Poland – Positively surprising!
I lived 47 years in Australia and thought it was the best place in the World. When I came to Poland 6 years ago, there were many new things to discover and compare.
Herein Poland the world is so close and so accessible. In Australia there are lots of exotic and exciting adventures within this dramatic continent itself, without having to leave the country. But it is all one country and if you want to experience “other worlds”, you must travel long distances. Only New Zealand is reasonably close but in real distance, it is as far away as Paris or London are from Warsaw. When I came to Warsaw and a friend suggested a week-end visit to Rome, at first I was surprised and felt like it was too big a journey for just a couple of days. But then realized that it was only a couple of hours by plane and the costs were very reasonable. Even Egypt (one of the many dream destinations for architects and historians living in Australia) was no longer a trip to the other end of the world for which you had to save and plan many years in advance. And later a trip to far-away New York turned out to be only as long a flight as that from Sydney to Singapore.
Apart from the physical closeness of such great centers as Paris, London, Berlin, Prague, Rome, Moscow and New York, there is another surprising benefit.
Right now the whole world comes to Warsaw! There are well over 100 international embassies here and many other international institutions, including cultural and technological centers of excellence working with many partners from all over the globe. But even more importantly, they are all very easy to access, once you know how!
Many fine events and presentations each week allow one to meet and chat with world leaders in many fields. Because Warsaw is still only a medium sized city, like many other cities in Poland, the compactness and relaxed atmosphere are much more conducive to meetings and discussions at all levels. This would be much harder in Sydney because most of the politicians and diplomats are located in remote Canberra, while in London, Washington or New York City, the immense size of these cities and the essential security arrangements make contact more filtered and everything has to be pre-arranged, making spontaneous chats between diversified groups a very rare thing indeed. Interactions there are much more stratified and structured.
The modesty and civilized behavior of most Poles make this a very pleasant place in which to enjoy a stroll, whether it be in a park or down a wide tree-lined avenue. Attending the multitude of cultural events is possible at many levels because there is so much to offer and much of it is free, allowing people of all financial classes to mingle and chat about their life experiences. Warsaw is currently a real melting pot of ideas and creative thinking, because of these fundamental benefits. And all this against a background of many fine historical buildings which are constantly being improved and restored.
Like in most big cities, there are of course the usual traffic jams and social dramas that result from millions of people living in close proximity. But I am pleasantly surprised how interesting, stimulating and comfortable life can be in this central location in Europe.
Mark Krawczynski
B. Arch. Hon. UNSW, A. Mus. A (Hon.) AMEB, CPMCHAA, QMSAAT
