Kotek in the Wardrobe

 Nice and warm, Kotek making himself comfortable in the wardrobe.

Finally Getting the Curry Right

At long last, I nailed it with the curry, almost got it perfect: potatoes; carrots; sweet potato; lentils; courgette; a vegetable burger; a jar of mild curry paste; and above all else, magical chick-pea flour to thicken it nicely, it really turned out a dream.

Hazy APA: Good Beer

 This Hazy APA was brilliant the other week when I had a bad cold or mild flu:

The taste and smell of this beer was so pungent that it simply cut through my lack of taste.

Have just read that Hazy APA is from the Cztery Sciany brewery in the small lower Silesian town of Trzebnica, which lies about 12 miles north of Wrocław.

Great Gluten-Free Beer

I don't go round looking for gluten-free beer but when I do occasionally see it, I'll give it a whirl, and so was the case with the lager from the Maryensztadt brewery in Zwoleń (about 30 kilometres east of Radom):

And to my surprise, this turned out to be a really fine beer, not too strong with a good body, and delicious taste.

More Beaver Work

 As can be seen, in eastern Poland, the local beavers are still hard at work, putting in a full day's graft.

As a result, the river seems to be swelling a bit.

It's good to see the land being regenerated by these little fellas.

Kotek's Gigantic Yawn

 Kotek producing an absolutely massive yawn, it must've been approaching bedtime, I guess.

A Beautiful Door

 

A beautiful door that leads through to the Adoration of the Sacrament side chapel in a Catholic Church in Warsaw.

Pole Mokotowskie in the Snow

 Even without the snow, Pole Mokotowskie Park in Warsaw is quite pleasing to the eye, but with it, it's a truly wonderful place for a stroll:

Really like the clusters of really tall trees:

Was really nice to come across the bird house below:

And the arched over tree below never ceases to amaze me:

It literally looks like it's doing a stretching exercise:

Kotek Looking For Emilia

 Nice couple of shots of Kotek looking out of the window, probably trying to spot Emilia.

As can be seen above, Kotek knows how to sit comfortably on the window sill.

Magi Christmas Card

 Always glad to get a Magi Christmas card, as it reminds me to get to Mass on January 6th.

Pawiak Prison Museum

 A couple of weeks ago, I passed the Pawiak Prison Museum in Warsaw, which was lit up red in freezing conditions:

Seeing this prompted me to read about the Pawiak Prison Museum on the Internet.

Through a quick internet search, I became aware that an old prison stood on the Pawiak Museum grounds between 1835 and 1944.

Imprisoned within its walls were Polish patriots who fought against Russian partitioning authorities; political prisoners (after 1918); and during the 2nd World War, many women, children, and resistance fighters.

It has also been estimated that during the 2nd World War, about 100,000 people were imprisoned at Pawiak, with about 37,000 being shot and 60,000 sent to concentration camps.

Finally, I discovered that in August 1944, the Germans blew up the prison, and that today's museum operates in two surviving prison blocks.

The Pawiak tree statue below is a bronze copy of a famous elm tree where the families of victims of German atrocities placed written epitaphs:

And the picture below is a part of the original prison gate:

The small monument below, which stands in front of the Pawiak Museum, looks like it could be a memorial to the victims of the 2010 Smolensk air disaster (although I could be wrong):

Must have a look inside the Pawiak Museum when I pass it during the day some time.

Inside St. Faustyna's Sanctuary Church

 

Finally managed to have a look inside St. Faustyna's Sanctuary (Shrine) Church in the Wolska district of Warsaw. 

Was good to spend some time in silence there, of course.

Patriot Billboards

 Passed both these patriot billboards in the Wolska district of Warsaw the other day.

One of the reasons I like living in Poland is that there's still some patriotism there.