Passing the de Galle Statue

Many people find it difficult to understand why there's a Charles de Galle statue in the middle of Warsaw:

Nowadays, for some reason, it's quite often used as a rallying point for extreme left-wing protesters.

A Big Cross

Passing the big cross which stands near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in central Warsaw:

Think this is where Pope Benedict XVI offered Mass when he visited Warsaw/Poland quite a few years ago.

Pierogi and Peas

My latest experimental meal: perogi ruskie (small cheese and potato dumplings), beetroot, and garden peas which went down a treat and only took about 10 minutes to make:

 

SSPX New Zealand Mass Online

Being based in Warsaw, Poland and still not being able to get to the old Latin Mass at the moment, I ended up watching another Society of St. Pius X Mass again. This time, it was from St. Anthony's church in Wanganui (Whanganui), New Zealand:

At some points, the proceedings were shown from different angles, which emphasised just how beautiful the old Latin Mass is:

Originally, I'd intended to watch the old Latin Mass from the SSPX church in Sandford, Florida where Bishop Fellay was administering the sacrament of confirmation:

But unfortunately, it soon became clear that the filming of this lacked sound, and that's how I ended up watching the SSPX Mass in New Zealand. 

Really appreciate the fact that the SSPX film their Masses live from places like Sandford, Florida and Wanganui, New Zealand, as it not only gives me a chance to watch Mass when I can't physically attend one, but also gives me the opportunity to see what the old Latin Mass looks like in different parts of the world.

Two Crucifixes

One of two crucifixes that people soon see after entering St. Anne's church, near the Old Town, in Warsaw:

 

And below, there is the second one:

Both crucifixes may be there to help remind people what attending Mass is about.

Finally Drinking Harnas

In all my years in Poland, I'd never drunk Harnas until recently, because many people had told me to avoid it. However, in order to increase my beer bottle top collection, I got a bottle of Harnas last week and it was okay:

Many people had said that Harnas was flat and not worth drinking. I think it's true that Harnas could benefit from a bit more gas but the kind of sour taste was fine.

 

A Fascinating Beer

 

This beer from a brewery in the small town of Bytów, which has a rich Kashubian history, in northern Poland was fascinating, because it changed taste while I was drinking it.

At first, it took a while to settle, then it started to taste okay, and halfway through the glass, it was a wonderful beer.

An Interesting Man

Last summer, this man caught my attention as I saw him debating with a bunch of young wokes against such things as gender ideology and abortion on Krakowskie Przedmieście, not far from the Old Town in Warsaw:

In recent years, a quite heavy police presence can be seen in this part of Warsaw, as gangs of young wokes often make a nuisance of themselves here:

Back with the SSPX Mass Online

Starting from Easter week, I haven't been able to physically attend an old Latin Mass in Warsaw, Poland, because the number of people in the congregation has been limited to 30-40 because of the Covid situation.

Thus, like at the same time last year, I find myself watching the Old Latin Mass online from the SSPX church of St. Thomas More in Sandford, Florida:

Of course, this is not the same as actually attending Mass, but it's better than nothing, so thanks a lot to the SSPX in Sandford for putting their Old Latin Masses online.

Passing a Brazilian Coffee Shop

This Brazilian coffee shop in Warsaw Old Town, caught my eye the other day:

There's lots of such interesting places in Warsaw Old Town.

A Smooth Ukrainian Lager

I've had a few Ukrainian beers before and not been that keen on them, but the one below was different, as it was a real smooth lager:

The best way of describing it is that it is a lager which is smooth to drink, like a good British bitter.

Have just read that the beer is called 1715 because the Lvivske brewery which makes it dates back to 1715.

Caramel-Tasting Beer

The reason why I really like this beer from the Zierzyniec brewery in eastern Poland is that it has a wonderful caramel taste:

I also like the way the Incarnation of God is recognised near the top of the bottle where it is shown when the brewery was established:

ANNO DOMINI 1806.

Łomża Dark Beer

 This Łomża dark beer was something like a cross between a stout/porter and a dark mild:

In Poland, a lot of black beers are between 6.5 and 7.5% which is too sweet and strong for me, so with the Łomża dark beer, it was good to encounter one that was about 4-4.5% alcohol.

As suggested from the picture above, the healthy head stuck to the side of the glass for the whole duration of the pint, which is always a good sign with a beer.

Have just read that the Łomża brewery is located in the small town/city of Łomża in north-east Poland, and appears to have started in the late 1960s.

Our Canterbury Digs

 

Gladed shot of my old friend, Dave, who also originates from Bury, Lancashire but who lives in Ireland now, outside our digs in the Upper-Harbledown area of Canterbury from when we went to the New Day Festival in 2019.

With a bit of luck, we'll be meeting up for a music festival this summer.

Pensive-Looking Kotek

 Great shot of a pensive-looking Kotek as he looks completely lost in thought in eastern Poland.

My Pierogi Meal

 A nice meal that I had last week:

It consisted of spinach and cheese pierogi (small dumplings) with lightly boiled potatoes, carrots, courgette, and broccoli covered in olive oil. Also put the vegetable juice from the pan into a cup and drank it with the meal.

Inside St. Stanislaus Kostka Church

Really enjoyed going inside St. Stanislaus Kostka (the Father Popiełuszki) church, near Plac Wilsona in Warsaw, a few weeks ago. 

First, the church contained beautiful Stations of the Cross on the walls:

 And the church was full of interesting statues:

 Think that the picture below may well be of St. Therese of Lisieux:

 And I was left guessing if the statue below was of St. Joseph or St. Christopher with the Child Jesus:

A flower-decorated Marian statue inside the church:

The picture below gives some idea of the size and spatial dynamics of the church:

Gaining aesthetic and spiritual emotion from visiting a church is something that the (post-) modern world has lost, I think.

Finding Zwierzyniec Beer in Warsaw

This made my day when I found Zwierzyniec beer in Warsaw, because it might just be my all-time favourite Polish drink:

I found it in a small supermarket near Plac Wilsona where I got some other interesting-looking, Polish regional beer too:

Yeah, I think I'll enjoy all three of these beers in the not too distant future. 

Saint Ekspedite

Saw this statue of St. Ekspedite (St. Ekspeditus) in Saint Stanislaus Kostka's church, near Plac Wilsona in Warsaw:

The name St. Ekspedite rang a bell but I couldn't recall anything about him, but judging from the statue here, I could see that he was an old Roman saint. Have just read that he was a Roman centurion in Armenia who became a Christian and was beheaded for this during the Diocletian Persecution in 303.

Kotek Basking in the Sunshine

Nice picture from last summer of Kotek basking in the sunshine on a window sill.

Below, there's a picture of him inside one of his favourite boxes:

First Flowers of Spring

 The first flowers of spring that I noticed were these purple crocus:

It seemed highly appropriate that these penitential purple-coloured crocus should sprout up towards the end of Lent, of course.

The Crucifix on a Tree

I've been by the side of Father Popiełuszki's grave at St. Stanislaus Kostka's church, near Plac Wilsona in Warsaw, many times, but only recently, have I noticed the crucifix high up in a tree:

And then I only noticed it when a man from a local Rosary group pointed it out to me:

The man kindly explained that the crucifix was attached to the tree when the latter was young, so as the years have passed by, the crucifix has become more and more elevated in the air.