Anna Kucewicz

August 15, 2017
Why is 15th August a national holiday?

There are two reasons, history and tradition intertwined, linked to traditional culture, church and military.  There's a holiday atmosphere to this day, re-established in 1992 and the flags are out...

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August 11, 2017
Which beach can you cycle to, roller skate and have a boogie on?

Well let me give you a clue, it's in Poland on the Baltic Coast. My article earlier this year on the wonders of  Sopot didn't mention Jelitkowo that's a walk...

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July 28, 2017
Not an iPad in sight! How Polish kids’ camps, kolonie, entertain

So kolonie zuchowe (Polish brownie and cub camps) have been going on for nearly a century and certainly for over 60 years in the UK, yet the children play many of...

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July 21, 2017
Our Polish Heritage – the Winged Hussars

If you thought the Polish Hussars belonged to history, you’d be wrong because there are re-enactment groups, one based in the castle town of Gniew, about 60km from Gdańsk, the...

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June 28, 2017
For Polish Navy Day – a bit of Morse Code …./.-/…./.-

Since 1928, the last weekend of June has been known as the Święto Marynarki Wojennej (Polish Navy Day). Although Morse Code is no longer used as an international standard for...

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June 21, 2017
Five reasons to celebrate Midsummer’s Night

Although the longest day of the year (the solstice) is 21 June, the tradition in medieval England and ongoing in Poland is for midsummer celebrations on Noc Świętojańska (St John’s...

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June 13, 2017
Kraków: streets to beat the stress

While Kraków is overflowing with beautiful, historic buildings to visit, on my latest trip (in between renewing insurances, resolving bank card problems and finding a new bin for the bathroom),...

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May 25, 2017
Plumbing problems abroad resolved – or are they?

So. Following a 'plumbing impasse' at my little flat in Krakow, it all went quiet for a while. As you will remember there were a million and one issues that had...

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May 18, 2017
They really DID believe… Monte Cassino, 18 May

Of the many accounts I’ve read about the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, these words hit me hard. They were recorded by someone who sat with the surviving soldiers...

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May 10, 2017
Polish Heritage Day helps people find their roots

Imagine never knowing where your father is buried, anything about your grandparents’ lives or family history. It is a common experience for those whose families have been uprooted by conflict,...

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