Exercising in the Snow

Throughout January, it has pivoted between zero and about -12 degrees.

So I've found myself exercising in the snow:

Offering great catharsis for being on the computer most of the day.

The bench is useful for leg stretching exercise:

Always feel rejuvenated after visiting this place.

The snow is an added bonus, of course.

Snow Man Lighting Up a Town Hall

 Close to Christmas, this Snowman came to light up a small town hall in Warsaw:

He came with several friends including a big reindeer:

A small deer:

And an angel getting ready for Christmas:

The Snowman and his friends made the place look and feel a whole lot better.

A Christmas Manger and Two Christmas Trees

A wonderful manger that I came across in a Catholic church in Warsaw.

The manger took me back in time as I recalled singing Away in a Manger at St. Joseph's Junior School in Bury, Lancashire.

 The church also had two big Christmas Trees near the High Altar:

It's nice to see Christmas being treated seriously, of course:

Yeah, it was nice to attend Mass on Christmas Day.

Wonderful Christmas Eve Meal

Mushroom and cabbage pierogi (dumplings) with fried onions on top, a wonderful Christmas Eve meal this year.

Warsaw City Centre: New Age-Looking Shop

 Came across this New Age-looking shop while walking the streets of Warsaw city centre:

The pictures were all designed to grab people's attention, of course.

But they were a bit too samey.

And very quickly, I lost interest.

And continued my way up to the Metro:

With Christmas gradually closing in.

Warsaw City Centre: Big Red Wheel

 From a metro stop away, I saw the Big Red Wheel:

Had to get a closer look:

It was really impressive, lighting up the night-time sky:

As was the Palace of Culture, resplendent green, somewhat Gothic looking:

All around the city centre, there was a dark but still Christmas feel:

Ad Orientem Novus Ordo Mass in Warsaw Old Town

What a nice surprise this was, running into an Ad Orientem Novus Ordo Mass in Warsaw Old Town:

Despite being said in Polish, the priest, servers, and congregation all faced East together during the Mass, in the same way as the Old Latin (Tridentine) Mass.

A couple of years ago, I caught an Ad Orientem Novus Ordo Mass with the Oratorians in Oxford.

The Ad Orientem Novus Ordo Mass that I caught in Warsaw Old Town was on a weekday evening at the Church of the Holy Ghost:

Of course, the Ad Orientem position is viewed as especially important during the consecration, when the Holy Sacrifice (of Christ's Body and Blood) is offered to God the Father in reparation for human sin.