Polish Independence Day - Samuel Sugarman

As I stepped off the plane in Krakow, Poland, the first thing I noticed was the sheer cold wind that slapped me in the face.  It was maybe 34 or 35 degrees when we landed at 9:30 local time.  As my very Polish taxi driver was taking me from the Krakow Airport to my hostel, I noticed a lot of people walking by carrying Polish flags.  I pointed at them and asked the driver what this was for.  He said something in Polish, laughed a bit, then realized that I didn't speak any Polish and struggled for a moment before saying, "party!"  Now I know the Eastern Europeans can drink like it's nobody's business, but it was 9:45 in the morning at this point; this seemed a little outrageous.  After that I made my way to the hostel where I unpacked and then decided to take a little walk.

I decided to head towards Wawel Castle, the place where the Polish Royal Family used to live.  Once I got there I noticed hundreds of people standing around with Polish flags, smiling, and talking to one another as the kids ran around.  I saw some people walking up the road to the castle, so I decided to follow.  Once at the top, I was greeted by a sight that I was not expecting at all.  At the crest of the road stood some 50 horses with older men and women stop them, all dressed in full army uniforms.  This was when I realized that this was no party, but rather a celebration.  Now I had to figure out what it was for.

I then realized that many people were standing around one area near a cross and strategically placed myself at the front of the crown.  There, two soldiers stood on either side of the cross.  At the foot of the cross were flowers and candles.  At this point I met a British National who had been living in Krakow for 5 or 6 years now and he told me that today was, in fact, Polish Independence Day.  I had no idea at all and was so surprised that I nearly shouted, “no shit!” but stopped myself just before the words left my mouth.  Soon after this, a man walked through the crown and placed a large wreath at the base of the cross and everyone cheered.

Directly following the wreath being placed, a man began to walk through the crown and shake hands with people.  I reached out my hand and shook his as he passed.  I then turned around to the British man and he informed me that I just shook the hand of the Polish Vice President!  It was so surreal; especially after sleeping only 2.5 hours the night before to catch my flight I was surprisingly wide-awake!  I then continued to follow the procession up the road to the Main Market Square where even more people had gathered to celebrate this great day for Poland.