St. Valentinegrotzkci...

So, for Valentine's Day, I had the most active of days. Below is a pictorial play-by-play, although I missed about half a dozen churches, which I poked into in the afternoon. Poland continues to surprise me with its devote Catholicism. Well, frankly, I knew the country was extremely Catholic before coming here, of course, but it was curious that in each church I went into yesterday, there were at least half a dozen people praying--of various ages (including some of my peers!) and genders--in each church. It struck me as such an extreme difference between the States and this country. I mean, if one even attends church in the U.S. it seems to be a strictly mass-oriented practice. Here, it seems like people pray--and pray frequently--at any point of the day, mass or no mass.

Valentine's Day seemed to be no different here than in the U.S. There were still hearts pasted up EVERYWHERE and more than one shop was cashing in on the marketing ploy that is February 14th. There also was a market set up in the main market square, complete with a stage where couples competed for prizes, like a limo ride and romantic dinner. The competitions were really ridiculous--the one we watched involved three men being dressed up as women by their lady companions. It was basically three men prancing around holding purses and wearing scarves and talking in high-pitched voices--rather painful, certainly, but what was more painful was the audience's reaction. While a fair number of people were crowded around the stage and watching, no one really seemed to be into it. So, when the announcer tried to get people to cheer for, say, "Lulu," virtually no one would react. I'm not sure if it was because everyone else openly acknowledged how stupid the competitions were, or because the audiences here are less-vested in their participants or what have you, but all I can say is it certainly wasn't a romantic experience. Nor was the music--Lionel Richie and Celine Dion, primarily--that they played post-game show anything that would get me in a lovey-dovey mood. I'm just happy to say I spent my time doing a few things more than the tacky, heart-covered bliss I could have been partaking in.

Valentine's Day in Krakow