The KrakCast

Starting from a small settlement on some rocks by the river to the city that we see today, there have been a lot of steps in the growth of Krakow's boundaries. Listen as we list the major expansions and additions to the city's borders, from Kleparz and Kazimierz to Podgorze and Nowa Huta and a few places in between. 

The news this week includes Burger King's (latest) failure in the Polish market, Krakow Plaza finally officially dies, another book retailer disappears, the European Games are more of a joke than you thought, another bike rental program is coming, a sad story about the criminal justice system, Poles love Albania (?) and Polish "travel tattoos" are apparently a thing. 

There are always words that either don't translate well or have no equivalent in another language. There are also useful Polish words that we'd like to have an English translation for but, as far as we know, there isn't one. Listen as we go through our list and try to explain why English would be better if we had a more simple way to say things like "przedwczoraj" or "pojutrze" and more. 

The news is much less handsome and sexy this week with John out, but fortunately Gabi is here to help the guys discuss a quota for Polish music for radio stations in Poland, mandatory COVID vaccinations & quarantines, a horrible incident brings the abortion debate back to the news, a fake cop gets in real trouble, Dr. Mike's thoughts on the subtle differences in the colors of amber and some stats on getting busted for having no bus or tram ticket. 

The situation in the mobile phone operator market in Poland today is quite stable but it wasn't always this way. Listen as we discuss the history of this business here in Poland, the many brand names involved and the billions of irritating advertisements they made us watch. 

Why does it seem like almost everyone in front of you in line at the Post Office needs to do five or six very complicated things, each involving lots of documents that have to be pounded with red stamps? Listen as we discuss why any contact with Poczta Polska makes you think about some easier, more efficient way of communicating with others, like smoke signals. 

A new film made for Polish Netflix presents the story of a small-time thief who became one of Poland's most infamous gangsters. Listen as we give our opinions on a film that may (John) or may not (Dr. Mike & Josh) be worth your time, depending on whom you believe. 

Dr. Mike is back from his Corona-cation so at least one of us knows what we're talking about as we discuss Polish political parties getting banned from Facebook, Netflix says we have "monsters" here, 30km/h will make roads safer because cars won't move, Carrefour wants out of Poland, Russian pierogi are apparently the third-best thing EVER, the most Googled terms in Poland and more. 

Yeah, it was two weeks ago but the drama surrounding the production of Polish television's New Year's Eve concerts was more interesting than usual this year. Did the boss of TVP know that he paid $300k to the, um, author of "Swalla"? How many Boney M's are there, anyway? Is "Cyberhooker" a fair way to describe Cleo?  You decide. 

We start 2022 (kind of late) with news about what Dr. Mike and Andrzej Duda have in common, the manager of the Polish national football team wants a change of scenery, new and more severe penalties will save drivers in Poland from themselves, private student dormitories drive neighbors crazy, creative photography in Krakow's Rynek and a new solution to getting caught for being on a bus without a ticket. 

In our last episode of 2021, we talk about Christmas in Poland with the help of a Holiday Quiz that asks important questions on topics like carp, presents, real vs. fake trees and murderous rage. Merry Christmas, everybody! 

The last news of 2021 starts with the WORST AIR IN THE WORLD, increased penalties for traffic idiocy, the UK helps to build the Polish border fence, a soldier defects the wrong way, top names in 2021, contactless payments for (hopefully) contactless toilets. 

Dr. Mike is back (sorry about that) as we chat about Speedos, 40 years since martial law in Poland, dirty furnaces, half of Poland earns less than 4,700zl, szopki, the war on graffiti, the Lumberjack returns to McDonald's and someone thinks Łódź is "exciting". 

We're not just talking about "computer" or "parking" or "weekend". There are lots of words and phrases used in everyday Polish that make us wonder why the Polish word isn't used (and if there even is a Polish word). Also, can we agree that whoever thought of "Brain Park" has no brain? 

After discussing the national threat level and introducing our special guest, we move on to Poland's chances to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar ("Cutter"? "Gutter"?), what happened to Krakow's prostitutes, tickets for the maskless, a B-list Polish celebrity gets canceled, January 1 means higher prices in Poland for some reason, a new model for apartment renters and a Picasso is sold in Krakow.  

Who knew there was so much money in flour, auto parts and whatever Tauron does? A recent report from a business magazine reveals the biggest companies in the country based on their turnover. You definitely know some of the names and you definitely don't know others. Listen as we look at the top ten both locally and nationally. 

After Gabi finally finishes describing her intense love for Justin Beiber, we talk about how the music scene in Poland has completely transformed in the last 20 years but, for various reasons, the live music situation in Krakow could be much better (with all due respect to Josh, who is a local legend of the stage). 

It's like Italian with a slightly harder edge and a dash of Portuguese. Or something. Romanian is a romance language but far removed geographically from its language cousins. Join us for a conversation about how that happened along with some crucial information about your mother's onion. 

After a discussion of Uber prices, we get Gabi's take on the abortion debate in Poland, Donald Tusk's need for speed, a proposal to enable employers to check your COVID status and Poles are spending big money on nice cars (and parking spaces). 

Why do so many U.S. tv & film productions have a Polish maid? Why are Polish characters always working class and never some rich aristocrat? Join us for a discussion about how it often seems that "Poland" is an easy shortcut for "the part of Europe that isn't rich and cool" for casting directors in Hollyweird and how Poland is viewed as a national "brand".