Horse drawn carriage and their lessons; Krakow, Poland

While in Krakow, we saw a dozen of the above horse and carriages on and around the square. Back in York, I came across this polish tale of a good man’s dirty work . via the inyourpocket site (read it all there). He picks it up and then gives back. The money quote for me:

The purpose of Mr. Piatek's mission is not only to provide extracurricular cultural events for poor children. He indirectly aims to link people by creating a cycle of generosity. He prefers being paid not in money, but only by what is needed. While Mr. Piatek is essentially a simple mind, he surpasses many intellectuals by recognizing the intrinsic value of even the smallest things and the relative worthlessness of money. He says, "People who were unfortunate in life believe money is the only measure of value." Mr. Piatek learned early on that life offers much more than money. He simply detests beggars who idly sit at church doorsteps begging for change. He knows firsthand that if you are active and willing you can work for what you need. So when the clippity-clop of horse hooves is accompanied by the plop-plop from the horses' behind, rest assured the fast-pedalling Mr. Piatek will soon arrive. To support Mr. Piatek's charities, money can be donated to the Dom Dzieci (Children's Home), collected by volunteers with badges on the four corners of the Rynek. Or, you can try giving Mr. Piatek a donation for his foundation directly. 'Tis the season.

The Krakow city streets and walks which we continuously traveled were mostly free of litter. I did notice lots of dirt work going on in the center of the city. Street construction and renovation were everywhere we went. Like little obstacle courses, we continued on shopping and walking. Everything was alive with people mostly tourists, school children and numerous pretzel sellers. I noticed some graffiti but not many panhandlers. We were not approached by anyone for handouts and felt comfortable just about everywhere we went.

Once we headed to Kazimierz (Old Jewish) Quarter, some of the more run down areas we walked were places we kept moving through. We like everyone else seem to enjoy the churches, castle, merchant hall and plus the general attitude of the polish people we encountered.... see ya,

j'bu