Glasgow has seen biggest snowfall in years. About 15-20 centimetres. I often mocked Britain for its inability to tackle even a little sprinkle of snow. But that was when it was indeed just a sprinkle. Now, with that amount of snow, it is no longer laughing matter. It is a SNOW ARMAGEDDON. And so, the […]
Scotland
“Driving in the snow is impossible. Period”
I always loved winter driving. When I lived in Poland, I was taking every opportunity to drive out of the town, or to have some winter fun on the empty supermarket car park. But since I live in the UK, I do it less and less often. And it’s not even because there is rarely […]
Morvern, Ardnamurchan and Moidart
Although Scotland is a sparsely populated country for European standards, those who seek to enjoy it’s beauty on their own can find even those tourists that can be met at Loch Ness or on the route to Skye to be an annoying crowd. Some say that the true uninhabited Scottish mountains can be found only […]
Britons: give me a blowjob* and translate correctly!
Let’s state the obvious: there is an elephant in the room. Britons cannot into languages. Of course, there are many who speak more than just English, but in general, Britain is all about English. Average Briton can live all his life with virtually no contact with foreign languages. There is virtually no foreign music on […]
Scotland allows Poles like me to have our dream lives
The internet nowadays is full of people who are happy to tell you how to have a good life. One group urges you to join them in leaving the rat race, drop everything and retire to some exotic country where life is cheap and beaches are beautiful. Another group includes motivational speakers who urge you […]
Driving lorry on the Atlantic
In previous parts of this feature we have been introduced to the life of a Scottish transport company, providing haulage services to a small community of people living on the Scottish Western Isles. After being introduced to the company profile and everyday operations, we have accompanied a driver on his journey from Glasgow to port […]
Over the hills and far away
In the first part of this reportage we presented you with an overview of the Scottish transport company, Hebrides Haulage. This company operates in a difficult market, providing deliveries of basic goods to people living in one of Europe most remote places. So how it is to be a driver in a firm, that sends […]
A different kind of Haulage Company
Road haulage of 21st century is no longer a romantic adventure as it used to be even 25 years ago. The market is dominated by big companies, trucks in Europe are channeled mostly to motorways and human touch is less and less needed. Today this business is often less about transporting goods, more about feeding […]
I’m dreaming of a Polish Christmas, not those from Coca-Cola ads.
In the last days of November, I switch my British radio off for good after hearing the voice of George Michael for the first time. The fact that a heartbreak song became a Christmas anthem says a lot about how shallow Christmas became in Anglo-American culture. In Britain you want it all, and you want […]
Losing a friend helped me find my roots in Scotland
Western customs and traditions usually settle well in Poland. Especially fresh after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we were thirsty for all that we could so far only see in American movies. But while Valentine’s Day and other commercial holidays took root almost instantly, there is one tradition that is having a rough path […]