Hi all

Just a flying post as I've popped into an internet cafe in Krakow while the wife and kids mooch around the apartment playing cards. We've been to Zakopane, a mountainy place full of mountainy things. Houses with those roofs that slope all over the shop, clean mountain air, sheep, Poles dressed in strange clothes and that kind of thing.

In Zakopane I really was the only "brown" in the village. I saw one other Asian person in 5 days there. I was coming down a mountain and he was on his way up. Our eyes met and we exchanged a knowing smile. The moment lasted, well just for a moment, obviously, but we spoke volumes to each other in that glance. Volumes along the lines of "They all stare at us don't they?".

We arrived in Krakow a few days ago. It's gorgeous and jammed packed to the rafters with tourists. I've got a whole Phd planned on the impact of tourists, how many places benefit hugely from the financial benefits of the hordes, yet the attractions themselves lose their appeal because of commercialism. Actually I think I may have shot my load a bit too soon because that's virtually all I have to say on the matter, but I could probably flannel it out to around 25,000 words or whatever it is these coves have to write. I'd have to add a bit of sex and violence and maybe a murder or 2 to keep it interesting.

I digress. I've heard about the bombs and stuff in SL but I'm about to read up properly on kottu to find out more. I'm fully field testing my new Panasonic FZ30 and I have lots of good things and some bad things to say about it. The more I like it, the more photographs I take and the more photographs I take with it the more I get frustrated by its shortcomings. It's a catch 23, much, much worse than a catch 22.

That's it for now. Hope to see you soon. Must dash as I'm supposed to be researching train times to Gdansk.