Sentiments

I have always been a sentimental person and it is something that I often feel is a burden and that to break off the restraints of this useless emotion would spur me forwards and not backwards but at what cost?

A good example of this sentimentality was on display yesterday when I was rummaging through my old CD's and I found footage of my brother and I performing to a camera about three years ago. In this short documentary which is completely overshadowed by my brother's drums, - not a bad thing considering that I look like I am playing on a child's guitar both in appearance and in sound, we both look fresh faced without the scraggles of hair we have allowed to exist on our faces. We also look innocent which is something that I don't feel qualified to comment on at this current time.

The point is that watching this I felt as if I had lost something. It is true that I am no longer the owner of the guitar but it was something else that I felt was missing and this has to be put down to the emotion that started off this rambling. A lot has changed since this session but on the whole it has changed for the better so why this feeling of lacking? It is a similar sensation I have when looking at photographs. Does it mean that I am scared of going further from what has been or does it simply mean that I am a human and there is no need to analyse it any further?

Wroclaw

Five days in the west of Poland with my parents was really nice. Wroclaw is a city I had already visited twice before but it is a place I could go back to on many occasions. It is similar to Krakow due to the fact that its main attraction is also a large market square and the beautiful architecture that surrounds it.
The city has a lot of quirky elements to it including the collection of gnomes which can be found randomly scattered around. Originally, they were used as a protest to the Communist system but now they function as a tourist hunting attraction. Another more Romantic element can be seen on Tumski Bridge where padlocks line both sides of the bridge. First of all I thought that it must be a prime area for bike thieves but upon further inspection I saw that each padlock had the names of men and women inscribed on them which brought back memories of the same quirkiness in Vilnius. Before getting married, this custom is carried out and the key is thrown into the river to symbolize the love of the couple. We were also in time to see a pumpkin festival which took place in the Botanic Gardens and showed how creative people can be with this strange vegetable.

Rather surprisingly, there are some areas not far from the tourist attractions which badly need investment and the city's hosting of the European Championships will surely see a lot of improvements taking place outside the attractive Market Square. Like every city in Poland there are the remains of Communism which can still be seen. One example can be seen above. I don't think it needs a comment.

Zakaz Gry na Instumentach Muzycznych

For those of you who don't understand Polish, this sign which was located in the Old Town in Warsaw means 'No Playing Musical Instruments' or in other words ' No Busking Here'.

The first recorded instance of laws affecting buskers were in ancient Rome in 462 BC. The Law of the Twelve Tables made it a crime to sing about or make parodies of the government or its officials in public places; the penalty was death (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busking). Nowadays it is not always necessary but in some countries you do need to have a permit to play. Nowadays, it seems to depend on each city and the local councils. In Germany, it is necessary in some cities to pay for the right to busk and you may even need a work permit as it is considered a job. I've read that in some cities you can get permission to play for certain periods of time and have to pay up to 10 Euros to do so.

In my busking days, I never looked for a permit and I always just took out my guitar and started playing. In Vienna I was told to move on by the Police after first being asked for a license which I didn't have. Playing dumb worked in this situation. In Krakow, I never had any problems with busking and the Police never interrogated me although I was asked to move once or twice by residents. Even though I've never really tried it, in Ireland busking seems to be tolerated and a license is not always necessary. I even read that begging was legalized in 2007 which brings me to an important question - is busking similar to begging?

In my opinion, it is not similar as this is, or at least should be, a creative act for which the performer should be rewarded if the passerby has the desire to do so. For this reason, I dislike being approached by people who are trying to collect money for the performer. This, in my opinion, is a form of begging. Once, when I was playing, a man asked if he could do this and later on we would split the proceeds between us but I declined as I believe that there should be no pressure on the passersby to pay for the performance and the busker should play for the fun of playing. Of course, the sound of a coin hitting being thrown into my guitar case was always welcoming but it was usually not the amount that mattered but the feeling of being appreciated that was satisfying.

Busking is appreciated by the number of busking festivals which take place every year and promote street artists. You may call them a nuisance which clocks up streets and creates a racket or an attraction which creates some magic in the air. I for one believe that it takes a lot of courage to perform in public and everyone should have the chance to do try so I hope that I don't see too many more of these signs in the future.