A Most Glorious Spring

Spring has sprung in Poland.  It sprang over a month ago at the end of April.  There were balmy, sunny days in the high-sixties with a slight breeze.  You could walk outside in a T-shirt, but not sweat (and no bugs!)  For one night in the beginning of May, we had a snowstorm.  It howled and everyone was impressed, but left no snow on the ground.  Hopefully, it killed off all the bugs, so black flies and mosquitos will be significantly less pesky this year (one can always hope.)
Now, it's raging into full-on summer.  I've just come inside from the glaring sunshine (reading on the balcony.  I have Kapuscinski's Imperium.)  Coming inside and letting your eyes adjust is something actually rather strange.  It's as if you're wearing sunglasses inside, everything is unnaturally shade.  Then, as the pupils dilate and open up, everything becomes more clear.  The human body is such a neat and wonderful thing.

The noueveau-style of apartment blocks with rooftop terraces and gardens.

Enjoying the sunshine.

The lilacs!  Oooooh, the lilacs.  Heavenly they are.  And this spring they are out in full glory.  Each bush is weighed down under the bunches upon bunches upon bunches or wonderfully scented lilacs.  I often pick them at work and welcome anyone to smell them.  Sometimes, I compose poems and verses about them.

Lilacs come in a variety of colors and scents.

The lilac bunch up close.

The bushes are filled with them.

Forget-me-nots.

Oh, Yes; There Will Be Floods

The swollen Wisla has risen—and crested—here in Warsaw. The total toll in Poland has gone up to about seventeen souls; most were in the southern Poland where the flooding is worse. Here, in Warsaw, the Vistula has swallowed the walkways meandering along its banks and even threatened the zoo. Zookeepers were worried they would have to put down a lot of animals rather than risk their escape. (There are no other holding places for these critters?)

The Vistula became a sort of an attraction, drawing in the largest crowds the normally-sleepy Powisle district had seen in years. They lined the bridges and pressed up against the tape to watch the swift current and marvel at how quaint the benches looked under the flow.

Poland is no stranger to flooding; it happens every year and is something to be expected. This year's flooding has been the worst in a decade. The wet spring led the rivers to wreck havoc on a country known for its flat central plains.

At first glance, it doesn't seem so bad.

The road just leads underwater.

Wiosna Jest Radosna!

Spring has sprung! The weather has turned from slightly chilly to down right balmy, and I am kind of loving it. I do enjoy winter, but it's great to get the plants on the balcony for some full sun. The surprising thing was how quickly the weather turned; one week it snowy and wintery, they next week it was full-blown short season.

The time change helped too (spring forward.) A full week after the US went forward, Europe did as well, which meant that for a week we were only five hours apart. This can cause problems: I keep my computer on EST, so while I was doodling away on something I thought I was late for a lesson, only to realize when I got there that I was an hour early. I was fortunate that it worked out, but whatever. Plus, now I can get up early for the sunrise and have a later-setting day.

Actually, I can't wait for the botanical gardens to re-open.

These Days

Spring can be amazing: flowers blooming, birds returning, shorts and skirts getting smaller. But the weather here is starting to piss me off. First it starts out sunny and hot, then quickly converts to a downpour with lightning, then back to some semi-sunny haziness.

I felt a little ridiculous today when I offered a friend of mine the use of my shotgun, which currently resides in my permanently parked car outside my apartment in the States (he has the keys.) He lives in a sleazy area (no restaurant will deliver there) so I figured he could use the protection, and with a 3.5" slug he'd have enough firepower to liquidate a grizzly's skull. Anyway, I kind of felt like a hick.

Is everyone else loving this two-day bank holiday? I went shopping Wednesday night around 10PM and the place was mobbed. Everyone filling up on stuff before the holiday.

The EU elections were held recently, and I can tell you that I don't care in the least. I think it's shocking that the BNP actually gained a few seats with close to a million votes and an anti-EU party (the UK Independence Party) came in second.

The Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc) of Kaczynski fame is still going strong. I don't know if that's good or bad news. I know plenty of Poles who hate that party and the Kaczynskis in particular. Whenever I ask why they always give vague answers like, "Because of their policies." or "Because of their behavior" or "Because of their arrogance." When I press them deeper they start a mental scramble and finally force something out about them bad-mouthing another party or something. Student G said that their platform of making Poland a strong national militarily was a sign of their arrogance. (I'm not joking, he really did say that.) I'll disavow any claims to being pro-PiS, but no one has made any real, convincing argument to why they're bad. (If you want, pray tell why, but leave out the anger.) In fact, I really fail to see the difference between PiS and PO.