Kardamon Cafe – Take Two
Rating: 8/10 Cups
Kardamon Cafe’s Official Website: http://cafekardamon.pl/ (not working)
The funky Kardamon cafe was as empty as when I first entered it a little less than a week ago. Just the way I had hoped to find it. I return for the ambiance and the coffee. The ambiance being small, hidden and quiet… quiet apart from the music in the background, varying from the funk that almost boogied me out of my seat, to pop that almost forced me to substitute it with earphone and my own music but the music is inconsequential to my enjoyment in this concealed café. The only other patron here at the moment, apart from that handsome devil I saw in the mirror, was an older gentleman.
He sported the relic Polish mustache that is slowly fading out of style with today’s whippersnapper youth. He sat and enjoyed his fresh mug of Polish beer, reading the newspaper, quiet as a mouse. That is until another older man enters. To my knowledge, neither man has met each other people, my knowledge being somewhat limited obviously to the potential history that could be behind these two men. Yet, not sitting next to each other, lead me to this assumption. Yet they shook hands and carried a short conversation about what time there was a match-Football presumably (soccer for you North Americans). The second man was clean shaven by the way…. Traitor to the Polish mustache traditions that I’ve come to love but been unable to take up myself unfortunately.
The coffee
Continuing onto the coffee. Cappuccino to be more precise. I know I stated in my last post, that this was to be the search for the Holy Espresso (I guess I will keep that quest title), but during my pursuit, I shall taste the various other delicacies that are common in cafes, assuming I decide to return to them more than once. Back to this cappuccino, it was topped with a foamy heart, which was just adorable. It may be a common practice for some people and places, but this was honestly my first cappuccino heart. This was one of the better cappuccinos that I have had. It carried the bitter coffee taste well, and was not watered down by excessive milk but I have to admit that the foam heart did raise my spirits after a rather melancholy day. If you don’t know what melancholy means, a picture will be posted near the bottom to show the true meaning.
I must mention that I am visiting at a later time than I have before, the sun has already set and it is a weekend, that being said. People are slowly trickling into the café. (I am writing this in real time, not that that makes a difference to you). These people coming in however seem to all have some previous meeting with each other. Each greeting each other with a handshake and a hearty hello to the barista, most on first name basis, of course I am left out of this little group, but I do believe I have stumbled upon a café used more by locals that tourists, which I believe merits my enjoyment of it. Build it and they will come, some say (The Romans supposedly), but I say, if they keep on coming, something has got to be decent in there. Now with a population of four, the diplomatic consensus is to change the channel from the bass and pumping music, to the sport channel. I am curious to see how that plays out. Punny, I know…
The Match
AAAANNNNDDDDD the game begins. Argentina versus Russia. More interesting, is my false assumption in thinking it was football. The exact opposite actually. Handball. One of Poland’s three favorite sports, Football, Volleyball and Handball. Presumably in that order of favoritism as well. The game begins, how most begin, with the national anthems. Russia’s strong bassy anthem almost moves me to join the red army, whilst Argentina prefers a more leisurely melody that could have been composed by any classical artist of old, finally coming to a crescendo that sends the crowds cheering.
As the players set themselves up, the watchers in this café, grab new drinks, beer, coffee and tea and I can only help but wonder, who they are rooting for. Do these men feel strongly towards Mother Russia, do they carry positive sentiments to the nation that ruled over them for almost half a century. Or do they despise it like much of Europe these days. I am probably reading too much into just three men watching a handball match. Why not just enjoy any excuse to watch your favorite sport being played out between two random nations. But perhaps my hypothesizes will be validated in the course of the game.
The verdict is Argentina, as the men curse why they have yet to score against Russia early on. And like in every stereotypical story, the two men drinking beer and watching sports, have to turn their conversation to world politics. One argues why there is a town in South Africa called Cape City, whilst the other tries to correct him with Cape Town. To my surprise though, the conversation turns not to Russia, but instead to Arabia, as this handball competition is being hosted in one of the Arabian countries. The men bicker about civilization, religion and why money is not being shared from Arabia with the rest of the world. That is about as much as I am willing to listen in on that conversation though.
Jackie Saxon, behind the pages
I came here to try and write more chapters for my second novel, -title still being decided- but instead I find I am writing more to you, you being the internet and those who surf its waves. I suppose I can do some self-promoting now though. My second novel will follow Jackie Saxon, a woman who woke up screaming from a five year coma. Nobody is there for her and she remembers nothing (yes, I am going with the amnesia story). The novel will thus follow her as she escapes a past that is trying to kill her, only to run headlong into it. I first started writing this when I was in the city of Bansko, in Bulgaria. I had yet to complete Leaders of Hope, but I had the idea that would start and flourish into Jackie Saxon and her adventure. I got the idea from a bike ride I took, similar to what the woman in the introduction of the story had, except for the accident of course. You can check out the introduction to the novel here – http://oscarkrol.com/p/a-discontinuous-world-teaser.html
I will admit though, that I find the idea of amnesia fun to play with. That sounds a tad bit sadistic, but it’s true. Imagine being born into the world, middle aged, and being almost as dumb and lost as the day you were born. You need to learn how to survive in a world where people have already had decades of practice and guidance. It’s like walking into a million dollar business meeting totally drunk only to remember you are a plumber, not an insurance salesman. That or starting World of Warcraft for the first time and roaming blindly into a level 80 area – as a priest no less. (Only some of you will get that reference, and I accept that).
I don’t find the fun in writing about a baby and his experiences in a new world, and some could say that writing with a character suffering from amnesia is cheating and lacks a enough backstory and allows you to create the character as you like without care or cause for their reactions and thoughts. That may be true, but that is also what is fun. You get to practice, laugh and cry with certain experiences that would seem so simple and mundane to somebody who has lived a full life. But to then approach life, with a childlike ignorance and have to deal with the repercussions of that ignorance. All that and the mystery. Few things are as mysterious as not knowing or understanding the full backstory to a person and event. I like that mystery, and whilst amnesia is convenient compared to a complex plot of a villain, it also lends itself another aspect that I want to experiment with in this book.
That being the torment and psychological despair that goes with amnesia. Action and adventure is one thing. It is one thing to overcome a physical barrier, train hard enough and you can punch down trees (metaphorically) but mental blockades present different challenges that are sometimes not as easy as just training one’s body (easy in the sense that it is a repetitive action, not that it is easy to bench-press 200 pounds.) In addition to that, the idea of discovery has always fascinated me, which is why I am also working on and planning on a fantasy based series based around the feelings of discovery and exploration. But self-discovery and exploration is an interesting area to write about. I don’t mean like those religious/motivation/self-help books but to truly understand and discover yourself as a person when you have no notion of who you are beforehand. It is all these feelings that I hope to fully explore and share that exploration with readers in my second novel.
…. and Argentina won by the way.
The Dark underbelly of Kardamon cafe
Curious wandering lead me to the stairs in the back, slowly stepping down into the depths of earth, I find a secluded little alcove, fitted with leather couches and a quieter atmosphere than the upper floor that accommodated bolstering sports fans and I immediately retreated down to the comfy sofa’s when the Poland vs Denmark handball game was turned on, it instantly attracted a larger crowd of men and women or various ages. Down here there are also a few slot machines for the common gambler. This place would be a great little hide away for any couple who just want some quiet time or even a place to cuddle away from the eyes of public, especially after a romantic walk through the nearby Oliwa park, which I covered in the previous post.
That brings an end to this review.
Kardamon cafe remains a cafe I will return to for a nice quiet hide away, just not during Polish sporting seasons. Overall I give it 8/10 cups. (Following the coffee trend on here, I will use cups as a rating score).
PS: Feeling melancholy? “A gloomy state of mind, especially with habitual or prolonged; depression.”
Not anymore
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| It gets me every time. |