update

wow, hadn't realised it's been so long since i updated what i've been doing. at the moment my aussie passport is in with the british embassy here in poland whilst i apply for my british (and hence EU) passport. what this means is that i really can't do any travelling as i need a passport to hire a car and also to book into accomodation. this isn't a bad thing as it's given me a chance to spend a bit more time seeing kraków. a couple of weekends ago a few friends from london came over for a few days during which time we went out to see auschwitz which is pretty sobering.

last saturday michelle, steve and i did a 4 and a half hour bike tour of kraków which was really enjoyable and then on the sunday i went for a tramride out to nowa huta which is a suburb set up by the communists as a worker's stronghold. there's a massive steelworks factory which is past its peak and also a catholic church which was championed by pope john paul II as the suburb was designed specifically to exclude any churches and it was only by pressure from the people and the pope that it ended up being built.

this weekend is a long one in the uk and therefore for me as well. it's gotten quite hot here and very humid. it's almost tropical with the humidity and warm, heavy rain showers in the arvo. yesterday i took advantage of the hot weather and went to park wodny which is kraków's main waterpark with some good (and fast) waterslides. today i've been out to salwator which is a suburb of kraków with some very old history. one church (kosciól najswietszego salwatora) is believed to have been build prior to 966ad. another wooden octagonal church (kosciól malgorzaty) is believed to have been built on an old pagan shrine to the god poswist. the highlight of the area for me is kopiec kosciuszki which is a huge mound from which one has a panoramic view of kraków and its surrounds. it is named after general tadeusz kosciuszko who was a great polish hero and after who mount kosciuszko in australia is named. tomorrow i'm planning on heading out to the famous salt mines where there are intricate carvings out of the rock.. there's even a full underground church where everything (including the altar and chandeliers) are carved from the rock salt.

i thought i'd add a photo of my desk at work just to give an idea of where i sit for many hours every day. it's nothing too exciting but has the mandatory freo calendar and anti-west coast sign.