Flu Shot and Concert

Sts. Peter and Paul Church

I know, a strange combination, but that was our day yesterday. One of my students (from the Ukraine) told me about a clinic that serves foreigners (and thus have people who speak English) located not too far from our apartment. So I braved the Polish phone system to call for an appointment. It was a very modern, nice clinic and after seeing a health professional (don't know if she was a doctor or a nurse) to go through a brief physical and then paying 60 zlotys (about $25), I got my flu shot. It's nice to know the clinic is there if we ever need it.

There are concerts in the churches in Krakow almost every night, so we decided it was time to go to one. The flyers all advertise a set program of the classics of Chopin, Mozart, Pachelbel, Bach, Vivaldi, etc. So we went out to eat first at what turned out to be one of our best meals yet in Krakow....a very modern restaurant with more international rather than Polish cuisine. We even had dessert. Then we went to Sts. Peter and Paul Church where the Friday night concerts are held and were surprised to see it set up for a full orchestra rather than a chamber orchestra, plus risers for a full chorus. The church started filling up and soon they were adding more chairs; an older man with crazy fly-away white hair walked in and several people came over to kiss him, shake his hand and talk to him. We were beginning to suspect something other than the ordinary tourist concert. Turns out this was the last night of the Festival of Polish Music that takes place each week before their Independence Day celebration (on November 11) and we got to hear the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir! Two of the composers were in the audience, one of them being Wojciech Kilar - he of the fly-away white har. It was quite an experience (that would have been even better if the pews had been a little more comfortable...the church was built in the early 16th century, though the interior has been renovated). All this for the equivalent of a $10 ticket. And now we get to go back another evening to hear the standard concert.

Statue of the Disciples in front of the church.