#events in krakow

[yellowmanula]

Z cyklu POLECAM W KRAKOWIE

[cloudfishh]

When your fandom so small you start reading actual fucking historical sources bc you crave more content 💔💔

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry celebrate Hallmark Channel's 'When Calls the Heart' at the Empire State Building on June 12, 2004.

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(photos from Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Instagram)

[chodzacaparodia]

I went to a book fair and passed some girls. One of them told her friends something like that she had watched an anime where you don't have to like football to like an anime about football.

I stopped and asked "Blue Lock"?

She confirmed.

And I walked away.

Why am I like this?

[jamiexdornan]

Taking a small sip of his hot chocolate, Jamie glanced over at her for a moment, watching her take in the information that he just gave her. Nodding his head a little bit. "Yes, us." There was a small smile that formed on the corner of his lips now. "That it is. I did move here just be closer to you. I really did." And hopefully she believed him because it was the truth. "I know it probably isn't logical but the I realized that I wanted to be you more than wanting to be apart from you."

She held the mug with both hands, the steam wafting up to warm her chilled nose. When Jamie said he wanted to talk about them, that she was a big reason he moved to Beacon Cove, Erin's eyes widened. She turned to face him, "really? Us?" A soft smile formed on her lips before she turned her head, sipping her hot chocolate. "It's is a very grand gesture. - You moved just to be closer to me?"

[neylo]

Hello dear history enthusiasts, and especially you, Age of Sail fandom (I know you are there).

So… yeah. I have overcome my moments of depression about my sewing and lack of attractiveness. I can still make nice clothes, despite not being the next Tumblr sexyman.

I’m struggling with this.

James Norrington, I’m looking at you.

I wanted to steal your clothes since I was 12 (yeah, the other kids wanted to be pirates. Well, what can I say, I was always the extra one.) Now, it’s important that the movies are set in 1720s while the first British naval uniforms were designed in 1748. I get it - it would be fairly confusing for the movie if they went for accuracy.

If you don’t remember the movie, this is the outfit he wore for his promotion parade. Nice. Except…. This is the undress uniform given the pattern from 1748.

For this particular occasion I believe he should rather wear the full dress uniform.

Which looks like this

Gorgeous right. I keep forgetting how over the top the 1740s men’s clothing were.

As for his movie undress uniform, Norrington was apparently demoted

This is an undress uniform of a senior captain! Quite a demotion, dear sir!

However, the movies inaccurate choice of patterns is alright except for something they decided to do very accurate instead.

That damn golden lace.

It has a subtle pattern and they apparently kept it for the movies which is great! Love the details!

Except it’s nowhere to be found and purchased.

I really, really wanted to make this uniform and have a historically accurate one I could wear for 18th century events as well as for conventions given the price. It would require a lot of expensive wool.

It is frustrating.

On the other hand, I could make the 1795 full dress admiral uniform. I have references, I have seem it But I have no idea how it would look on me. On the other hand, I could wear it for the grand regency ball in Krakow I’m attending.

Or I can just give up on the British boatmen and just make a civilian court suit. I would love to remain consistent and have a French marshal Grande Tenue but I don’t have the skills nor the patience.

[sionskaia]

My wodvalentines event art for Aleks. Brujah Bronek and Salubri Tomek, living in Krakow. Unusual habits and unrealistic dreams.

[hldailyupdate]

Louis Tomlinson has dropped a surprise album ‘Live’ – featuring songs that he recorded at 15 shows across 15 different cities.

Announced and shared yesterday (April 25), the album comes after the singer and former One Direction member embarked on two world tours over the past three years – playing just shy of 200 shows globally.

Now, a variety of performances from both tours – the ‘Louis Tomlinson World Tour’ and the ‘Faith in the Future World Tour’ – have been compiled into a new live album, which is available now.

Fifteen songs are included in the tracklist, and each was recorded in a different city, at a different show from across the three-year run. The album comes in both digital and physical formats, and features his singles including ‘Bigger Than Me’, ‘We Made It, ‘Walls’ and ‘Out Of My System’, alongside fan favourite album tracks, all released live for the very first time.

“I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last 3 years touring the world twice over. The feeling I get sharing those live moments will be with me forever,” Tomlinson said in a statement. “To be able to record these songs from all over the world and put them out as an album like this feels so special, and a real tribute to the fans who make each and every show feel unique and incredible. Thank you! Enjoy!”

There are four exclusive tracks split between the physical editions of ‘Live’, including a special version of the One Direction classic ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’ – which is available only on the double CD.

Accompanying video clips of compiled tour footage will be shared on Louis’s social channels to support the release, showcasing a glimpse into his past three years on the road and 170 performances.

The ‘Live’ tracklist is:

‘The Greatest’ (Live From London, 17 November 2023) ‘Face The Music’ (Live From Nashville, 18 July 2023) ‘Bigger Than Me’ (Live From Vancouver, 26 June 2023) ‘Holding On To Heartache’ (Live From Barcelona, 6 October 2023) ‘We Made It’ (Live From Manila, 16 July 2022) ‘Chicago’ (Live From Chicago, 15 June 2023) ‘Fearless’ (Live From Rio, 27 May 2022) ‘Common People’ (Live From Sheffield, 10 November 2023) ‘All This Time / She Is Beauty We Are World Class’ (Live From Munich, 22 October 2023) ‘Walls’ (Live From Buenos Aires, 21 May 2022) ‘Written All Over Your Face’ (Live From Budapest, 15 September 2023) ‘Out Of My System’ (Live From Brisbane, 30 January 2024) ‘Saturdays’ (Live From Paris, 14 October 2023) ‘Silver Tongues’ (Live From Krakow, 10 September 2023)

At time of writing, Tomlinson has shared two huge solo albums since departing from One Direction. His debut album arrived in the firm of 2020’s ‘Walls’, which has sold over 1.5 million copies, and the follow-up was called ‘Faith In The Future’. The latter went to Number One in the UK, Spain and Belgium, and Top 5 in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and across Europe.

Since May last year, Tomlinson has been on his ‘Faith In The Future World Tour’, which hits South America next month for its final leg. From there, the vocalist has a number of festival appearances lined up for the summer. Find remaining tickets to his shows here.

In other Louis Tomlinson news, earlier this week the singer, alongside Courteeners and English Teacher, were among the acts to be honoured at the first-ever Northern Music Awards.

The inaugural ceremony was hosted by the UK’s largest music therapy charity, Nordoff And Robbins and took place at the Albert Hall in Manchester; celebrating northern artists, festivals, venues and industry figures. The event saw Tomlinson named as Artist Of The Year.

[lightsoutletsgo]

mimi congrats on 500 <3, sending this for your event!!! (1) ship pretty pls :3 i listen to everything? mostly fall out boy, joji and the cure <3 i am a graphic designer. kinda hate dessert but i am addicted to energy drinks HEH. i love traveling to big cities! so very anti beach ❌. i’m lowkey introverted but very very extroverted online 😭 HEDJSIFKS dream date???? museums!!! very very into staying in but not against to going out? i’m very passionate about the things i like? but kinda sensitive to every other thing HEHEHE tysm! congrats again!

awi!! omg omg omg hi sweets!! tysm for sending this in - I'm so excited to do it for youuuu! (I got your other request about the nsfw bit dw) happy reading! mimi 🤍

MAX VERSTAPPEN ᝰ.ᐟ₊ ⊹ - calls you schat or liefje - has an obsession with your legs. loves having them in his lap when you're cuddling or wrapped around his waist - his love language is physical touch! he's a man of few words so it's small touches like a hand on your back or a quick kiss to your hand that let you know he's there and how he feels - max will do anything for you and he cannot help but spoil you. you barely have to mention something once before he's driving to the store or ordering it online for you. nothing is too big or too small for him to get for you.

max's music taste is... limited? so anytime you're driving anywhere, he's more than happy for you to have aux! he loves discovering new artists through you and with you and anytime you make him a playlist he always listens to it pre-race. of course he has to let everyone know that his amazing love made it for him. to which they usually reply "we know max, we heard the first time." (really they think it's sweet that he's so dopey for you)

he literally supplies you with all the redbull you could ever want! sometimes he 'jokes' that you're only with him for that reason but a quick kiss to his cheek has him blushing and flustered and the thought has left his head. speaking of blushing and flustered, max loves when you play dangerous games with him. sliding your hand higher and higher up his thigh at dinner before sneaking off to the bathroom with him.

max is obsessed with watching you come apart underneath him and he puts as much determination and passion into making you cum for him as he does into his driving. he loves how fucked out you look and he can't get enough of gently holding your throat and telling you to open before spitting, relishing in the way he feels you swallow under his hand. he also can't get enough of watching you in the mirror. bending you over the sink, putting you on your hands and knees on the bed, bending you over against the hallway wall; anywhere there's a mirror, max is sliding into you from behind and whispering filth into your ear as his hips roll into yours.

he loves jetting off to city breaks for the weekend with you when he can; new york, paris, seoul, budapest, prague, tokyo, florence, krakow, chicago, seville, nice; your passport is full of stamps and stickers from your trips with him. you've started a scrapbook together with a postcard and a polaroid of the two of you in every city you've been to!

he loves taking you to various art galleries and museums in the countries and cities you visit and he's become surprisingly good at being an instagram bf and taking aesthetic pictures of you in galleries and exhibits. max loves watching you as you look around, the way your face scrunches when you're focusing, the way your lips move as you read the placards, the way you excitedly tell him all you know or you've read about the exhibit and the way you're moved by the things you see. cosy date nights are a must with him whenever he's home and most nights (whether wild nights out or dinner dates at home) end with you cuddled into his side on the couch and the cats on his lap. it's his ideal evening and he won't tell you yet but he plans on hopefully making it a permanent fixture in his life soon.

max loves your passion for life and your passion and drive for the things you love, even if he doesn't love them in the same way or understand them. he learns so many new things through you and with you. he loves the way that you light up his life and make him feel warm. max swears he could never win another race for his whole career and he'd still get that world champion feeling just by looking into your eyes.

"schat, what do you think about going to paris next weekend?" max asks. you giggle and look at him leaning against the bedroom door frame as you lie on the bed, with jimmy curled up on top of your feet and sassy cuddled into your side, "max!" you point at the still half-unpacked suitcases at the foot of the bed, "we just got back from prague!" he shrugs, seemingly un-phased by your argument, "your point is?" "we can't go away again! what about the cats?"

max sighs and crosses the room to plop down onto the bed next to you, sassy glaring at him as he accidentally shifts her from her cosy spot at your side, you stroke her back absentmindedly as she takes up a new spot on your stomach, "we can ask lando to cat-sit!" you roll your eyes with a smile, max is grinning like a child, "you've already booked the tickets haven't you?" "nooooo..." "max." "maybe..." "baby!" he pouts at you and you can't help the way you laugh, leaning to kiss his cheek, "you're trouble, you know that?" he gently pushes sassy and jimmy out of the way and they almost huff at him before stalking out of the room as he rolls on top of you, pressing a dangerous kiss to your neck, "you love that I'm trouble liefje..."

[yellowmanula]

🙏🏼😶‍🌫️🔥 wbijać

[zot3-flopped]

hi eastern european here. i remember reading some time ago article about eras' european leg and they interviewed some polish swifties, who themselves were surprised that tickets are selling well, because swiftie polish community is so small they feel like it's only bunch of them.

they of course failed to consider the fact that swift hasn't played in that part of europe before, so that among sold tickets there is gonna be huge chunk of people from poland and countries near it, who are not swifties, but are interested simply because it's her first appearance there, you know in a very something new, circus came to town, gimmicky way. an event good for local celebs and influencers to go and take bunch of video, photos etc to post as a content.

what also plays into ticket sales is the fact that a lot of swifties travel to many eras concerts and from western european and american perspective poland is cheap. krakow is literally one of favourite locations for brits to have bachelor parties and act like assholes in public, pissing to fountains and such. also that original price of ticket $498 is hilarious when you know that polish minimum pay after taxes is about $818. most of swift's fans are zoomers, so unless parents are giving them money, i don't really see a lot of poor students going on such gig for just one artist, way better to attend some music festival with a lot of musicians.

there is also always this overestimation on how american artists will do in europe, because music business on european countires favours heavily their own artists, while american stars are exactly that gimmicky thing that shows up only once in a while, so why even bother too much with them. but americans just don't get that and try over and over to win non-english native europe not knowing why it isn't working.

but it's funny to read that prices in poland went down do much, because it means that those initial reports about sales going well were just pr bullshit.

Thanks for sharing this.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry celebrate Hallmark Channel's 'When Calls the Heart' at the Empire State Building on June 12, 2004.

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(photos from Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Instagram)

[scienceofsilly]

My Suzy Bishop Headcanons:

She is on the autism spectrum and deals with depression

Her favorite food is blue berries and they grow wild all over the island

Her favorite thing about Sam is that he's not afraid to be feminine. (Like with his mother's broach or his willingness to put flowers in his hair)

Hates the feeling of leggings or tights and prefers being bare legged with long socks

She acts out and becomes aggressive when she feels misunderstood (which is often)

After the events of Moonrise Kingdom she started writing her own fantasy novel with self inserts of both her and Sam.

Desperately wants to go to Paris, Berlin, and Krakow.

She never ended up returning her brother's record player after her adventure with Sam.

Cannot ride a bike even though she's had many, many goes at it.

When she and Sam have a fight she reverts back to writing him letters to communicate as it helps her process her feelings.

(I will most likely add to this every now and then.)

[exitmusicforastory]

Conventional Weapons: Chapter Eight

KRAKOW, POLAND

PRESENT DAY

Markus stares out the window of the plane as it descends onto the landing strip of the airport in Krakow. Half of him still can’t believe the events of the last two days, despite the fact that he is now halfway across the world. The moving red dots of air traffic controllers make a strange map across the dark tarmac. The bump of the plane setting down jolts Markus out of his state of stupor, and he reaches into his pocket, pulling out the cellphone that Agent Sanchez had given him before he boarded the plane, and powering it on. He reads the message that flashes across the screen- an address followed by an acronym that he doesn’t recognize. TTYL? Probably some CIA-standard code he hasn’t learned yet. Whatever… He pockets his phone and feels a piece of fabric brush against his knuckles. He pulls it out and looks at the old ragged bandana he’d used for years. He runs his fingers over the many stitches in it, before pocketing the cloth and turning his attention to his surroundings. The plane slows to a stop, and his fellow passengers begin to stir. Shortly after, two flight attendants begin to dismiss them, row by row. Markus stretches as he stands up, scowling. The CIA gets billions of dollars per year, yet they can’t even get him a damn business class seat… He shakes his head and picks up his backpack from the floor between his legs. He scoots out of his row of seats, joining the stream of disembarking people. Exiting the plane, he files out into the terminal. It takes a moment for him to orient himself, staring up at the English translations on the sign that denotes his location, before he determines the location of the exit. He didn’t check a bag, but was told he’d be provided with everything he needs when he arrives at the safehouse. He exits through the large glass doors onto the cloudy street. His first thought is that the weather in Krakow is not too different from that in Chicago. As he looks around, he catches sight of a man in a suit standing next to a black sedan. He is holding a sign, which reads Batman. Markus groans.

 “Really funny, Emelia,” he mutters, before snatching the sign away from the driver and opening the door of the car. He climbs into the back seat, and rips the cardboard sign in half angrily before settling with his backpack on his lap. The driver climbs into the sedan, and starts the engine. He doesn’t say a word to Markus, but types an address into the navigation system. Markus pulls out his phone and compares the address in Emelia’s text message to the one on the screen of the car. He is relieved to see that they match. Good to at least know he’s being taken to the place he believes he is. The car starts slowly before pulling away from the airport. This is probably the first time in Markus’ life where he has been able to drive five feet without being stuck in traffic for hours. He looks out through his window at the buildings of Krakow. The streets and architecture are nothing like the windy city he is used to. It is beautiful, the October sky is practically clear, with only a few white streaks where planes fly over the city. He has to stop himself from wondering about how much history is here. He shakes his head and reminds himself of his mission, looking at his reflection in the window. Markus inhales, resting his head on the back of the seat. He listens to the sounds of the motor running and tries to forget the life he left behind when he boarded the plane to Krakow. He  hopes against hope that if this mission goes well, he will have a new job, a new life, far from Chicago and the memories that lurk there.

The car continues, winding its way through the unfamiliar streets. The driver adjusts the mirror, his eyes meeting Markus’s. Markus looks away. He doesn’t feel much like talking, unless the driver cares to explain his mission more clearly. Despite fully reading over the case folder Emelia gave him twice on the plane, the details still appear a little foggy to him. He knows this is probably intentional- no need to give the rookie more information than he can handle- but it irks him nonetheless. Many things irk Markus Sauber, not the least of which is being treated like a child by his new employers. He supposes that this is simply protocol, and doesn’t let it bother him too much. The driver tilts the mirror back away from him, and he turns his attention back to his assignment, wondering where the hell he’s being driven. Maybe some sort of CIA safehouse? Or directly to a target? Wherever it is, he hopes Emelia is waiting for him, preferably with a more informative case folder, but he decides not to count on it. This cynical worldview hasn’t disappointed him yet. He squints out the window, trying to make out the text on the signs, but utterly failing. His passable German is no help for translating Polish. He is so preoccupied with staring out the window, that the jerk of the car stopping startles him. He turns his attention back to the situation at hand, and notices that they have parked by an alleyway. The scene swarms with tactically-dressed people, Krakow Police, and CIA agents alike. The alleyway is blocked off by blue and white tape, denoting the area as an active crime scene. Markus unbuckles and leans forward.

“What’s the deal with this?”

The driver doesn’t answer, and instead only unlocks Markus’s door. Markus obliges, determining that if he wants any answers, he’s gonna have to get them on his own. He opens the door, and climbs out of the car, feet hitting the pavement. He prepares to grab his backpack, but the driver reaches out to stop him. 

“I’m supposed to take your luggage to your lodging, Mr Sauber.”

Markus grits his teeth, but decides not to waste energy arguing. He silently closes the car door, and starts walking towards the police line. He doesn’t get more than five feet before a uniformed officer steps in front of him, holding out a hand and seemingly forbidding him from going forward in rapidfire Polish. Markus stares at him blankly and shakes his head in confusion. The man furrows his brow, and then understanding crosses his face. 

“Amerykanski…” he mutters knowingly before shouting something Markus can’t translate to the people behind the line of tape. He ushers someone over with his hand and smiles hesitantly at Markus. Markus glances over at the swarm of officials on the scene, and breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing Emelia Sanchez, dressed in CIA tactical gear, making her way towards them. She stops on the other side of the caution tape, and stares at Markus reproachfully, crossing her arms.

“You’re finally here. Good. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Markus raises an eyebrow, annoyed and slightly confused at Emelia’s change in demeanor. Instead of being professional and calm, she seems to be offended by Markus’s whole existence. Great. All he needs is another person who judges him for everything he does. He makes an active decision not to care, but is not entirely successful. Emelia turns and begins to walk towards the active crime scene- the eye of the storm- and Markus follows, ducking underneath the tape. He takes note of the fifteen officers from the Krakow Police Department, as well as two other Americans- a man and a woman- dressed casually in street clothes, and talking in hushed tones. The latter, he guesses, are probably more CIA liaisons. Emelia stops beside them and gestures for Markus to do the same. The strangers’ eyes come to rest on Markus. 

“Agent Daniels, Agent Swanson, this is Markus Sauber. He’s the new recruit. He’s the one Mason briefed us about.” One of the agents looks Markus up and down, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans. The other gives a small smile.

“This is that Chicago guy?” The woman asks, raising a single eyebrow. Markus’ jaw clenches. Something about her makes his skin crawl. “Hm… ‘kay. Let’s show him the scene. See if we can find a use for him,” she says before turning around and reading something off of her phone screen. Emelia crosses the scene and begins to talk to a uniformed officer in Polish. Markus turns his attention back to Agent Daniels, hating the flood of memories that something in her demeanor brings out, and he clenches his teeth against them. The man leans closer to Markus, and stage whispers in his ear. 

“Hey, don’t pay her any mind. She’s a bitch but she’s good at her job. Aaron Swanson. I’m the director of operations here in Poland. You already met Daniels.” Swanson says, offering Markus a hand to shake. Markus obliges, maintaining a firmer grip than necessary. Swanson notices, and squeezes his hand in return, but quickly lets go after Markus increases the pressure.

“Um… anyway, has Mason told you why you’re here?”

Markus snorts and rolls his eyes. “Does he ever? He sent Agent Sanchez to brief me... I wouldn’t mind a refresher.”

Swanson laughs. “We’ve gathered the evidence for you. Your job is to track down any leads. We’ve heard that you’re pretty fucking good at that.”

Markus smirks and nods towards the crime scene. “So, what have you got for me?”

Swanson leads Markus towards the center of the scene. The alley has been illuminated by portable floodlights, sending every detail into sharp relief. Every nick and chip in the cinderblock walls of the surrounding buildings stands out as a glaring flaw, and the dried blood staining the pavement is washed out by the light. Next to the reasonably sized stain, a briefcase and a suit jacket lie. The two men pause next to the bag, and Swanson waves his hand toward it.

“Robert Knowles. One of our lead agents here at the Krakow embassy. He was killed about a day or two ago. He’s down at the morgue now. We thought this was a random assassination, but now we’re not so sure. Some files and notes recovered from his pockets make us think he was here to meet someone.”

Markus furrows his brow. “What are you thinking? Affair with a local girl gone wrong? Debt to local mafia? Did you guys piss off the SVR?”

“We think he was passing information. A… deal gone wrong.” 

“You think he was an informant? For who? Why?”

Swanson shrugs. “That’s why you’re here. We all have our theories, but Mason elected to bring in an outside perspective.”

“I’m all ears.” Markus crouches and unzips the bag. Swanson stops him, pulling latex gloves from his pocket and handing them to Markus, who pulls them on before continuing with the bag. Swanson opens his mouth to answer Markus.

“Well, Daniels thinks it was the Russians. I guess that makes sense. They have a large presence here, we’re a little too close to their turf, et cetera. And, he had a note in his bag. In Russian. It wasn’t his handwriting.”

“But you don’t think it was them?” Markus asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… I think the person he was meeting- the person who killed him- was Russian, but I don’t think this was someone from the SVR.”

Markus pauses sifting through the papers, giving his full attention to Swanson. 

“And why is that?”

Swanson looks around tentatively, his eyes darting to see if any onlookers are listening. Nobody is paying attention. 

“Can we keep this between you and me? I’m not entirely sure what level of clearance this information is.”

“Got it.”

“Well, a few hours after Knowles was killed, we had another similar attack. Near Nowa Huta.”

“Another agent?”

“No. His name was Viktor Sokolow. Major crime lord. Owned a shit ton of clubs and brothels over there. He was also known to be in league with our Ruski friends.”

Markus nods. “Let me guess: paid by the Russian government to keep tabs on the city? Maintain their control of the area. Take out assets when necessary?”

Swanson crooks an eyebrow, impressed. “Good guess. Well, anyway, autopsy reports show that Sokolow was killed only a few hours after Knowles, and I can’t help but notice similarities in their deaths. Not just the time frame, but also the weapon.”

“Sokolow and Knowles were killed by the same gun?”

“Yes. An HKP30. But not just that. We’ve managed to apprehend two witnesses. A cab driver who works this street, and an American citizen who was at Sokolow’s club at the time. Matthew Allan. Asked them if they saw anyone that night, and they both said they did.”

“Do we have a description?” Markis asks, his heart beginning to race.

“They both described a woman, mid twenties. Redhead. Spoke both Polish and English with a Russian accent,” Swanson begins to talk faster, running a hand through his greying hair, “They were both killed by the same person.”

Markus furrows his brow, suddenly skeptical. “Are you sure this woman isn’t some SVR liaison? Think about it: Sokolow stops being useful, so they send someone to take out two birds with one stone.”

“That’s what Daniels thinks. But I don’t. And I think I have a pretty damn good reason.”

“And what’s that?”

“This woman matches the description of one of our shadiest targets. We don’t know a lot about her, but she has a lot of connections. She’s credited with several high-profile kills- Lebedev, Monroe, Dohmer- but we’ve always thought she’s some kind of myth made up by the intelligence community.”

“Who is she?” Markus rises to his feet, forgetting entirely about the briefcase.

“We don’t know her name, but she’s known as Agent Red.”

The title circles Markus’s brain, a tempting thread that he knows he will eventually have to pull, the sooner the better. Agent Red… As he turns his attention back to the briefcase, crouching back down to more carefully examine the contents, Swanson receives a call on his cellphone. He quickly excuses himself and walks a few feet away to answer it, leaving Markus alone to his thoughts. He sifts through the items in the briefcase, mostly papers, and begins to look at each individually. They are mostly transcripts of diplomatic meetings, or interviews, or correspondence reports, but scattered among them are more notes written in Cyrillic. All of them are written in red ink- red, like her, his target- and the handwriting is so neat that it nearly looks typed. Markus frowns in both curiosity and annoyance. He speaks high school-level German, but he doesn’t even know the Cyrillic alphabet, much less fluent Russian. He gathers each handwritten slip into a pile, and places the rest of the useless contents back into the briefcase. As he closes the bag, Swanson ends his call, and walks over to where Emelia and Agent Daniels are conversing. Markus watches as Swanson talks to his colleagues in hushed tones. He gestures towards Markus, and Emelia hesitantly nods. Markus stands as Swanson walks toward him.

“We… got some news,” Swanson sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What kind of news?”

“One of our plants in Katowice just called in. There was just a major violent incident on a train from Krakow to Dresden. Perpetrator shot up a dining car. At least one dead, but we don’t have casualty numbers at this point. The suspect is an unknown male, but it appears that his main target matches the description of our main suspect.”

“Agent Red? She was on the train?”

“We think so. We can’t be sure, but multiple accounts describe a woman with red hair and a Russian accent who was on the train at the time. Multiple accounts state that the shooter appeared to be targeting her.”

Markus’s head spins. What a coincidence that just moments after he had been briefed about this mysterious asset, she had resurfaced again. It seems to him like she wants him to find her. Like she is taunting him. His pulse speeds up, and he looks Daniels dead in the eye.

“I-” He is cut off by Emelia’s voice interrupting him.

“Change of plans,” she says, her tone businesslike, “Aaron informed us that you have been made aware of his little theory. I just spoke with Mason, and he says that we have a new objective. Sauber is to track down and apprehend the asset who we believe is responsible for Knowles' death,” She turns to Markus, “You leave in an hour.”

Markus nods. His face is stony, but inside, he is beaming. This is what he signed up for. The chance to be a hero. 

[hallmarknostalgia]

What’s one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of Hallmark? Why, romance of course! The Hallmark Channel has cornered the market on happy endings, and some of our all-time favorite swoon-worthy films have hailed from the famed network. While it was nearly impossible to narrow this list down to only a few favorites, we did our best to keep in mind both the new hits, as well as the classics! Take a look at these 15 Hallmark romance movies for the next time you’re in the mood for that warm and fuzzy feeling.

15. Perfect Match (2015)

Starring Danica McKellar and Paul Greene, this Hallmark romance movie centers around an engaged couple who are finding it impossible to agree on anything when it comes to planning their wedding. So the mother-of-the-groom hires both a wedding planner and event planner to remedy the situation and take some of the pressure off the married couple to-be. The only problem is both planners couldn’t be more different — check out Perfect Match and see just how these two opposites might attract.

14. Royal Matchmaker (2018)

Bethany Joy Lenz stars as a matchmaker named Kate in this very royal romance, alongside hunky Brit Will Kemp. When she gets hired by a king to find a companion for his son in time for a major celebration, what she doesn’t expect is to fall for him herself, making things far more complicated than she anticipated.

13. Playing Cupid (2021)

A clever student attempts to set up her father with her middle school teacher as she starts a match-making business as a school project for one of her classes. This modern re-telling of Jane Austen’s Emma stars Nicholas Gonzalez and Laura Vandervoort.

12. Autumn Dreams (2015)

A teenage couple from Iowa (played by Colin Egglesfield and Jill Wagner) has dreams of escaping their small town and moving to the big city. The two elope before making their dreams a reality, but things come crashing down when the parents of Annie have their marriage annulled. Flash forward 15 years, both of them have gone their separate ways and are engaged to new people. However, it’s eventually discovered that the annulment was never finalized and they must reunite to tie off these loose ends — but being back together brings up more old feelings than they anticipated.

11. Unleashing Mr. Darcy (2016)

Elizabeth gets the opportunity to show her dog in a fancy New York City dog show, but finds herself clashing with Donovan Darcy, one of the judges of the competition. Sparks eventually fly between the two in this modern re-telling of Pride & Prejudice. Starring Cindy Busby and Ryan Paevey.

10. Sweet Autumn (2020)

Maggie and maple farmer Dex are confused as to why Maggie’s Aunt Dee left her candy shop split between the two of them in the wake of her passing. Through a series of letters, the duo attempts to uncover her reasoning during the Sweet Autumn Festival. Starring Andrew Walker and Nikki DeLoach.

9. It Was Always You (2021)

The brother of Elizabeth’s fiancee returns home, and his free-spirited nature makes her question the decision she’s made about her life. Starring When Calls the Heart’s Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes.

(Read about some of our favorite Tyler Hynes movies here!)

8. Dater’s Handbook (2016)

Meghan Markle stars as Cassandra Barber, an unlucky-in-love type of woman, who turns to relationship expert Dr. Susie and her newest self-help book, The Dater’s Handbook, to evaluate her future potential suitors. With that, Cassandra finds herself torn between two different guys — the reliable George or the fun and playful Robert played by Kristoffer Polaha and Jonathan Scarfe.

7. The Beach House (2018)

Cara returns to her scenic hometown after losing her job in Chicago. It’s there where she finds inner peace taking care of the wildlife, fixing up her family’s beach house and reconnecting with an old love. Starring Minka Kelly and Chad Michael Murray.

6. My Secret Valentine (2018)

In one of the most beloved Hallmark romance movies, Chloe learns that her father has plans to sell their family’s winery, and finds herself seeking advice from her mysterious rental tenant through a series of chalkboard notes in passing. As time goes on, Chloe learns that the mysterious man she’s been writing back and forth with is someone she never expected. Starring Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker.

5. The Lost Valentine (2011)

Betty White plays Caroline, a woman whose husband was declared missing in action during WWII and never returned home. Every year, she honors her husband’s memory by returning to Union Station where she first said goodbye to him. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a journalist looking into the disappearance of Caroline’s husband 65 years prior, and with the help of Caroline’s grandson, played by Sean Faris, Caroline opens up. Meanwhile, sparks start flying between the young pair.

4. The Wedding Veil (2022)

Lacey Chabert stars as a museum curator who must work together with Peter, a new board member, to discover the origins of newly discovered long-lost pieces of art and plan a gala for the unveiling of a long-lost painting. Kevin McGarry stars alongside Chabert.

3. Love, Romance and Chocolate (2019)

Lacey Chabert once again stars as a woman reeling from the breakup between she and her boyfriend ahead of the Valentine’s Day trip they had planned to Belgium. Deciding to go foward with the trip anyway, it’s there where she meets chocolatier Luc Simon (Will Kemp) — and the relationship between the two grows to be sweeter than chocolate.

2. A Country Wedding (2015)

The runner up in our list of Hallmark romance movies is about a famous country singer has big plans to marry a famous Hollywood actress, but when he returns home to his humble roots and is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, he finds himself questioning his plans for the future — and who is going to be apart of them. Starring Jesse Metcalfe and Autumn Reeser.

1. The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)

Kerri Russell plays a woman pregnant out of wedlock, who gets married off by her father to a farmer played by Skeet Ulrich. Although an older Hallmark production, it’s one of their most beloved films to date and a top favorite in this list of Hallmark romance movies!

[sollannaart]

The Galician campaign of 1809

Today let me tell you a little bit about the Galician campaign of the Austro-Polish war of 1809, which proved to be a great success for the Duchy of Warsaw.

After the battle of Raszyn there happened the series of small battles, which prevented Austrians from crossing the Vistula, thus leaving the initiative on the right bank of the river firmly with the Poles. So, the Polish forces under Poniatowski’s command moved along Vistula to the South-East, to the lands Austria seized during the latest partition of Poland.

On the 14th of May the Polish Army entered Lublin:

Konstanty Gorski, "Prince Józef Poniatowski enters conquered Lublin in 1809, showered with flowers by ladies"

As Kajetan Koźmian recalls in his memoirs, Poniatowski and his men were greeted with "joy and elation", and in the evening "... the city and the citizens gave a great ball <...> in the house in Korce. Prince Józef honored them with his presence starting the ball."

The next city on the way of the Polish Army was Sandomierz, and after a short siege it was taken on the 18th of May.

Siege of Sandomierz in 1809.

Michał Stachowicz, a scene from the battles in Galicia ("The Capture of Zamość")

Then there was Zamość, where the Polish trooped entered on the 20th of May.

Siege of 1809, M. Adamczewski Entry of Prince Poniatowski to Zamość (postcard)

On the 27th of May the Polish advanced forces even reached the city of Lwów, but prince Józef wasn’t among them.

Meanwhile the Austrians under command Archduke Ferdinand realized the precariousness of their position in the center of Poland, and on the 1st of June left Warsaw for the south.

Poniatowski, for his part, decided not to engage with the Austrian, focusing instead on "liberating” as much Galician land as possible.

Prince Józef Poniatowski seeks information from local peasants in Galicia in 1809, a photo of Stanisław Bagieński's painting

On the 3rd June there appeared the third participant of the events - Russian forces crossed the Austrian border to Galicia as well. And though formally they were acting as Napoleon’s ally, as was prescribed in the Tilsit Treaty, their real goal was to prevent the Poles from taking too much of the Austrian-held territories.

So, to outwit the Russians prince Józef was taking Galician cities not in the name of the Duchy of Warsaw, but in the one of emperor of the Frenchmen. Like the proclamations were being made in the name of Napoleon, the eagles on the coats-of-arms replacing the Austrian ones were not Polish and French etc.

Lancers lead Austrian prisoners of war near Kraków in 1809, in front of Prince Józef Poniatowski, a photo of Stanisław Bagieński's painting

Then, in the outer theater of war on the 6th of July the French defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Wagram. And according Franco-Austrian truce signed five days later the land division was to take place along the line where the troops were at the time of receiving news of the truce, not at the time its signing.

The Austrian army leaves Wawel, a postcard based on the painting of Wojciech Kossak

And so began the race between Russians and Poles, to advance to as farther as possible.

In the middle of July both armies reached Kraków.

PRINCE JOSEPH'S ENTRY TO KRAKOW. A drawing by Jan Feliks Piwarski.

And there the clash of the interest took place.

Poniatowski approached the city from the side of St. Florian's Gate, but it turned out that the Austrians, wanting more comfortable terms of capitulation, had already let Russian troops into Kraków.

The Russians, namely the Cossacks of General Sievers, wanted to deny Poniatowski passage. But Prince Józef, as Dezydery Chłapowski recalls in his memoirs, "draw his broadsword and with together his staff galloped into the gate through the Cossacks". The Polish infantry followed its commander "in a double step <...> so that the Cossacks were pressed against the walls of the gate." Seeing this, Mariampol's hussar regiment, which was stationed at that time in the market square, make a decision to put up resistance and due to this, the whole Polish army was able to enter the city.

Michał Stachowicz, The entry of Prince Józef Poniatowski into Krakow on July 15, 1809

Then, as Ambroży Grabowski recalled, when prince Józef’s troops reached the market square, “in front of the church of St. Wojciech, the magistrate went out to meet the prince, to give him the keys of the city”.

Józef Poniatowski in the Cathedral after Kraków was taken from the Austrians, an image by Stanisław Tondos and Wojciech Kossak

Most probably prince Józef visited the Wawel cathedral during his sojourn in Kraków that time. (In a small voice: little did he know that in 8 years he’ll be buried there...)

And after exactly a month since the Polish troops entered Kraków, there was a ball arranged in the Cloth-hall, the image depicting it I have already posted here.