Alternative christmas Music

Sat 25 Dec 2021, 09:44

Malcolm, my journey from Zakopane to Poprad via the border town, Łysa Polana, was one of the best journeys of my life, and Poprad taught me one good lesson, which was that in Eastern Europe you can *always* get information; the problem is that the information is often WRONG! This was why my attempt to get a train to Brno from Poprad resulted in me ending up in Bratislava! 
Mike, I spent 25th December 1990 on top of Mt. Gubałówka, where the Górale band was playing, there was a BBQ, and a shop was selling beer! What more could one want?!

Fri 24 Dec 2021, 21:02

A cunning plan… Twin with a small town/village close by Zakopani to the north of the High Tatry and also one close by Poprad immediately over the Slovak border to the south of the high range. Then we can arrange exchange visits and the strongest, fittest and keenest can arrange to cross the Tatra passes back and forth. Always fancied doing that! 

Fri 24 Dec 2021, 19:57

Excellent folk music! Now if Charlbury is thinking again of twinning the Morris would be enthusiastic...Seasonal greetings from Finstock mummers.....Mike B

Fri 24 Dec 2021, 17:54

That is the very same Zakopane! I am glad I went when I did... the stories you hear now ... when I was in Warsaw back then, I felt totally safe, but I have heard stories of how the local Mafiosi have taken over now ... so sad.

Fri 24 Dec 2021, 17:39

Is Zakopane the town just to the north over the High Tatra mountains from Slovakia? If so you’ve brought back memories of some notable walking vacations in the time of nuclear terror before the fall of “The Wall”! At the time we were the only “western” car east of Moravia. Apparently. No one over here in Blighty seemed to have heard of some very pretty high Alpine mountains apart from the Alps. SWMBO had to jump over numerous and expensive visa hoops to venture into the depths of the Rus Empire, but as I was able to travel on a Canadian passport all visas were waived. Height of the Raygun and Thatcher “evil empire” times. Wonderful scenery and walking and excellent public transport links to start~off points, we largely ditched using the car to organise the itinerary for our hikes. On the way back through the eastern colony of the GDR we had a car full of  different nationalities west and east. GDR Border Guard made some quip about the United Nations. Oh the freedoms of youth and immunity to travails that would now hinder me so.

As a lad in Ontario I remember the music coming from the “eastern “ churches of the “immigrant “ communities. How much would that have been Polish or Orthodox I don’t know but the memory of the sound is strong.

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 23:00

Fantastic! would love a CD.

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 19:52

Valerie, that's a wonderful story! After my trip to Poland I spent a lot of time in East Germany, where I had met a lady, and, much like Poland, my impression was very much of a country learning to flex its lungs again after the dark days of suppression by the Soviet overlords. Many forget that the Soviet military were still there, but they had little to do except try and make themselves useful in the chaos that ensued. I remember one particularly bizarre incident when we went to this fish farm only to find that a Soviet army platoon (?) had arrived and had bought up the entire stock of fish in order to feed the local hospital, who had run out of food. 

They really were incredible times, and to this day I feel privileged to have witnessed a little of it...

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 19:14

Charlie, you might be interested in something that happened to me shortly after the end of Communism in Poland.  I'd been asked to speak at a conference in Warsaw, and stayed on a few days to meet people and take in the finals of the Chopin competition.  On the Sunday morning I went for a walk around the Old Town, fairly early - I guess many people were in church - and as I was walking back there was a heck of a noise of engines coming up behind me.  Of course, I thought I might be in the middle of a coup d'etat - especially when I turned around and saw a great many policemen on motor bikes ...

But they all pulled in to a car park, and out came a great many young folk, who got onto pillions and set off with much happy hollering.  So I asked one of the officers what was happening, and he explained that when the Soviets left many instruments of the State asked themselves what could they do to indicate that life would be different now.  Of course there were a great many decisions to be taken at policy level, but they wanted things that could be done now and at the interface with ordinary citizens.  Someone suggested that they give up some free time at weekends to offer sightseeing & fun to the people who hitherto had only known the police as agents of terror.  

He then offered me a lift, and of course I said Yes, and I've been quoting this example ever since.  

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 12:52

 Wonderful, thank you so much. Just what I need.

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 12:35

Absolutely Fabulous! Such a joyful anthem! Thanks Charlie.

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 12:31

That's wonderful - thank you so much!

Thu 23 Dec 2021, 10:16

I thought it might be interesting to share music that others may not have heard of (if this is permitted!). 

Apart from Christina Rosetti's wonderful "In the Bleak Mid Winter" and "Fairytale of New York", *Polish* christmas music is about the only christmas music I am interested in; it has its roots in their Folk Music tradition, which is probably why it is so good. I discovered this song when I spent a wonderful christmas in Poland in 1990, culminating in dinner in the hotel in Zakopane that night when the children of the Górale (Polish Highlanders) sang it to me after performing their Passion Play to the hotel guests ... it still brings tears when I think about it. You will see the Górale "uniform" worn by the folk-rock band in this fabulous song. "Wśród Nocnej Ciszy" translates as "In the Stillness of the Night". Rock 'n' Roll!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PBkYm-Mpqk