The year 2010 was the year of the famous Polish composer and pianist Frederic Chopin. Chopin dominated Warsaw. Chopin concerts, Chopin posters, Chopin benches, Chopin gadgets, Chopin murals. Everything Chopin. There were contests for young designers to create the most interesting ‘chopinities’ and to make classical music cool again. Some were great, some not so much, but my absolute favorite can still be seen and used (!) in Warsaw today.

So: what’s white, black and stripy? A crosswalk? Piano keys? Yes and yes! Two girls, Klaudia and Helena, studying design at the Warsaw Academy of arts, designed the Chopin crosswalk. It was received with delight by Warsaw and Varsovians alike, and (after many battles with the Ministry of Infrastructure of course…) two such cross-walks were painted on one of Warsaw’s main streets, Emilii Plater.

It just goes to show that not everything in the cities’ infrastructure has to be all strict and boring. Even a thing as simple as a crosswalk can be brilliant and fun.

It’s really nothing much – all you can do is walk across it. And smile.