[Leica] Steve Unsworth PAW - Week 52

[nathan at nathanfoto.com (Nathan Wajsman)]

This PAW is very interesting for several reasons--obviously the  
pictures, which are excellent. I think I share Michiel's preferences  
for the images of the riverbank and the letterboxes.

But it also illustrates the changes that have happened in Europe in  
the past 15 years. Here is a guy in the UK, being bored after  
Christmas, and deciding to take a short trip to the other side of  
Europe, a part of the continent that until 1989 was behind the Iron  
Curtain. What has made Steve's trip possible is the combination of  
political change and Easyjet/Ryanair. The first factor makes taking  
such a trip on short notice possible (in the bad old days Steve would  
have needed considerable lead time to go to Poland, needing to apply  
for a visa etc.); and the second makes it affordable.

Finally, the Jewish quarter--when I visited Krakow two years ago, I  
was struck by how prominent the Jewish past is. Steve shows one image  
of a run-down building, but there are also several kosher  
restaurants, six synagogues have been restored (two of which are in  
use as synagogues, the others are museums or exhibition spaces). Part  
of this is of course tourism, but there is also a bit of a revival of  
the Jewish community going on.

Cheers,
Nathan

On 13-jan-2008, at 21:55, Steve Unsworth wrote:

> After scratching around for the previous two weeks, week 52 is at the
> opposite end of the scale. Probably not for anyone on dial up!
>
> After a few days sat in front of the TV getting bored, I went to  
> Krakow in
> Poland for three nights and enjoyed myself immensely. Beer was  
> mentioned
> earlier today. In Krakow it averaged around ?1 ($2) a half litre.
>
> You can find the photographs of my Polish adventure here...
>
> <http://www.steveunsworth.co.uk/PAW_blog/?page_id=34>
>
> Rounds of applause, brickbats or bottles of Vodka all welcome.
>
> Thanks in advance for looking.
>
> Steve
>
>
>
>
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Nathan Wajsman
nathan@nathanfoto.com
General photography:
http://www.nathanfoto.com
http://www.greatpix.eu
http://www.frozenlight.eu
Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog