Krakow Madness - New Year's Eve

The New Year in Krakow hardly occured to me as a particulary spectacular phenomenon. It took two days, 10 concerts and thousands of stampeding bodies trampling and screaming over this world holiday to make me realize the importance of Krakow's centrality to Poland. I took for granted that I am living in the national equivalent of Paris and New York. Every major music star, new and old, performed on the stage of Krakow Square's Rynek Glowny. After two days of rock shows, exhibitions, carnavals, and folk performances, at the stroke of midnight, the music got louder.

Despite the thousands of bodies that hooted, hollered, stampeded, ran, and sprayed each other with bottles of champaigne (or sparkling wine), the music could be heard down every street branching through the city's spiderweb plan. It was phenomenal to see so many people ecstatic over the beginning of new opportunities, new beginnings and new chances. The New Year is the beginning of something new. The time to set things right once more - a time to celebrate what is to come!