I have arrived in Katowice (population 287,000), where it’s snowing, after a comfortable 5-hour train ride south from Wroclawek. I finished the novel I brought (A Gesture Life, by Change-rae Lee, highly recommended) and then reread the highlights of a book I’m reviewing for another site.
Although Polish trains have internet, I avoided using it, as for some reason I use long-distance transportation as a way to avoid being online.
Here is a map of Poland from Worldometers. The northern arrow is the approximate location of Dobrzyn, and the southern one shows Katowice:
Tomorrow I’ll have a look at the festival, and then I give my talks on Sunday and Monday mornings, flying home early Tuesday (6 A.M.!) from Katowice via Frankfurt.
My week in Dobrzyn is, sadly, at an end, and it was great to see Andrzej and Malgorzata again, and to experience their patented brand of hospitality, including political conversation, a soft couch to work on (I finished my essay), four meals a day featuring great pies and cakes, and three—count them, three—moggies. Dobrzyn is paradise enow. I will return, but I know not when.
In the meantime, here are photos of the cats. Hili was often scarce, trying to stay outside as long as possible before the weather becomes intolerably cold, or sleeping in the basement. But sometimes she’d favor me by lying on my bed, in which case I would join her with my book. She likes to burrow under the covers.
Below: Szaron and Baby Kulka on the windowsill, each on their own blanket. You will NEVER find Kulka and Hili together in this position, as they hate each other. For readers who have asked me why, I have no answer.
Apparently when Szaron came into the house as a rescued stray (Kulka formally lives upstairs with the lodgers but is often downstairs), Hili also hated him, but she got over that. Now Hili and Szaron are friendly, though not so friendly that they cuddle together. But Hili’s hatred for Kulka is implacable, and they avoid each other completely.
Two photos of Kulka. I have trouble telling her apart from Hili in photos, but Andrzej and Malgorzata have no problem. Kulka has more white on her face:
And Szaron, the world’s most affectionate cat. I had some good lap time with him yesterday. All it takes is one pat on the back and he begins purring like a motorboat, and will not stop, nor cease soliciting further petting, until you have to do something else:
Finally, my spiffy Katowice hotel room across the street from the train station. I had to take a panoramic picture to get it all in (click to enlarge).
Tomorrow I head to the conference to register and see what’s about, and perhaps have a look around the area, hoping to find some pierogi and potato pancakes.
Glad to hear it – seems all too short a stay.
Do I recall correctly that Szaron was very ill when your friends took him in? What a success story!
I think he was in a bad way, thin and starving. It took a long time, as I recall, to get him to trust humans. Now he trusts all humans. But I will let Malgorzata respond to your question.
Szaron was thin and starving but he wasn’t ill. It was kitten Kulka who was very close to death and was saved by our lodgers plus the excellent care of our vet.
Well done, all of you! Such fine felines they are! 🙂
(Having been following Ceiling Cat on here since 2015 and seeing so many pix of the Polish kitties over time, I feel a little like a distant cat auntie; I’ve seen more pix of those cats than I’ve seen of ANY of my relatives, EVER.)
It’s remarkable that Hili and Kulka look so much alike but aren’t related (presumably). If they were related it might explain the animosity. I mean, families…
And our trip continues.
Keep up the posting. Looking forward to the rest of Poland. I particularly like the idea of the food there. I’ve had quite a bit of E. European food but never enough! It is underrated compared to more “exotic” cuisines.
Cheers,
D.A.
NYC
Lovely photos of the cats! Thanks for sharing those. Safe and enjoyable travels!
Great cat photos. 🐈🐈🐈
Lucky you! A soft couch, excellent company, four! delicious meals a day, and three cats sound like heaven on earth to me.
Cat’s feelings about other cats in the household are interesting. I once had three cats. I recall that Cat #1 was outraged when we added Cat #2, and both cats were infuriated when we added Cat #3. For a time after each adoption, constant cat fights would keep the house in an uproar.
Eventually, each cat seemed to realize that no amount of violence was going to rid the house of the other two, and their mutual hatred settled down to something like mutual detestation. Thereafter, instead of ever fighting, they instead shunned one another completely and totally – much like Hili and Kulka. If one cat was in a chair, the other two would treat it like lava.
I’ve read that if you really want to have your cats be friends, the only surefire way is to get a couple of littermates – and preferably, both males. If I’m ever in a position to have cats again, I think that’s what I’ll do.
Males are pretty chill together, it’s seems to be the females who are territorial. (IMO.)
You get on well with cats. They are very discerning compared to dogs who need only food and firm instructions.
I’m not sure if you have traveled to Japan but if you have, what do you think of cat cafes and have you visited any?