Portugal was one of the last white spots on my map of Europe, and another dreary Krakowian winter delivered the perfect excuse to finally visit — starting with Porto, the country’s birthplace, its second largest city, and cultural treasury. Located some 300 km north of Lisbon, Po...

As much as I love Kraków from March through October, the rest of the year in this part of Europe is dreadful — even to someone who grew up in Urals and is used to seven months of brutal winter a year. The Sun here rarely penetrates thick lead clouds, but even when it does, it goes dow...

Vienna, Wien, Wean. Wiedeń to Poles, Vindobona to Romans, Bécs to Hungarians. Capital of dead empires, spy paradise, art treasury, cradle of Secession. Home to 2M people, constantly topping “quality of life” and “most expensive” rankings. What else can you say? I’ve been there three times and sti...

Once, when I was much younger and brighter, I ended up in a hospital bed with blood poisoning after an unfortunate dental surgery. In my feverish state, I came up with a concept of “quantum fatalism”. This vague idea sprouted as a reaction to theological existentialism permeating ...

On November 11th each year, Poland celebrates independence. For Polish people, this day is almost as important as Christmas — another date that’s supposed to unite people but often ends up sparking ideological disputes and splitting hairs. When I first came to Poland seven years back, ...

People say Swedes praise mediocrity, which might sound like a flaw or a deadly sin depending on your cultural context. But if you’ve ever shopped at IKEA, driven a Volvo, or visited Stockholm, you know mediocrity is a form of perfection. I’ve been to Stockholm several times, and it’s a...

Fun fact: 10,000 seconds fit in less than 3 hours, as many minutes make up almost a week, and 10k hours take more than a year. But what is ten thousand pictures? I got a new camera this spring along with plenty of free time to reconnect with my life-long hobby. Since then, I’ve been sh...

This summer, Katowice was named the best Polish city to live in, with Warsaw landing in 10th place and Kraków closing the list. So, what the fuck is Katowice — and does it really beat both capitals, plus every other major city in the country? I doubt you’ve ever even heard the name Kat...

Look, this post is gonna be boring as fuck — me visiting yet another spot in Europe that’s kinda cool but not mind-blowing. No fresh info, just a few obvious facts. The photos do look nice though, and they’ve got that warm summer vibe that’s gone until next season. So just scroll through if you a...

If this post had happened a few days back, it would have had a very different tone. But it is what it is, and I only hope reality is a much less dramatic penman than me. Kraków is the reference sample of a peaceful place. Though stuck between a rock and a hard place for over a...

Kraków is as much a home as I’ve ever had. The city has grown so familiar that most of the time I barely notice it. It feels more like an abstract mental space than a set of objects occupying a specific patch of the physical world around me. It’s so everyday that I tend to forget ...