Warsaw: Flag of Christ the King

 The flag of Christ the King flying proudly outside the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw yesterday:

Christus Victoriam!

Warsaw: Outside the Church of the Holy Cross

This character seemed to be the vocal leader of the leftist mob besieging the Church of the Holy Cross on Krakowskie Przedmieście today:

He appeared to be heavily inebriated (drunk):

A Brilliant Russian Ale

 Have recently started drinking this brilliant 4.9% Russian ale:

Have just read that the brewery which makes this kind of pale ale/dark lager is from the suburbs of Moscow and dates back to the late 19th century.

Enjoyed a one-litre bottle of this while speaking to my friend John on Skype last Friday. 

Had been looking for a good beer just below 5% (I usually drink 5.5-6.2% beers), and this Russian beer fits the bill perfectly, having a wonderful taste without being too strong.

Butterscotch Pumpkin: My Favourite Vegetable

For the first time in my life, I find myself eating butterscotch pumpkin regularly, and it has eclipsed courgette and aubergine as my favourite vegetable.

While I simmer broccoli, carrots, and potatoes in water, I steam cook butterscotch alongside aubergine and courgette, and the result is magical, the butterscotch melts in the mouth, it's that delicious.

Eastern Poland: Szczebrzeszyn-Zwierzyniec Walk

Early on during our Szczebrzeszyn-Zwierzyniec walk, we passed a bar with a wooden Szczebreszyn cricket symbol in the garden:

Not long after, we saw plenty of wooden houses:

Plus Catholic devotional statues in front of gardens:

This area of Poland is one of the strongest Catholic parts of the country.

People take pride in their faith.

Later on, we passed some kind of production place:

Plus a big saw mill:

 And when we saw the forest on each side of the road, we knew we were not far from Zwierzyniec:

This was a brisk seven-mile walk. This year, I've really missed my long summer hikes round Dorset (Thomas Hardy's Wessex) and Ireland (Cork, Kerry, and Donegal).

Eastern Poland: Mushroom-Shaped, Eastern Orthodox Woodcarving

Saw the amazing, mushroom-shaped woodcarving below in Szczebrzeszyn town centre in eastern Poland:

It stood just in front of the Eastern Orthodox church which was renovated after years of non-use some years ago now:

The Eastern Orthodox woodcarving was interesting because it seemed to be a recent addition in front of the church, and it contained different figures on the side of the mushroom. My friend, Perry, who was visiting from my hometown, Bury (Lancashire), is pointing this out below:

Bury (Lancashire): Nice Pint of Real Ale

Had the nice pint of dark Real Ale above in the Czech man's small bar next to where Vibes record store used to be.

Bury town centre is quite good for Real Ale with the Czech man's bar, the two Wetherspoons, and the Trackside bar where the steam train stations pull in.

 

The Hardy Family Cottage at Higher Bockhampton

Having had a stagnant summer with no visit to Britain or Ireland this year, I inevitably find myself reflecting on my annual trips to Hardy's Wessex between 2016 and 2019. During each of these four years, I walked past the Hardy family home at Higher Bockhampton, a small village a few miles outside Dorchester:

 

 

I've read somewhere that the Hardy home at Higher Bockhampton is the model for the Yeobright family home in The Return of the Native, the first novel I read by Hardy when I was seventeen, 37 years ago. A short walk away from the Hardy cottage, you find yourself on Egdon Heath, the dark, magical environment from The Return of the Native. A friend and I got lost there a few years ago, if you're not careful, the paths crossing in all directions become like a maze.

Not far from the Hardy family cottage at Higher Bockhampton, you can see many places that influenced settings in Hardy's novels: Lower Bockhampton for Under the Greenwood Tree; Knapwater for Desperate Remedies; Puddletown for Far from the Madding Crowd; West Stafford for the church where Tess and Angel get married in (for me) Hardy's finest novel, Tess of the D'urbervilles.

The shot below is of the visitors' centre near the Hardy cottage:

The visitors' centre is well worth a visit for a good, reasonably-priced breakfast or midday meal. It also sells Hardy's novels and some books about Hardy, as far as I can remember.

Lonker See at Warsaw Hydrozagadka 8th October 2020

All week, I was hoping and praying that this gig would go ahead and so it did:

Have been aware of Polish (Jazz Prog) band, Lonker See, for a year or so, but this was the first time I'd seen them play live.

Thoroughly enjoyed the gig. For me, Lonker See have their own great sound with beautiful tinges of early 1970s English Prog (Soft Machine, Gong, Van der Graaf Generator etc.) mixed in.

Was really happy the band did 'Gdynia 80', a great tune.

Fully realise that this may be my last gig of 2020, just glad that I've managed to catch a few concerts given what is going at the moment.

Kotek's Radio

Nice shot of Kotek looking very proud alongside his old radio.

Camping in Canterbury

Having flown from Shannon to Stansted Airport, we made our way down to Canterbury via the train (taking in the London underground). Managed to find the campsite which lies on the outskirts of Canterbury, not far past where the army camp used to be:

Thankfully, I got about 11 hours sleep after trying to sleep on the floor at Shannon Airport the previous night.

Wish I'd been able to go camping in Britain and Ireland this year.

Canterbury: Passing Westgate Gardens

Another glance back at normal times from last summer with a sketch of the gondolas on the river Stour in Canterbury:

Inside Westgate Gardens, a large group of people seemed to be doing Yoga-type exercises:

Tower House, where many weddings and wedding receptions take place:

Drinking Zwierzyniec Beer in Zamość

 After our 4-5 hour coach journey from Warsaw to Zamość, our reward was a wonderful drink of Zwierzyniec with our meal at the Armenian restaurant in the Rynek (city square) of Zamość:

My travelling colleague (from Bury, Lancashire), Perry, said that it was one of the best beers he'd ever tasted. He also liked the Rynek, of course:

Every time I visit Zamość, I find something different to admire in the Rynek:

Modlin Airport Restaurant

Had to wait a couple of hours for a friend to arrive from Manchester at Modlin Airport, but this was made a lot more bearable by the restaurant that stands opposite the airport:

After having chips with a big plate of mixed salad inside, which was tasty and not too expensive, I was then able to sit outside, relaxing with a pint in the early evening sunshine.

My Vegetable Curry

 Was really pleased with how my vegetable curry and rice turned out:

First, I simmered a nice selection of vegetables (carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, aubergine, and courgette) together with vegan sausage.

After draining some of the water, I then added a jar of mild curry which contained the magical ingredient, coconut milk.

And, of course, the rice was gently soaked in olive oil, a kind of trick of the trade I've learned recently.

Before Lublin, Stopover Place

 A nice stopover place, not far before Lublin, on the Warsaw-Zamość journey:

The break was about 20 minutes, just enough time for my friend, Perry, to have a nice, cold glass of Perła which is brewed in Lublin, of course.