In the Dead of Winter

Sometime in mid-December, the cold finally found Poznan, and it's officially made itself at home. Currently, the city boasts roughly eight inches of snow, and high temperatures averaging around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday, Mike told me that in the 16 years he's lived in the city, he's never seen this much snow stick for this long. I may have picked a good year to skip out on Nebraska's winter, but instead I am in the midst of a true Polish winter (as a wise person once said, it all seems to even out in the end). This is apparently the closest it's been in years to those bitter winters that are often attributed to Central and Eastern Europe. And, from what I've seen in the news, the cold is expected to last at least through the duration of February. So, those experiencing a Nebraska-style "heat wave" should count themselves lucky.

So how does all this compare to home? Well...let's just say that the Poles are not overly adept at snow removal. The main streets are staying fairly clear (for the most part); there's a reguar fleet of snow plows/tram plows out each night. However, the sidewalks are a mess. in most places, sand and salt have been spread on the walk...even if it was poorly shoveled to begin with. So, the combination of daily foot traffic, sand/salt, and new daily snow falls creates a brown mucky slush. It's rather difficult to walk in...and gets a little slick on the cobble stones. All of these factors combined have given me yet another reason to thank Poland for my calves of steel.

In other, non-weather related news...Mirek, Ela, and I in the Stary Rynek over the weekend. We spent the afternoon mocking art at the Muzeum Narodowy (National Museum) and, then went out ti dinner. It's typical for Polish students to return home almost every weekend, so we wanted to make the most of Mirek's weekend in Poznan. Plus, there is no admission charge on Saturdays...and it's warm.
Ulica Fredry:
Ostrów Tumski:
My favorite bridge all lit up for Christmas. The Christmas light/tree tradition in both Poland and Germany is basically the opposite of the US. Most people don't put up lights/trees until right before Christmas (Lacey's host family put up the tree on Christmas Eve) and the decorations remain until late January.
Also, a forgotten photo from the Kraków Christmas market.
And, Dinner for One, a German New Year's tradition. I thought it was hysterical.