It's been a while since I was east of the Vistula by car, but the recent road trip and last week's return from Kazimierz Dolny has provided me with a decent glimpse of how much infrastructure has improved on the right bank of the Vistula, and how much eastern Poland has developed, over the past 20 years.
One positive indicator is the number of food outlets that have appeared in small-town Poland. Once you could breeze through one small town after another and find nothing. Today, be it a kebab shop, pizza place, patisserie, ice-cream parlour or café, an enterprising local person is likely to have invested not only in a place to eat, but a focus for the community. Below: the centre of Siemiatycze (pop. 14,500). The building in the picture boasts no fewer than four eateries including a sushi bar; however, we popped into a smoked-meat shop (wędliny) out of shot to the right, drawn by the most appetising scent that I shall never forget. Loads of kabanos, kiełbasa and boczek, some of it from wild boar. Wonderful stuff.
Four days on the road – a big thanks to Andy P. for the concept and the driving. Together with Roman P. we enjoyed erudite conversation, popular-culture trivia, a great soundtrack (including classic war-movie themes from the 1950 and '60s) and excellent food and drink wherever we stopped.
This time last year:
Britain changes course
This time two years go:
Lawn to meadow, meadow to forest
[two years on, the re-wilding has taken hold]
This time five years ago:
Town and country in summer
This time six years ago:
Across the Pilica to Strzyżyna
This time eight years ago:
Trump flies into Warsaw
This time nine years ago:
Making Poland's railways safer
Lublin and the Road
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