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Vis A Vis To The Rescue
By Artur Ciesielski | Hygge
When the lush green, neatly cut as if a piece of tiles art in hundreds of hues of green, ground came into view the Lufthansa plane was just barely off the ground and seconds from landing.
Shaking and rattling from the turbulence the small plane, only half full, approached the wet runway. It overran its turn, taking easy on the landing to prevent slippage.
Thus began my first day in Europe apart from the short stop in Frankfurt to change planes.
The lack of sleep kept at bay any excitement. I questioned my reason for being here, for taking this trip in the first place when I could have stayed at home with Joanna, Rupik and Maya feeling their warmth and presence near by when I wake and go to sleep. I miss that already.
Yet instead of sleeping I put on a brand new, high tech rain jacket. The phone slipped into a protective pocket, some money and cards and I went off to walk the city, to try and shake off this dreary feeling.
For a while it worked, then I saw some of the changes: a nude cabaret, several beer shops and a dozen of two ‘burger shops’. It seems as if I was in trend city not Krakow. Distraught at the sines of globalism I took to the Planty – a park surrounding the old city, a refuge of sorts. I did on walk around the city then back through the side streets in search of a place to have a coffee and a drink.
It was not so easy to find a place to sit outside at least as most were hidden away with chairs and tables huddled together under umbrellas.
There is a coffee shop I said to myself at the glimpse of Coffee Haven, but I don’t want that, then by the side of my eye, Vis A Vis popped into view. I walk twice back and forth in front of it, peeking in to see what emotions it will muster.
I saw people who looked local, odd art work, nothing touristy and walked in, ordered a cappuccino and a short of Polish rose liquor, sat down on a bar stool and took to looking around, at the art, the people inside and walking past.
Immediately I felt better: grounded and comfortable.
Over the next hour and a half I just sat there looking at the people talking some well know in the Krakow circles like the famed jazz musician Muniak who along with some friend discussed something – I don’t know what – it’s not important, they just talked.
There were no computers in sight and no one was peering down into their phone: that is lovely.
Just what I needed. Now time for some pierogi and sleep.