The Trumpeter of Krakow

Krakow, Poland - The centrepiece of the central square, the Mariacki Cathedral has become the very symbol of Krakow. This Gothic beauty dates to the 14th century, but another church occupied the same spot for 100 years before that. Its interior is resplendent with stained glass windows by Wyspianski and murals by Jan Matejko, not to mention the elaborate wooden alterpiece. This masterpiece by Veit Stoss is considered the finest example of medieval art in Poland.
Every hour on the hour, a bugler plays a haunting melody from the Mariacki steeple. The Heynal is a simple tune - just five notes - that dates back as far as the church. It is played four times, once in each direction, and was perhaps a signal of the opening and closing of the city gates. Some sources claim that bugle calls were also used to sound alarms.
The tune ends oddly and abruptly, its final note cut off without conclusion. Nobody knows why, but it has given rise to an intriguing legend.
The story goes that the bugler played the heynal to warn of an attack by marauding Mongols. As he sounded the alarm, he was shot, his heart pierced with an arrow and his warning cut short.
It's a fantastic and romantic story that has been embraced by all of Krakow. In fact I have a painting hanging in my living room that depicts this legend.
Alas, it is only a legend, I learned on my tour last week. Not only that, it was invented by an American writer, Eric Kelly, in his 1929 children's book The Trumpeter of Krakow. Leave it to the American to come up with a good story to market the city.
From my flat, I can here the bugler playing the heynal. I can also hear the bells on Sunday morning calling me to Mass.
I haven't been to church in months, and I didn't realize how much I have missed the ritual, the community, the music. Of course, in Poland I can't really understand what they are preaching (which may be one reason I feel so welcome at the Catholic church here!)
But the rituals are the same. The community and even the music are the same. Connecting with people is connecting with God. And one way to make this connection is to share their rituals - the same rituals that I grew up with in a different language halfway around the world.