Ah, The Germans...

I know it's become something of a cliche. But whenever and wherever you go on holiday there are a certain type of people who tend to irritate just that wee bit more than others. I refer, of course, to the Germans.

German efficiency has become a cliche itself but it is an inescapable fact of life. I remember a couple of years ago while holidaying in Gran Canaria. A fantastic time as you would expect, weather brilliant as you would expect - and the queue to the restaurant for dinner headed by the Germans as you would expect. Dinner was served between 5.30pm and 8.00pm but that didn't stop our friends from the Fatherland claiming their place to be served first from around 5.00pm. The rest of us were still lying on the beach when the Germans were forming a naturally orderly queue. Then again, they had been out on the beach from 7.00am having placed their beach towels in strategically advantageous positions some two hours earlier...

My weekend in Krakow had a familiar feeling when my attempt to secure the tastiest looking croissant was thwarted when Hans and his pals read my intentions and headed me off at the tea and coffee table. And as for getting a table by the window? Already taken. I half expected Basil Fawlty to enter the restaurant doing his funny walk. Even if he was suffering from concussion during the funniest of the Fawlty Towers episodes, Meester Fawlty may have had a point.

Without wishing to attach the same label to all Germans, there's an arrogance to some natives of that nation which is a tad disconcerting. During the moving guided tour of Auschwitz, the thought crossed my mind on what our charming young Polish guide thought of the German tourists to the site. Equality and diversity are important things these days and the European Union as its name implies is united as one (well, apart from the French...)

As Basil Fawlty said 'We're all friends together now...'

Magnificent Krakow

I had a fabulous weekend in Poland. Krakow is a wonderful city, a beautiful inspiring place. I arrived there early Friday afternoon and headed for the Salt Mines just outside the city. Saturday I went on a walking tour of the city centre which was wonderful and lasted nearly three hours. And on Sunday the most moving part of the weekend was the trip to Auschwitz Birkenau. That was truly a humbling experience. The guided tour there lasted the best part of four hours and I felt a lump in my throat on more than one occasion. That people can commit such awful atrocities to their fellow human beings is beyond comprehension.

Krakow is only two and a half hours flight away from Edinburgh and I'll likely return there at some point. Particularly as the local beer is only five Zloties - less than £2 - a pint! Although there was some rain on Saturday night, the weather on Sunday was sunny and hot - must have been close to 80 degrees.

One thing about the weekend though - and this perhaps shows my advancing years - is that I'm absolutely knackered! I don't think I've walked so much in three days in my entire life!

I can highly recommend Krakow with its magnificent historical buildings, great food and drink and friendly citizens. It's been a hidden gem for so long.

Lest We Forget

My fellow Hearts supporter and esteemed blogger Adullamite wrote a wonderful piece on 1st July commemorating a battle during the Great War. http://adullamite.blogspot.com/2008/07/1st-july-1916.html

In 1916 there were sixty thousand casualties and twenty thousand dead in one horrific day of a conflict that must never be forgotten. Heart of Midlothian Football Club's connection to that battle - McCrae's Battalion - is honoured every Remembrance Sunday, along with others who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country in a moving service at Edinburgh's Haymarket War Memorial.

In this increasingly frenetic and consumer driven, power crazy and greedy life, it's all too easy to forget those of a different generation who gave their lives so that we could have the country we have today. Similarly, the stories of those who were the victims of atrocities during both world wars must continue to be told so that a civilised society can ensure it never happens again.

I'm heading off to Poland on Friday for a long weekend to sample the delights of Krakow. Not so long ago, Poland was behind the so-called Iron Curtain that, during the Cold War and the days of Soviet Union power and communist suspicion, gave the impression of a cold, oppressed people living in poverty and at the mercy of their communist rulers. Times have changed, of course, and now Poland is part of the European Union.

Part of my trip will be a visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau where hundreds of thousands of Jews died at the hands of the Nazis in concentration camps during the Second World War. It promises to be a moving experience.

There are only a handful of old soldiers still alive who fought in the First World War and the numbers of those who served in the Second World War and of those who suffered unbearably at the hands of the Nazis are diminishing also. But as the years go by, we must always remember those who gave their lives in order that we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

Their sacrifice should never be forgotten.