The sun sets on the tramline by the Nowa Huta steelworks

The sun sets on the tramline by the Nowa Huta steelworks
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

This photo is quickly becoming one of my favourites, and also one of the most popular on my flickr photostream. It's the kind of photo that makes me think I should be more selective about what I upload and share - or in other words, that I should be more careful about my signal to noise ration. I'm quite tempted to spend a couple of hours at the weekend going through my older sets and deleting a lot of the photos that have never been looked at, or simply aren't that good. It's better to have two or three good photos, I should think, on their own, rather than in a group of twenty that you have to look through.

I'm trying to decide what to do this weekend. There's a good possibility that I might be going to the Wielicka saltmines with some of last months' celta students, which should be interesting. It's a UNESCO world heritage site, and therefore worthy of at least a couple of hours of my time. Might be expensive though - certainly more so than the trip to Nowa Huta which only set me back about 5 zloty's tram fare.

Tram number 15, Nowa Huta

Tram number 15, Nowa Huta
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

This could well be my favourite shot of all those I've taken since coming to Krakow. I'm quite pleased with myself for having taken it, but at the same time a lot of credit goes to the immense amount of pollution around the steelmill where this photo was taken.

As I was walking back along the tramline I noticed my photographing exploits were not meeting with much admiration from truck drivers and other passers-by. In fact, on several occasions I'd just about steadied myself for a shot when there would be a loud horn blown practically in my face by a passing truck. I later learnt that the part of Krakow I was venturing around isn't frequented very often by tourists, and that the best word to describe the locale is "dodgy". Oh well, I at least got some good photographs out of it.

What picasa sees

What picasa sees
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

I can't believe I've picked up some sensor dirt again already. Well, actually, I can very well believe it, considering that I changed lenses out in the middle of nowhere (Nowa Huta) on the side of a most polluted road by the most polluting steelworks. Still, the photos were good so it was worth it.

I can't believe I spent so long happily breathing in this muck. I'm surprised I can breathe at all now. I should have worn one of those Chinese face masks. Thank you picasa, thank you so very much for showing me what was in that cloud of smoke that poured so incessantly from the steel mill smoke stack.

I saw Casino Royale the other day, and now I want to see it again. It was as excellent a film as I could possibly have hoped, and far more excellent than anything since Goldeneye. Parts of it were just brutal, and that's what I think Bond needed to become - brutal. Just like in the book Fleming wrote half a century or so ago.

Smoke rising, Nowa Huta steelworks

Smoke rising, Nowa Huta steelworks
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

I went back to Nowa Huta today. Scott and I first went there on the CELTA course a few months ago, but this time I let the tram go all the way to its terminus. I walked for about an hour and a half towards Nowa Huta proper then, passing the old and new steelworks.

The old works looked at first sight to be abandoned, the buildings all grey and brown and decayed, most of the windows smashed. But I was wrong. From several chimneys rose plumes of smoke, and it was obvious that this, one of Poland's largest steelworks, was working despite, or in spite of, appearances.

Closer to Nowa Huta itself, the works look newer and shinier, but less interesting. The decayed relics of industry impressed me, though not my lungs, and definitely not my camera. On one or two shots I've noticed that there is some sensor dirt that needs dealing with; I had this problem in Peru and thought I'd dealt with it.

Enjoying Krakow

Young Cracovians in love
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

I'm beginning to feel settled in Krakow now. The weeks pass with ease, as they should, being only four days in length. Today's the first day of my weekly three-day weekend, which is reason enough to celebrate. I'm sorting out tax issues, and then later I'll head over to Nowa Huta to see what that's all about.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to get out of Krakow. Much as I like it here, I've not left in the past three months, save for a brief foray out to Oswiecim (Auschwitz to you or I), and I feel like I did coming home from Japan having explored no more than Nagano, Nagoya and Tokyo.