In 1932, Poland became one of the first countries in Europe to decriminalise homosexuality; today it's one of the most hostile on the continent when it comes to LGBTQ rights. This week historian Kamil Karczewski joins us to discuss Poland's little-known history as a queer pioneer, and what has changed since. We're also talking about France's crackdown on domestic flights and Ireland's amazingly successful experiment with the four-day week. Oh, and we pay a visit to the EU metaverse, so that you don't have to.

You can follow Kamil on Twitter here, and visit the EU's Global Gateway metaverse site gateway.campaign.europa.eu/en/">here. Good luck, and let us know if you make it inside!

This week's Isolation Inspiration: Règle 30, TechTrash, and Inside the Mind of a Cat. You can follow the Savitsky Cats on Instagram here.

Don't forget to sign up to support the podcast this week if you'd like to join the live recording of our Christmas episode on December 12! We're hugely grateful to everyone who chips in so that we can keep making the show. You can join us at patreon.com/europeanspodcast, and many currencies are available.  Thanks for listening! 02:22 Good Week: France's crackdown on domestic flights 09:36 Bad Week: The EU's metaverse fiesta flop 22:23 Interview: Kamil Karczewski on Poland's little-known queer history 38:16 Isolation Inspiration: Règle 30, Tech Trash, and 'Inside the Mind of a Cat' 42:22 Happy Ending: Ireland's four-day working week is a roaring success

Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak 

Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family.

Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com