Sunday 28 July 2013

A Solidarity Mural in Warsaw


I was up in the Ochota district of Warsaw yesterday, and this Solidarity wall mural really caught my eye. 
The mural commemorates the years 1982-1989 from the beginning of the infamous martial law up to Poland's eventual escape from communism.

What I find especially striking, maybe even original, about this mural is the innocence on all the three characters' faces, including that of the policeman frisking the bearded man. 

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Wilanow Palace Gardens, Warsaw: The Mysterious Secluded Corner



For me, the most interesting part of Wilanow is what seems to be a church ruin in a quiet secluded corner of the Palace Gardens.  I'm not really sure about (nor have I been able to find out) whether the ruin is a church or not, but it certainly caught my attention while walking round the Gardens.

Next to the 'church ruin', there is also what appears to be an old monastic cloister:



Again, I'm not sure if the above are really old cloister remains or simply old servants' houses, but this quiet corner was definitely the most interesting and mysterious part of Wilanow Palace Gardens for me, as it seemed to have a presence, some enchantment so to say.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

The Potocki Mausoleum at Wilanow, Warsaw



Before going through the Gate to the Wilanow Palace and Gardens, the elevated Potocki Mausoleum is well worth a look.  On closer inspection, the tomb contains some beautiful engravings:


The mausoleum was built from sandstone in the 1830s, and the canopy, in particular, is viewed as a fine piece of neo-Gothic architecture:


Also love the lion with its shield in the foreground here.

Sunday 21 July 2013

Gothic Bury (Lancashire): The Bottom of Hornby Street


The bottom of Hornby Street is another part of my hometown, Bury which has some surprisingly interesting Gothic-type imagery provided by the dark buildings there.  These buildings seem to stand out at sundown:


I've been told that these buildings stand near where the old populated area of 'Paradise' used to be, where my father's side of the family come from.  The building below looks as if it might well have been a church in the past, but, if so, it hasn't been one for many a year:



Yes, I think that the bottom of Hornby Street is a dark and mysterious place, holding echoes of the past, of what my hometown once was.

Wilanow Palace Lake, Warsaw


Yes, the Wilanow Palace Gardens are very beautiful and well worth a stroll round during summer, but I also really like the small lake at the back of the Gardens which serves as a nice retreat from both the hot weather and crowds at Wilanow during the summer:


However, if you're feeling energetic, you can also go for a boat ride on the small lake:



Never tried boating here, but I guess it's good fun. 

The small lake is also a good resting place for our friends the ducks, and the one in the picture below is having a nice mid-afternoon snooze, I guess you could call him (her) a 'dosey duck':



Of course, not all the ducks are knackered or bone idle, and one or two of them can be found swimming on the lake, especially if disturbed by humans:



Finally, the water lilies next to the riverbank make the small lake aesthetically complete:



Yes, the small lake is a special quiet place.


Saturday 20 July 2013

The Wilanow Church Bells, Warsaw

Was bored senseless of working on the computer on Thursday afternoon so I jumped on the 116 bus in Warsaw to make my way to the Wilanow Palace.  The first thing I saw at Wilanow was the church there:


It was about seven or eight years since I'd last been to Wilanow Palace so it was almost like visiting it with new eyes.  The most striking things in the church grounds were the bells dedicated to Pope John Paul II:





I can only guess but I don't think these bells were here when I last visited Wilanow.  However, for me the most impressive things in and around the Wilanow church grounds have always been the Stations of the Cross and the statue of Our Lady with her feet on top of the world:





Yes, as a Catholic, the last two things are more impressive for me, as I'm not massively keen on the popularist devotion to the late John Paul II.

Thursday 18 July 2013

Wombats at Dinner


My brother Paul, who lives in Sydney, Australia, has sent me an incredible picture of a friendly bunch of wombats all having dinner together.  The one on the left seems to be eating carrot which must be tasty for these wonderful little creatures.  In my mind's eye, this picture reminds me of the documentaries about the famous panda gymnasium in China where infant pandas are often filmed drinking buckets of milk together.

Leafy Gravestones in Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

Always find something interesting when I pop in for a stroll round the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw.  This time round, I found a couple of wonderful gravestones with leafy designs on them:


Unfortunately, I only had my mobile on me for pictures, so we need a closer look to get a better idea of the beauty of these gravestones:



Yes, I would say that the ornate beauty of these leafy gravestones is a fitting mark of respect for the dead.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Pole Mokotowskie Park, Warsaw

Last time I was in both parts of Pole Mokotowskie Park  must've been about 8 years ago, so it was good to retrace old ground  on Monday morning.  The latter is a great time to stroll through Pole Mokotowskie, as it's very calm and peaceful, unlike Saturday afternoon when it seems that the world and his wife are there.

Anyway, this Monday, I entered Pole Mokotowskie from the Metro Politechnicha side of things:


Was glad that I had my small camera with the zoom on me so I could get a closer look at what was at the top of the column entering Pole Mokotowskie.  Soon, it was nice to see that the Park's famous flowerbeds were working their way towards full bloom:



Pole Mokotowskie is also famous for having several wooden grill bars where you can sit outside eating barbecued or grilled kiełbasa (sausage) and drinking a nice cold pint on a warm summer eve:



Scattered around the Park, there are also several pieces of nondescript 'Abstract Art' which don't really do anything for me:



Just think the Park would be better without this kind of thing, but maybe somebody somewhere likes it.  Still, during my stroll round the Park, I found the Fonobar just by chance:



Never been to the Fonobar before, but may have to do in the future for some concert or other, so this may turn out to be a useful find.

Finally, I was surprised to find out that my straight walk through both sides of the park led me to Jeff's Grill Bar, which I've passed for years without realising that it leads into Pole Mokotowskie:



Never been in Jeff's, but, as the name suggests, people say you're better off with a burger rather than a salad there. 

What about Pole Mokotowskie itself? 



Well, I basically found out that it was built up during the 1970s/1980s as a place for the Warsaw people to find some peace and relaxation.  A great idea, I think.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

The Glass Tower Buildings in Warsaw City Centre


Took this picture of Warsaw City centre, with its glass tower buildings and Palace of Culture (on the right) in the distance, from the bridge that joins both parts of Polimokotowskie Park together.  The picture below takes a closer look at some of the glass buildings in Warsaw city centre that have been built recently to block out the Soviet Palace of Culture from dominating the Warsaw skyline:


The glass tower in the middle of the picture with the pointed  top is the highest residential building in Poland.

Sunday 14 July 2013

Antimatter at Warsaw Klub Progresja 12-07-13


This was one of those rare events when I went to see the support band (Antimatter) more than the headlining act, Anathema, not that I have anything against the latter who are obviously a more than decent band.  Even though it was only an accoustic show, it was good to hear a decent portion of  Antimatter's 'Fear of a Unique Identity' done live with 'Monochrome' being my favourite tune of the night.  Mick Moss has an incredible David Sylvian/Eddie Vedder voice combined with a perhaps too modest, unassuming stage presence, but perhaps the latter is the real charm.  Anyway, Antimatter were great and I'm really glad I got out to catch them despite feeling knackered after a full-on week of work.

What about Anathema?  Well, of course, I stayed on to watch them, and quite liked the show without it really being my kind of thing:


To be honest, the Cavanagh brothers had a great rapport with the crowd, and I really enjoyed 'Untouchable', probably my favourite Anathema tune (well done to the kind person who filmed part of this):



Despite this, I was just too shattered and ended up going after about 75 minutes of the Anathema set which was a pity, as I was warming to them.


Thursday 11 July 2013

Bush at Warsaw Klub Progresja 9-07-13


Like Mudhoney in late May at the Stodola, I enjoyed this a lot more than I'd expected.  To be honest, like quite a few of the bands I see in Warsaw, I only know Bush in passing, remembering them from the mid to late 1990s when they got labelled as being a 'British grunge band'.  However, I was happy to see that I recognised about half of the set, including 'Everything Zen'; 'The Chemicals Between Us'; 'Machinehead' etc.  Of course, the loudest cheer of the night was reserved for 'Swallowed'.  Was especially pleased that the band encored out with my favourite tracks:  'Glycerine' and 'Comedown'.  Well done to whoever recorded 'Glycerine' (below) on the night:



More than anything, I was impressed by how the band members, especially Gavin Rossdale, were aware that a band needs an audience every bit as much as the latter needing a band, and it was great to see them making themselves amenable to people taking pictures from the crowd through kind of prolonged 'poses'.  This was also a hot summer evening, and the Klub Progresja was thankfully not packed out, but frontman Rossdale repeatedly expressed the band's appreciation for the warm reception, and, at one point, mentioned that he liked the weather and wouldn't mind living in Poland (don't think he's seen a full on Polish winter, do you?).




Yes, like Mudhoney in late May at the Stodoła, this was a gig that I enjoyed much more than I'd expected.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

The Roman Coliseum


It was seriously exciting approaching the Coliseum, as it was the pinnacle of my short stay in Rome.

The Coliseum was also hugely impressive up close, of course:







Sunday 7 July 2013

The Roman Ruins

My trip to Italy in late April/early May was so good that I'm still constantly thinking about it.  In a nutshell, it was incredible, I loved it.

During our last afternoon in Rome, we went walk about, crossing a bridge over the River Tiber, towards the old Roman ruins and, finally, the Coliseum.  Of course, wherever you looked, there were signs of Classical antiquity in the city centre:



But what was the highlight of my afternoon canter round Rome?  Well that would have to be passing the ancient church ruin below:



As we just casually sauntered by, I suddenly remembered seeing pictures of this incredible iconography years ago.  Thus, I was really happy to get a close-up shot of this wonderful religious art.

After the Christian church ruin, we headed towards the Coliseum, passing all sorts of interesting (pagan) statues, old churches, and other ruins:









Finally, we reached our destination, as the Coliseum first came into view, then got gradually bigger as we more quickly strode towards it:


What an incredible experience all of this was!  I'd finally seen Rome, the Eternal City!