thebadmonkey
2 Mar 2012
thebadmonkey
1 Mar 2012
Love / Polish women are the most beautiful in the world! [1718]
And where exactly are you from litho? Care to post photos of your acquaintances in the asylum?
And where exactly are you from litho? Care to post photos of your acquaintances in the asylum?
thebadmonkey
28 Feb 2012
Travel / Why do you visit Poland? [223]
Hmmm with a homesick wife, have been drawn here numerous times :D for good from next August.
By and large have found the people very helpful albeit more so if introduced by a fellow Pole. Most young Poles I've met have a broadly similar sense of humor as my Irish friends (full on sarcasm!) which has definitely helped too. The scenery and history also appeal as interested in both history and photography.
There's a few things of a darker nature I dislike but experiences to date have been overwhelmingly positive. That and getting a nagging wife off my back by visiting makes it all good!
Hmmm with a homesick wife, have been drawn here numerous times :D for good from next August.
By and large have found the people very helpful albeit more so if introduced by a fellow Pole. Most young Poles I've met have a broadly similar sense of humor as my Irish friends (full on sarcasm!) which has definitely helped too. The scenery and history also appeal as interested in both history and photography.
There's a few things of a darker nature I dislike but experiences to date have been overwhelmingly positive. That and getting a nagging wife off my back by visiting makes it all good!
thebadmonkey
20 Feb 2012
History / Warsaw Rising 1944 - National Disaster or Triumph of Spirit ? [515]
Looking back at the Rising now, it was destined for failure. From a cold blooded, purely factual viewpoint it was a disaster.
From a human viewpoint it was something very different. It is impossible not to learn and read about the Rising and not be affected by it. Courage and a desire to be free are not tangible facts. It's not something that can be quantified, or measured anyway. It's something that can only felt and can only inspire. From that perspective it's a very different story.
An important, albeit much less bloody uprising in our history led in a roundabout way to our freedom. On the face of it, the Easter Rising here was ill conceived, poorly executed and a complete miltiary failure. Yet it inspired thousands, and indirectly sparked a wider rebellion which led to freedom. Had the Allies not abandoned Poland to 'Uncle' Joe, who is to say what would have happened as a result of the Warsaw Rising?
It's all too easy to pass judgement on something with the benefit of hindsight, stripping out the human element but that's not really representitive of the reality of the time.
As an aside, the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising is simply amazing, and v ery poignant - because of the very human element it represents. Not just black words on dry papeer but interactive and reflecting the personal aspects of it.
Looking back at the Rising now, it was destined for failure. From a cold blooded, purely factual viewpoint it was a disaster.
From a human viewpoint it was something very different. It is impossible not to learn and read about the Rising and not be affected by it. Courage and a desire to be free are not tangible facts. It's not something that can be quantified, or measured anyway. It's something that can only felt and can only inspire. From that perspective it's a very different story.
An important, albeit much less bloody uprising in our history led in a roundabout way to our freedom. On the face of it, the Easter Rising here was ill conceived, poorly executed and a complete miltiary failure. Yet it inspired thousands, and indirectly sparked a wider rebellion which led to freedom. Had the Allies not abandoned Poland to 'Uncle' Joe, who is to say what would have happened as a result of the Warsaw Rising?
It's all too easy to pass judgement on something with the benefit of hindsight, stripping out the human element but that's not really representitive of the reality of the time.
As an aside, the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising is simply amazing, and v ery poignant - because of the very human element it represents. Not just black words on dry papeer but interactive and reflecting the personal aspects of it.