This is just a quick language update, inspired partly by what I saw this morning outside my window – at least three seasons in one day. First it was white snow, almost appropriate for this time of the year, although highly unlikely to stick around (so to speak) for long in London, then beautiful spring, with blue skies and strong sunshine, followed by hours of autumnal misery.
On the other hand, I’ve always wanted to write about the Polish seasons as I’m a bit fed up with constant remarks, like “Oh, you went to Poland? It MUST HAVE BEEN cold!’ Er, well, last time I went it was early November and it was sunny and +16. Winters in Poland can be severe, yes, but I think the most common misconception about Poland is that it’s permanently cold, covered in 3 meters of snow and people routinely drink wódka first thing in the morning to get warm.
So, let’s get the record straight here (weather and global warming permitting):
Wiosna
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Spring. Usually warm from April onwards, with occasional hailstorms thrown in for good measure. Chestnut trees blossoming in May are quite spectacular, but secondary school students who are about to graduate hate them as they remind them of maturity/graduation exams traditionally held in early May.
Lato
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Summer. Can be boiling hot, particularly in the south (+30 is nothing surprising, really), near the mountains. Lovely by the sea (remember?) although the sea itself won’t be as warm. Majorca it ain’t, alright?
Jesień
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Autumn. Gloriously golden and warm, usually still nice until late October. November can be a mixed bag – warm and sunny like a couple of weeks ago, or miserable and snowy like two years ago, when my friends went to Kraków to see it in all its glory and mostly saw grey skies and sleet.
Zima
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Winter. I remember really severe winters from when I was a kid. (I sound like I’m 80, but I’m not). We had days when school had to be cancelled as there was so much snow and it was so cold, they were unable to keep the building warm enough. But in recent years it’s been mixed – there were snowless, wishy-washy winters, there were a few occasions when people were taken by surprise and whole roads became impassable, villages cut off from the world and other disasters like that.
But in general it’s safe to assume that Polish seasons are not that much different from the British ones. But if you’re lucky enough to see Polish winter like in the picture above (in Polish Tatra Mountains), you’ll enjoy it.
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