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Gas Leak Adventure! A Guide to Survival in Krakow

So, I'm writing this little blog more as an instruction manual for people who were brought up after the year 2000 like my girlfriend. My story begins in Kazimierz at the normal time of around 2 PM - the usual wake-up call after a night out on the pub crawl in Krakow, haha. But I digress; pub crawling, partying, and other nightlife antics are not the main topic of today's blog.

The Alarm

I wake up at 2 PM to some kind of strange alarm. It wasn't a fire alarm, as the beeps were infrequent. Like BEEP!...............BEEP! Instead of the fire alarm which is BEEP BEEP BEEP! Also, there was no smoke, and my girlfriend wasn't cooking (haha). But the alarm was loud enough that I thought it needed investigating.

The sound was coming from the bathroom. I went in, opened the little wooden cupboard of the Airbnb we were staying in, and saw the gas mains. Me being half asleep and hungover still didn't click as to what was happening. But I saw the little thing that was making all the noise. Unfortunately, this little thing was also in Polish. I took a photo, translated it, and saw "get out into fresh air." Oh, fk!

The Escape

I immediately clicked as to what was wrong and yelled at my girlfriend to get out of the house. Told her there could be a gas leak and it's really not safe. I then went and opened all the windows before putting some pants on and going for the door. As I approached the door, I noticed that she had gone to the bathroom. She wanted to have a shower before we left... GET OUT NOW! That's where the gas is! She turned on the shower; I yelled again. Clearly, being born in the year 2000, no one told her that you can die from carbon monoxide poisoning, so I yelled again. She listened this time - wasn't happy, but listened. We then left the apartment into fresh air.

Emergency Services: A Language Barrier Adventure

Regretfully, I got her to call emergency services as she speaks slightly more Polish than me. Regretfully because, as a foreigner, I didn't really know what to expect from Polish emergency services. The initial phone call was exactly as I expected, haha. We called 992 (gas emergency services) and asked if they spoke English. They said, "We are in Poland, we speak Polish here..." Which I find incredible. Imagine calling emergency services but you don't speak Polish. Oh well, dead, haha...

But anyway, she gave us another number where there would be an English-speaking person. We explained the situation, and they sent the firefighters. That number is 112 - the number for all emergency services in Poland.

The Firefighters Arrive

We could soon hear a siren getting closer and closer. Super fast response. Everyone in the area started gossiping, wondering where the fire was. Me and my girlfriend were standing there a little bit embarrassed, knowing exactly what was wrong. She then remembered how dirty the apartment was and begged me to let her go back in and give it a little clean before they came, haha. Someone doesn't understand life and death. She's a little maniac. But obviously, I didn't let her go back in.

The firefighters came, and they were actually rather nice. "Dzień dobry. Mówisz po angielsku?" (Good day. Do you speak English?) "Nie mówię po angielsku. My z Poland." (I don't speak Enlgish. We're from Poland.) But he said this with a kind smile. Then the other fireman said we can talk in English, it's fine. What a top bloke.

Problem Solved... Sort Of

They went in, fixed the leak - thank God! And thank goodness for this alarm. However, in the process of fixing the leak, they inadvertently unfixed the hot water, haha. So as I'm writing this, I'm listening to my girlfriend struggle through a nice cold Polish shower, haha.

Words of Wisdom

Anyway, thought I would share some wisdom, and I hope you enjoyed the funny parts of this very hungover day. And remember:

1. If you come to Krakow and you have gas, check to see if you have an alarm.

2. If the alarm goes off, turn the gas off, open the windows, leave the house, and call emergency services on 112 (not 992 unless you speak Polish).

3. And also, if you're in Poland and want the best night out you've ever had, book Krakow Party Animals 

Stay safe, and enjoy your Polish adventures!