Taps and Springs

Polish tap water is notorious for being undrinkable.  At least, that's what all the Poles say.  Poles buy an inordinate amount of bottled water.  The water that comes out of the faucets in Poland is used for almost everything besides drinking straight (they will, however, drink it after it's been boiled.)  Coming from a place where we had perfectly good well water, and thinking there is nothing better than an ice-cold glass of water after a run (from the tap, of course) this has stressed me much.  Long have I suffered lugging those five-liter bottles from the store up the stairs.

Now, I've only recently discovered that not to far from me is a public spring.  Much like public water fountains, these are basically taps providing clean, free water.  The one I had previously known was in Powsin, a bit far away for me to lug the seven five/six-liter bottles back to the apartment.  People from all around bring their empty water bottles to fill up on the water (especially near holidays.)  The springs cut down on our water bills (since the garden is a bit thirsty this year) but also allow us to purchase less water in the stores.  We don't drink the water from the bottles unless it's been boiled (since it's usually sitting around in the bottles at room temperature for a few days) but it's perfect for cooking and making tea.

Filling up at the tap.