10 reasons to go to Poland

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.

Maria Skłodowska-Curie

Two-time Nobel Prize winner (Physics and Chemistry)

10 reasons to go to Poland

by Fanny Vaucher – graphic artist, author of the Pilules polonaises blog

1Discovering what history really means. Poland’s history is so rich, there is hardly a stone without a dense and dramatic story to it. Every neighbourhood of every town seems to have its own tumultuous history and its never-forgotten heroes. Sometimes it makes me dizzy how the past is still so much part of the present. 2 Meeting a free-roaming bison during a forest walk. Whereas most European bison are kept in zoos and parks, in Poland they live free in the primeval forests of the east. The possibility of seeing those silent herds grazing among the tall oaks, or of being surprised by the silhouette of a huge bison cutting through the snowy landscape… 3 The Ł and the Ą. The particular diacritic marks of the Polish alphabet are evidence of beauty on earth. Well, OK, I am fond of typography, which is just another good reason for going to Poland, the land of great font designers and typographers.

4(The new cool of) Apple cider. You always thought this weird bubbly drink was merely the little pleasure of faraway countryside uncles, until you spend hot nights cooling down with it on the Bulwar by the Vistula. It tastes like a million sweet apples from the Polish orchards, and you might only stop when your stomach really can’t take it anymore.

5Love. Well, what can I say. Yes, of course, you will fall in love. Yes, of course, it will be the most romantic love of your life. Yes, of course, ‘Poland’ means ‘love’. And yes, it will change your life forever. Out of love, you will learn Polish and consider a three-day wedding. Out of love, you will move to Radom and live happily ever after.

6Having your name shortened in 6 different ways. When you make friends and they start saying your name in affectionate diminutives (which are often much longer than your real name), or when your lover calls you something different each time, you will melt. It’s cuteness incarnate. 7 Mushrooms. Mushrooms everywhere, every colour, every shape, every taste. A paradise of forest mushrooms. Little vegetable markets full of mushroom baskets. Dried mushrooms in little plastic bags. Mushroom hunting during Sunday walks in the forests. Mushroom sauces, mushroom burgers, mushroom crêpes, mushroom soup, mushroom tea. Well no, there’s no mushroom tea, but still.

8Hip-hop in Polish. Discovering hip-hop in another language is always a deep dive into a culture, its contemporary focuses, issues and identities. Polish being the most beautiful and strange language on earth, isn’t it exciting to listen to Polish hip-hop? 9 A perkier pickle. I would give all the Swiss chocolate in the world for jars of pickled ogórki – Polish cucumbers – the sour ones called kiszone and the fresh low-salt seasonal ones called małosolne. The very first time I tried them, it was in a soup and I thought it was mouldy. However, it was love at first bite. I learned to make jars of ogórki małosolne in the summery countryside near Olsztyn, and all the ingredients grew in the garden: cucumbers, garlic, dill, horseradish and blackcurrant leaf. I would look for the small ones and eat them all day. A friend had a baby that would gurgle and suck on pickles like candy.

10 The art of irony. The Polish sense of humour seems to me a subtle combination of irony and selfridicule. It usually shows an acute awareness of what is at stake •