Poznan was the original capital of Poland from the 11th to 13th centuries. The first prince of Poland was baptized in a brick cathedral on an island in the river. Ten centuries later Pope John Paul II was invested in the same cathedral. This cathedral of two-toned brick and two towers still stands today, and was the setting for a moving Christmas Chorale performed by the children of Poznan for the climate conferees. At the center of Poznan is a decorative town hall. At twelve noon every Sunday, two goats emerge from the clock tower of the hall and butt heads twelve times. In December the square around the hall is adorned by ice sculptures, a manger, a Christmas market, colorful Old European buildings, restaurants and cafes, and crowds of fashionable and festive Poles. The whole scene is as priceless as a visa commercial, right down to the old woman who pinches my side and commands me to eat more.
Archive for Travel
Camera, I hardly knew ye.
After 60 hours of air travel, stumbling out of the Santiago airport and into a clear blue sky and the snow-capped peaks of the Andes was quite literally a breath of fresh air. A quick van ride later and I was in the heart of the Maipa Valley—Chile’s wine country. When I unpacked by suitcase, I realized my brand new camera had disappeared. Now, bad things happen all over the world, and it’s conceivable that the camera could have jumped out of the suitcase during layovers in Paris, DC, or Atlanta. But, I doubt the camera ever left Johannesburg. First, Johannesburg airport is notorious for theft: see here and here. Second, on other travels through JNB I have personally experienced extortion (“give me something to make sure your luggage arrives”) and a set up for a robbery (Me: “could you tell me how to get to the domestic terminal?” Him: “follow me up these stairs.” Stairs: “Proceed beyond this point at your own risk.”) And third, one current scare story of crime and corruption in South Africa is of customs officials coordinating with local gangs to tail and attack arriving passengers who declare large amounts of currency (I dodged a bullet by comparison).
So I learned a lesson today: don’t pack small valuable items in your checked baggage. Especially in Johannesburg. I don’t miss the camera as such. I just would have liked to have been able to upload my hundreds of Madagascar photos.
Soweto
The South West Townships
During my twelve hour layover in Johannesburg, I took a tour of Soweto. Johannesburg’s sprawling South West Townships are home to mile after mile of squatter settlements, interspersed with bleak former all-male mine workers’ hostels from which families were forbidden, new government-constructed houses, and the occasional middle class neighborhood. We visited one neighborhood with shabby tin-roofed shacks stretching along a dusty one lane road as far as the eye could see. In the road a dead rat was covered in flies. The guide showed us inside one of the one-room shacks. The tiny space contained a stove, a countertop, a dresser, a bed, and enough floor space for a small mattress. The woman of the house said she shared the house with her four grand daughters. She said she had been living in the house for thirteen years. Every year the government tells her she will be able to move into one of the millions of new government houses being built, and every year she continues to wait.
Four continents in three days
Three days from now, I leave Antananarivo, Madagascar, for Santiago Chile, via Johannesburg, Paris, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. From aiport to airport, I’ll be travelling for 60 hours. This is the time it takes to fly from New York City to Tokyo and back again, twice. I’ll have been both north and south of the equator, and both east and west of the prime meridian, in less than three days.
Indiana Jones Map
