Weekend Engagement: Urban Excitements
Although born and raised in the outskirts of a small post-industrial town, I have spent half of my life in one of the largest cities in the entire country, boasting a population of almost 700 thousand. I am not someone who often complains about his life, but I'm quite sure I'll never become an enthusiast of urban living. There are so many things bothering me about this human hive: the constant noise, smog polluting the air, public transportation and, especially, the crowds of people walking every. To make things worse, I meet unhinged, and even dangerous individuals much too often to my liking.
On the other side, this city really has much to offer if you give it a chance. It proudly claims the title of "the capital of Polish culture" and it's more than just arrogance typical for people living in a sprawling metropolis. Sports events, art exhibitions, concerts offering music of all kinds, delicious food from all corners of the world — it would be impossible to count it all. Most importantly, the city is home to the wonderful Kingdom Without Limits, probably the only Hive-powered meeting place in the world. I consider it an honour to play a humble part in that initiative.
Moreover, if you are an enthusiast of architecture like me, you'll discover a plethora of interesting sights. Personally, I feel blessed to see so many examples of my favourite style, interwar modernism. Just look at this photo I took during one of my walks.
My favourite part of the urban experience are the tiny, fleeting moments and sights I find on a daily basis. Curious graffiti pieces, shop or café windows with unique exhibits, strangers having interesting conversations — this city keeps surprising me every day. When I'm leaving my humble apartment, I feel a tiny tingle of excitement. What strange things will I see today? Life may feel mundane most of the time but I keep having this childish expectation of small wonders that can be found everywhere and at any given time.
Obviously, if time allows it and it seems appropriate, I will stop and take photographs. My collection of daily curiosities is quite large now. Below, you'll find a few examples.
Some pictures may be bad but you can't help loving them. I took a photo of this statue during winter and the heavy snowfall made it all blurry, and yet I like to think it would make a fine album cover, especially for a Black Metal band.
Not all of my discoveries could be called wholesome. Here's a sticker with the logo of the Casapound Italia, a notorious RW activist centre based in Rome.
I found this tiny playdough figurine near the Main Square, just a few months after the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. There's one charming detail here: the white and blue stripes on the right refer to the flag used by the Russians opposing the current lords of the Kremlin. Basically speaking, it's your standard Russian tricoloured flag with the bloody red washed away.
This photo is an exception since I made it during a trip to Ostrava, a town located near the Polish-Czech border. For the first time in my life, I met somebody selling fried insects as food for humans — and all that in the middle of an exotic animal exhibition. No, Klaus, I will never eat them.