierogi are apparently the third-best thing EVER, the most Googled terms in Poland and more.
Yeah, it was two weeks ago but the drama surrounding the production of Polish television's New Year's Eve concerts was more interesting than usual this year. Did the boss of TVP know that he paid $300k to the, um, author of "Swalla"? How many Boney M's are there, anyway? Is "Cyberhooker" a fair way to describe Cleo? You decide.
We start 2022 (kind of late) with news about what Dr. Mike and Andrzej Duda have in common, the manager of the Polish national football team wants a change of scenery, new and more severe penalties will save drivers in Poland from themselves, private student dormitories drive neighbors crazy, creative photography in Krakow's Rynek and a new solution to getting caught for being on a bus without a ticket.
In our last episode of 2021, we talk about Christmas in Poland with the help of a Holiday Quiz that asks important questions on topics like carp, presents, real vs. fake trees and murderous rage. Merry Christmas, everybody!
The last news of 2021 starts with the WORST AIR IN THE WORLD, increased penalties for traffic idiocy, the UK helps to build the Polish border fence, a soldier defects the wrong way, top names in 2021, contactless payments for (hopefully) contactless toilets.
Dr. Mike is back (sorry about that) as we chat about Speedos, 40 years since martial law in Poland, dirty furnaces, half of Poland earns less than 4,700zl, szopki, the war on graffiti, the Lumberjack returns to McDonald's and someone thinks Łódź is "exciting".
We're not just talking about "computer" or "parking" or "weekend". There are lots of words and phrases used in everyday Polish that make us wonder why the Polish word isn't used (and if there even is a Polish word). Also, can we agree that whoever thought of "Brain Park" has no brain?
After discussing the national threat level and introducing our special guest, we move on to Poland's chances to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar ("Cutter"? "Gutter"?), what happened to Krakow's prostitutes, tickets for the maskless, a B-list Polish celebrity gets canceled, January 1 means higher prices in Poland for some reason, a new model for apartment renters and a Picasso is sold in Krakow.
Who knew there was so much money in flour, auto parts and whatever Tauron does? A recent report from a business magazine reveals the biggest companies in the country based on their turnover. You definitely know some of the names and you definitely don't know others. Listen as we look at the top ten both locally and nationally.
After Gabi finally finishes describing her intense love for Justin Beiber, we talk about how the music scene in Poland has completely transformed in the last 20 years but, for various reasons, the live music situation in Krakow could be much better (with all due respect to Josh, who is a local legend of the stage).
It's like Italian with a slightly harder edge and a dash of Portuguese. Or something. Romanian is a romance language but far removed geographically from its language cousins. Join us for a conversation about how that happened along with some crucial information about your mother's onion.
After a discussion of Uber prices, we get Gabi's take on the abortion debate in Poland, Donald Tusk's need for speed, a proposal to enable employers to check your COVID status and Poles are spending big money on nice cars (and parking spaces).
Why do so many U.S. tv & film productions have a Polish maid? Why are Polish characters always working class and never some rich aristocrat? Join us for a discussion about how it often seems that "Poland" is an easy shortcut for "the part of Europe that isn't rich and cool" for casting directors in Hollyweird and how Poland is viewed as a national "brand".
The abortion debate is back in the headlines because of a tragic death, the Czechs are mad at a Polish coal mine, thanks to the EU for higher earnings, 20zl becomes 100zl, McDonald's tries to be cool and more McD's talk.
Yes, we know Halloween was two weeks ago but what we saw confirms what we've suspected for years — Halloween has become a thing in Poland. From parties for adults to trick-or-treating for kids, listen as we discuss how it grows every year and will continue to do so.
The news this week starts with time off work for half the population, the situation on the Belarussian border gets even worse, the Independence Day march in Warsaw, the broken stairs behind the bus station, 60,000 new cars on the streets of Krakow and the Polish national football welcomes...Matty Cash?
If you're worried that you won't know how to introduce yourself at a party if you find yourself in Iran, you're in luck! Our friend Daniel from Tehran joined us to tell us all about Farsi, also known as Persian, and the many ways it's both similar to and very different from more familiar European languages. Join us for a chat about this fascinating language and learn the best way to REALLY offend someone on your next trip to Iran.
After a discussion of upcoming holidays and the time change this weekend, we finally get into the news, including the throwdown in Brussels, Krakow's metro system idea is not quite dead yet, everything is more expensive, the cost of Christmas decorations, Zabka delivery and Dr. Mike is a terrible tipper.
Sometimes Hollywood movie titles aren't translated at all, sometimes they're literally translated and sometimes they get completely new (and bizarre) titles that make you wonder what the hell they were thinking. "Szklana pułapka"? "Elektroniczny morderca"? Listen as we discuss where they get these titles from and how much alcohol was involved.
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski was an extremely accomplished boxer long before he stepped in the ring with the man who would become arguably the greatest sporting icon of all time. Professor Patrick Vaughan from UJ joins us to discuss a film project that documents the life and career of this fascinating but overlooked part of Polish sporting history.
When you think about places with a large ethnic Polish population, Brazil probably doesn't come to mind. In fact, a city called Curitiba in the far south of that nation is home to one of the largest Polish communities in the world. Listen as we speak to someone from Curitiba and learn about its Polish past and present.
Strange news items to talk about this week, including the return of students to Krakow and their optimistic job expectations, the on-again, off-again histories of bike lanes and bridges, a VERY strange press conference in Warsaw, Biedronka's 15-minute promise, more people hate the Sunday shopping ban, the police pretend to be ill and someone in Nowa Huta was collecting bombs.
In the first part of a new series, we welcome a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese to talk about the differences with Portuguese-Portuguese, what a Brazilian dog says, the REALLY bad word that makes everything in life better and much more. Thanks for joining us, Pedro! Ouça e aprenda!
This week we talk about new crime stats for Krakow, an e-scooter collides with a tram, too many cars in Krakow, bar & restaurant owners suing the government, COVID shots in schools and NAKED GUY VS. TRAM!
Netflix is increasing prices on the Polish market (again). We started using it because it was a cheap, legal alternative to cough "sharing" cough but how long before it becomes too expensive and we go back to cough "sharing" again? Listen as we discuss where many people in Poland satisfy their need to binge watch and how things have changed (and might change again).
President Duda is considering creating yet another public holiday - December 27th - to commemorate one of Poland's many uprisings. Poland already has 2,785 public holidays (ok, 13, but it feels like a lot more) so do we really need another one? Listen as we go through the existing holidays and compare Poland's days off to what other countries have.
After too much talk about when people listen to the KrakCast (rarely), we get into medical care from Zabka, PO is still LOL, Krakow isn't so "green" after all, RIP Krakow Plaza (finally), new train stops at Hala Targowa and racing on the autostrada.
We start with bad and even tragic news this week, with the deteriorating situation on the border with Belarus and the deaths of two young Afghan refugees as a result of eating the wrong mushrooms in a Polish forest. After that, it's Polish support for Moldova in the EU, Donald Tusk says he's for same-sex unions, horrible mineral water now available in Krakow, the census deadline approaches and GIANT CANNIBAL ALIEN SLUGS INVADE POLAND!
The ruling Law & Justice party would NEVER use government force to silence criticism from independent media, would it? That's the semi-rhetorical question we answer while discussing last month's proposal to ban foreign ownership of media in Poland.
The news is back with stories about refugees, (ex?) bike lanes, even more concrete in Krakow, back-to-school time, a COVID update, the Rolling Stones and PLEASE BRING FRITOS TO POLAND!!!
Tom Bonneau from tourism startup Goodtime Monty visited us to talk about how his new map for visitors to Krakow combines the best of old and new. How is a nice folded map better than burying your face in a phone all day when you're looking around a new city? Listen and find out — and pick one up for yourself soon!
One of the iconic names of the early days of internet culture in Poland was quietly turned off for good recently. If you don't know about Nasza Klasa or how big it was before it got killed by Facebook, listen and travel back in time to the ancient, prehistoric days of about 15 years ago.
Winemaker Marcin Miszczak is the owner, manager and everything guy at Winnica Jura, a vineyard just outside of Krakow. He joined us to talk about what it takes to start making wines here and the Polish wine industry generally. Grab a glass and listen as Marcin explains the ins and outs of whites and reds and more!
August 1st was the 77th anniversary of one of the most important events of World War II. Listen as we discuss what happened and why it plays such a huge part in the way Poland sees itself and its own history.
About 350,000 Polish students recently took an exam that determines where they go to High School after finishing the 8th grade. Should 15-year-olds be faced with such pressure? Did you know what you wanted to do with your life when you were that age? Listen as we discuss the pros and cons of this aspect of the Polish education system.
Obviously, we have to start with Jumping On Cop Car Guy before we get to other news, including too many Polish Olympic swimmers, drowning season in Poland, teenagers love TVP, Polish universities for Polish students, fake cocaine in the Rynek, banning fireworks and when trams & buses collide.
Several particularly horrific recent car accidents have led the government to propose new penalties for drunk and dangerous driving. Will this do anything to change Poland's notoriously poor road safety conditions? Listen and learn just how the government plans to punish the people who make driving here such a risk.
After spending way too much talking about the weather, we finally get around to what students study at Polish universities, births are down during COVID, Wolt (not to be confused with Bolt) will bring everything to your door in 15 min, the genetic map of Poles and more.
One of the biggest figures of the last twenty years of Polish politics is making a return to the stage, but does anyone care? Listen as we discuss what Donald Tusk's decision might mean for his party and the next round of elections. Will the sequel be better than the original or will it be a Police Academy-style embarrassment? Get some popcorn and make your own decision!
After mentioning the return of The Witcher and the debut of The Office, we move on to Carrefour wanting out of Poland, full-auto Zabkas, horses in the heat, paramedics want a pay raise (who doesn't?), Krakow the Green City and jobs for parking attendants and tram drivers.
Our friend Sarah is a trained and certified nutritionist, so we invited her to join us for a discussion about the modern Polish diet and some of the ways it has changed in recent years. Listen and start feeling either really hungry or really guilty, depending on what's in your kitchen.
We brought in someone who actually knows what they're talking about to discuss one of our favorite topics—the gravity-defying recent rise in prices for property in Krakow. Listen as we cover the many reasons why it often feels like we're living in Manhattan or central Tokyo while we still earn like we live in...well, you know the rest.
Every two years, we go through the same cycle, moving from "POLSKA, GOLA!" to "YOU SUCK!" in about a week. Poland's performance at the European Championships has us wondering if maybe it's time to try some other sport. Listen as we detail the last 20 years of almost constant embarrassment and ask why countries with a fraction of Poland's population are so much better.
The extreme weather is our start this week before moving on to boar wars, census people at your door, doctors on strike, cameras all over the city keep us safe or possibly not and Galeria Plaza finally dies.
Given how hard the test is, every driver in Poland should be a God-level driving expert so...why aren't they? That's one of our many questions about the whole strange process of getting a driver's license in Poland. Listen as our friend Sarah describes her experience and how she answered the question about saving someone who was about to die. Wait, what?
Is Robert Lewandowski better at making commercials than he is at playing for Poland? That's our start this week before moving on to a gay dating show for Polish tv, difficult Polish names, possibly racist souvenirs in Krakow, the worst air in the world and clear proof that the Polish government listens to The KrakCast.
Jan Matejko, the greatest of all Polish painters, went to the Jan Matejko School of Fine Arts, located on Jan Matejko Square in Krakow. Coincidence? Listen to our short profile of the artist behind so many iconic works and find out.
After insulting all Geminis, we get into the news, including a trilogy of animal terror, who's in the Polish middle class, nurses on strike, the sugar tax is killing us, Poland has THE WORST traffic and Happy 115th Birthday!
Poland has the same problem as many other Western nations—plenty of sex (wait, right?) but not enough babies. Why is having three kids considered a "big" family now? What happens when a society can't be bothered to reproduce itself? Who's the crazy one in this conversation, John or Gabi? Listen and make your own decisions as we serve up this massive black pill about our not-so-distant future.
Our friend Natalia, a native of Belarus, joins us to discuss the latest events related to the arrest of dissident journalist Roman Protasevich and the political climate in Belarus generally. Listen and learn how wearing red or white or even speaking Belarussian is bad idea in Europe's last dictatorship.
After John relives another supermarket nightmare, we talk about strange COVID math, high school kids and religion class, Primark comes to Krakow (yay?), Hype Park opens, new laws come into effect for pedestrians and drivers, Poland as a solar power...power, more tram tunnels coming and a discussion of fruits.
Bad traffic is our starting point this week before we move on to the public's dislike for PiS (and PiS's high support from the public), the new "Polish Deal" promises to rain cash from the sky, the Wisła Kraków stadium needs (more) money (again), the right to use cash & backwards America and THE BOARS ARE BACK!!!
Be sure to check out Sarah's YouTube channel here-
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWUldTdUDzgjKGnBpQTPvWQ
Yes, there is cricket in Krakow—almost literally in the shadow of Wawel Castle! We were joined by two members of the Krakow Cricket Club to talk about how they got started, what it's like to recruit new players in Poland and more. If you're looking for something different to do, go and check out a KCC cricket match—don't worry about the rules, you'll figure it out. Maybe.
You might not know that Polish gives you 100x the opportunities that English does when it comes to expressing yourself in the most vulgar way possible. Listen and learn some useful phrases as we discuss the many, many ways you can offend everyone (or make them laugh) with a long list of very dirty words.
In the news this week — Big paydays for CD Projekt Red bosses, the bars are (kind of) open again, Netflix is filming in Krakow, more electric scooters in town, the train station has a new name, a planned neighborhood of skyscrapers is coming and Dr. Mike needs a new place to play with his balls.
We can't afford a therapist so we have to use our show to discuss the many things that push us—ok, just John—to the edge of a nervous breakdown every time we go shopping at a supermarket. Listen and see if you share any of our neuroses and remember that THE AUTOMATED CHECKOUT IS PROBABLY NOT FOR YOU!!!
A discussion of John's allergy problem leads into news of new trumpet players in Krakow, media editors get fired by Orlen, 14m vaccinations in Poland, average wages & minimum wages, retirement payments for dogs & horses, tax cheat informers and melting down Polish coins.
Have you noticed that entries in the Polish version of Wikipedia are often much less complete than the English version, even for subjects related to Poland? Our totally non-scientific research seems to indicate that even many Poles go to the English version first. Why is there such a difference in quality between Polish Wikipedia and the English version?
Two organizers from Queerowy Maj joined us to talk about the Krakow Pride March, other events associated with it and "Queer culture" in Poland generally. Listen as we discuss all this and several issues from recent news stories involving the LGBTQ community.
May 2 is Polish Flag Day. Can we get almost twenty minutes of conversation out of a simple flag with just two colors? Listen and find out!
The news is back and after a brief discussion of when we'll all die, we move on to TWO stories about McDonald's, strawberry season is (almost) here, calling 112, Master's Degrees in Fraud, 1000zł notes, border & hotel controls this weekend and more.
A recent survey found that an income tax rate of 50% has a lot of support among voters. Then again, so does a reduction in tax rates. The PiS government is working on a new personal income tax structure to reflect the increase in wages that has taken place over the last ten years. Listen as we discuss the current laws and what might take their place.
Each of the four mounds in Krakow comes from a unique era in its history and has an interesting story to share. Listen as we go from west to east, covering the basics of each of the city's four man-made hills (on top of natural hills).
We're starting a series of episodes dedicated to talking with people from different faith communities in Krakow and we get started with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known to many as The Mormon Church. Listen as our guest tells about his conversion to the church, what being a Mormon is all about and what it's like to try to convert others.
With nearly 3m infected and more than 61k dead, it's easy to say that the Polish government has been a disaster when it comes to COVID. But what would you have done differently? Listen as we discuss if it's fair to criticize Poland for not doing more.
The news is back with an opening about the weather that sounds ridiculous today with snow on the ground. Then it's on to the annual discussion about what to do with Plac Nowy, "Pink Boxes", lots of new taxes and penalties, landlords get screwed or not (depending on how you look at it), the census gets a rough start, ads for Ukrainians in Polish and REALLY old people get free money.
Our favorite psychologist and sex therapist, Antonina Dębogórska, returns to talk about Polish attitudes towards sex, sex education in Poland and answer various questions that we really need answers to. For a friend, obviously.
Several current and recent legal cases have highlighted the issue of the limits of free speech in Poland when it comes to offending religious feelings, political authorities and the Polish state. Listen as we discuss what happened, who's in trouble for what and where you can and cannot draw a penis.
Local governments around the country are dealing with the issue of smoking on balconies, and that got us thinking about Polish smoking habits more generally. Join us for a discussion of some interesting stats that show just how much Poles smoke and how those numbers compare to the recent past.
You may not have heard about it, but it's time for the government to count us again. The census forms have some interesting questions about who you are, where you live, who lives with you and a lot more. Join us for a chat about what you can expect from the 2021 Polish Census.
Our friends Max & Michał from the best coworking space in Krakow dropped by to talk about remote work in the age of covid, the growing market for coworking spaces, the kind of people you'll find there and much more. Listen and see how easy it is to get out of your kitchen and into a great environment for (net)working.
Amazon.pl went live at the beginning of the month to start an epic, Godzilla vs. King Kong battle with Allegro for supremacy in the Polish e-commerce market. Join us for a discussion of our first impressions of Amazon's Polish page and the differences between the two services.
We're locked down this week, talking about the cancelled Easter market, homeless people and prisoners with Covid, cheating the tram ticket inspectors, paying for in vitro treatment and the tragic (welcome?) closure of a cat cafe.
The Polish Language Council recently decided that "murzyn" is an offensive word, which comes as a surprise to millions of Poles who don't think of it that way at all. If we shouldn't use that word, then what word should we use? Is it time to reconsider what's offensive and what isn't or is everyone getting too sensitive?
March 13 was the 78th anniversary of the liquidation of the Krakow Jewish Ghetto. Listen as we describe its short history and how it is and isn't commemorated in the neighborhood of Podgórze.
Gabi's back for the news so you know IT IS ON!!! We start with the (maybe) decline of Netflix in Poland, COVID tests from Biedronka, Krakow's "Manhattan" development, new private student dormitories, dangerous Polish roads and BMW drivers, deposits on plastic bottles coming soon, 25% of the country is retired or disabled and more.
We often see requests for donations to help children with severe health problems to get treatment abroad posted on social media, on the street and even on television. Listen as we discuss why they can't get treatment in Poland, what this means in a country with nationalized healthcare and a program that allows everyone to help those in need.
Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who volunteered to take the place of someone sentenced to death in Auschwitz. In doing so, he became a Saint in the Catholic church but not without some controversy. Listen as we discuss the man and his path to Sainthood.
Time for the news in episode 3-0-1 of The Krakcast, starting with L4 leave from work, MORE money for the sextuplets, the "Olympics" no one wants, the future of office space in Krakow, street lighting goes from yellow to white, InPost goes cold, virtual buses and we still don't like ski jumping.
We go off-topic this week to discuss the many things that make travelling by plane a hyper-stressful experience for some of us. From being unable to find seat "9D" for some mysterious reason to Poles and their weird habit of clapping when planes land, join us for a discussion of everything that makes us want to jump out at 30,000 feet.
The culture wars around the abortion issue took an interesting turn this week when the Krakow City Council approved a proposal to name an area "Women's Rights Square". By an amazing coincidence, it's right in front of the local offices of PiS. Is this a good move or not?
Removing snow is really expensive and involves a lot of salt. Or possibly coffee. That's our start this week before we move on to covid discipline cracking in Zakopane, to beach or not to beach in Krakow, the media's reaction to the media tax, Hungary and Poland are BFF's, the (possibly) final word on e-scooter rules, Polish music on Polish radio, Hotel Cracovia gets a makeover and the search for a new Hejnał player continues.
There are certain songs and artists that you hear quite often in Poland that we don't think are played as much elsewhere. That's our impression, anyway. Listen as we go through our list of songs and see if you agree with our theories about why they're strangely popular here and tell us if we missed anything really obvious.
Amazon's decision to (finally) set up shop in the Polish market is in the news this week, along with relaxing COVD restrictions, Tesco sitting on top of a gas-fuelled time bomb, hydrogen-powered buses and start-ups that get millions thrown at them for unknown reasons.
As a guide at the Auschwitz Museum for nearly thirty years, Wojciech Smoleń has a comprehensive understanding of it that few others do. Listen as we discuss a familiar subject from a very unique perspective and learn some new things about a place that is visited by more than two million people every year.
Is there a law that says that 90% of Poles have to furnish their homes with products from IKEA? It certainly seems that way sometimes. Maybe it's because of Poland's long relationship with the meatball merchants. Listen as we look at the history of the deep Polish connections to the Swedish global giant.
We start with yet another bike-sharing program (to replace the previous failed bike-sharing program) coming to town soon at the cost of 72 million zloty. After that, it's new tram ticket prices, pigeon murder, idiot mountain hikers and generally stupid winter behavior, the COVID vaccination situation, Primark says no Kraków and a top local cop gets busted at Biedronka.