Free Visa Entry In Exchange for US Missile Shield in Europe?

by Iva Skoch on

The Czech Republic is one of 13 countries trying to renegotiate its visa-requirement for traveling to the US. Currently, Americans do not need visa when traveling to the C.R. but Czechs do when traveling to the US. The unfair visa requirement is a source of much bitterness toward Americans in those countries.

Now, Czechs have a new negotiation tool on their hands. The US wants to build an anti-missile shield in Europe — interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic–allegedly to defend the US and Europe from possible missiles from North Korea and Iran. Both CR and Poland are reluctant to agree to this because they are afraid of becoming terrorist targets. Recent polls in the Czech Republic show that 60-70% of Czechs are against building of the base. It doesn’t help that Vladimir Putin has already threatened that he will aim missiles at them if the US builds the shield there.

This is not a NATO initiative; it’s purely a US defense initiative. Is it fair for Czech to demand a no-visa requirement in exchange for supporting the US defense policy?

Warsaw: Groundbreaking for Jewish Museum

by Kelly Amabile on

Here’s another bit of news from Poland: Earlier this week a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new museum to be built in Warsaw. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a $65 million undertaking that should rise in central Warsaw by late 2009. It will sit next to a monument to the Jews who resisted the Nazis during the 1943 ghetto uprising, and down the street from the rails where many Jews were deported to death camps.

The hope is that this museum will become a cultural landmark to match Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem, Washington DC’s Holocaust Memorial Museum and Berlin’s Jewish Museum. At the groundbreaking, Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski told the crowd that the Museum is “a great chance to… break the lack of knowledge about one another” and forge “deeper reconciliation” between Jewish and non-Jewish Poles as they remember their common history. Here’s a video and a gallery that shows what it should look like when it’s done.

One for the Road: Roman Polanski – The Cinema of a Cultural Traveler

by Kelly Amabile on

A new book looks at the filmography of Roman Polanski in advance of what will surely be his biggest project yet. The controversial film director will soon begin work on a movie adaptation of the best-selling Robert Harris novel Pompeii. This new book about Polanski takes a close look at all previous films he directed: Roman Polanski: The Cinema of a Cultural Traveller examines the settings, genres and themes of his films, including Two Men and a Wardrobe, Cul de Sac, Rosemary’s Baby, The Pianist and Oliver Twist.

From the publisher, I.B. Tauris: Ewa Mazierska looks into the function of music, of religion, power, patriarchy and racism in the films, as well as Polanski’s literary adaptations and his use and subversion of film genres. Herself a Polish émigré, she uncovers Polanski’s Polish roots and the extent of their influence on the cinema of this mercurial film maker, at large in the world.

Mazierska is co-author of From Moscow to Madrid: European Cities and Postmodern Cinema and Crossing New Europe: The European Road Movie.

Holy Week in Poland – Part 2: Krakow

by Kelly Amabile on

The respect and love felt for “hometown hero” Pope John Paul II is evident throughout Krakow. The 1st anniversary of his death fell during the Easter season in 2006, inspiring an additional layer of reverence and special tributes throughout the city. Despite threatening clouds and intermittent rain, an outdoor photo montage of his life was displayed along the planty that circles Old Town. Inside St. Francis Basilica church (where he served as archbishop before becoming Pope) there were additional memorials in his honor and a chance to kneel in the pew where he used to pray. (The church is worth a visit to see Stanislaw Wyspianski’s famous stained-glass windows.)

A friend and I fell under the trance of the somber mood that seemed to hang over the city. In between rain showers, we climbed up Wawel Hill, walked along the banks of the Vistula and strolled through Cloth Hall examining the plethora of chess sets and amber offerings; but the lousy weather kept us seeking cover most of the week, which turned into a tour of Krakow churches. We attended services a few times, continually stunned at the huge turnouts, the long kneeling sessions and the great lengths to which some worshipers would go to make sure they had a seat — on several occasions we stood near folks sitting on their own small folding chairs!

A popular Holy Saturday tradition in Poland is to bless the Easter baskets, filled with the food that will be eaten on Sunday morning. The baskets themselves are often used as decoration for a centerpiece during brunch. As my friend and I explored damp and dreary Krakow in the days leading up to Easter, we decided that we would prep a basket to be blessed as well. We bought one and filled it with bread, flowers and a traditional poppy seed cake called makowiec. Other items usually included are salt, hard-boiled eggs, sausage and cheese, but we were staying in a hostel with limited space in the communal fridge. Our improvised creation worked fine for Easter brunch, and later that day we treated ourselves to yummy Polish lody (ice cream) for dessert.

As we headed out to catch a train early Monday morning, we were on high alert — another tradition in Poland is for young boys to to wake girls on Easter Monday morning by pouring a bucket of water on their head. Thankfully the only water to dampen our morning was the rain that continued to fall from above. We were pleased that we had been able to participate in several of Poland’s Easter traditions, but were quite happy to escape without being subjected to Wet Monday mischief.

Holy Week in Poland, Part 1: Warsaw

by Kelly Amabile on

Last year I found myself traveling through one of the world’s most Catholic countries during Holy Week. Having been raised Catholic myself, I was particularly curious to witness how Easter festivities were observed in Poland. Experiencing familiar traditions in unfamiliar places can be eye-opening, rewarding, confusing, entertaining, and usually educational.

My week in Poland was a mix of all these elements. The first thing I noticed on my way to Palm Sunday services in Warsaw were the pussy-willow and dried flower arrangements tied together with colorful ribbons and feathers that everyone was carrying. Instead of real palm, worshipers carry dried flower sticks decorated with juniper, boxwood and currant. They are festive arrangements, a noticeable difference from the more somber palm I’m familiar with. But it’s too expensive to get palm in Poland, so the Catholic Poles developed their own unique traditions. Palm Sunday is in fact referred to as Willow Sunday or Branch Sunday in Poland.

As far as the actual service — well, I speak not a lick of Polish, but was still able to follow along fairly well with the flow of a customary Catholic mass. Except I swear the homily was given after communion. And there was A LOT more kneeling. (But more on that tomorrow when we get to Krakow.)

After the service I headed to spacious and serene Lazienkowski Park, where tons of families milled about, pushing babies in strollers and taunting the wild peacocks to spread their wings. A great thing to do is grab a park bench near the Palace on the Water and settle in for a fantastic people watching session. The bizarre squirrels running around the park are entertaining too — each was the color of a fox, and had funny pointy ears. Have you ever seen these critters?

Pussy-willow, peacocks and a wonderful city park — a traveler’s Palm Sunday in Poland. Oh, and drinking pure Wedel chocolate too. That’s not a religious tradition or anything, but it should be.