Back to the Fatherland!

I only say it because of the extreme Polishiness of my dad's side of the family. I've decided I'm going and this afternoon I'm going to head out into Die Mitte (middle area of Berlin) to go look for a bookstore so I have something to read. I finished the entire book series that I brought with me on Sunday night. I'll go absolutely mad if I don't have something to read.

I expect that it is going to be harder to get internet in Poland that it was in the Czech Republic, but you never know. If that turns out to be the case, I will post again when I return. We leave tonight at 9:47pm on a nachtzug (night train) to Krakow and will return by Sunday morning. I think I have ridden more trains this summer than I have in my entire life and I've reconfirmed to myself how much I really like this method of transportation.

So, I leave you now with a story about Prague that I forgot to mention yesterday. I actually sat on a fence about sharing this one because it toes the line between acting safely and stupidity. I don't care though, I was furious and it was worth it.
We, Jessica, Adj and I, left the dance club around 1:50am and headed back together through Old Town to walk back to our hostel. One of the darker aspects about Prague is that there are a LOT of beggars. If you're me, your heart breaks when you see them and you wish there was something you could do, but you don't give your money. Too often it will be spent on alcohol and then you are only an enabler.
Walking through the narrow streets we turned a corner and further on down the street we turned on to I could see a man in the middle of the pedestrian street with a camera. On the sidewalk there was a man who had been begging all day long, down on his knees, head to the ground, with his hands outstretched. He didn't realize he was being photographed until the flash came and upon raising his head he began to protest loudly. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but the meaning was clear. The man with the camera paid no mind, took another picture and moved towards where Jessica, Adj and I were coming up the street. There was another beggar in the same kneeling position as the first a little closer to us and the photographer stood across from him and began focusing his camera. The original begger shouted some kind of warning to the second guy and he jerked upright, raising his hands in front of his face, shouting a pleading protest. It was at this point that I became level with the photographer and where I lost control of my temper.
"If you're going to be an ASS and take pictures, at least give him some MONEY for it!" I shouted in his face. Adj had ahold of my arm and dragged me past while the man, startled at first by my outburst responded with an oh so creative "Feck you!"
Adj told me later he thought the guy was going to hit me. I told him that I wish the man had tried, he's lucky I didn't smash his camera, I was so furious. You don't exploit people's desperate circumstances in life for your own enjoyment, I do not put up with that in the slightest. It took me a good ten minutes to calm down. I hope that the two beggars understood my intentions if not my words, and know that I was yelling on their behalf. I think I got in the way of one of the guy's pictures too. Good.

I know, not exactly the safest thing to do, but if I had the chance, I'd do it all over again. Stuff like that makes my blood boil.

Anyways... Poland!

Love to all at home,
*Miranda