Stawy Echo: Bird's Eye View of the Lake

The reeds bristling in the wind, a few shots at Stawy Echo, near Zwierzyniec,  from our recent trip to Eastern Poland.

The lake looked wonderful on a cool spring day:

This was the first time I'd been to Stawy Echo in a few years and I hadn't seen the wooden structure near the famous tree roots before:

Have always found the tree roots amazing:

The wooden structure offers a great bird's eye view of the lake:

 And somewhere to sit down and relax:

There's also a wooden path that leads around the lake and into the forest:

 We went through the forest heading towards the brewery at Zwierzyniec:

Unfortunately, we never got to spot the famous small ponies of the area:

 Once got to see them on a Christmas Day morning being fed apples and carrots.

A Wooden Cricket

 A wooden cricket sculpture in front of the Ratusz (Town Hall) in Szczebrzeszyn, eastern Poland:

Some more shots from a walk round Szczebrzeszyn, starting from inside one of the two Catholic churches:

And then taking in the Jewish cemetery:

The tree below is where visiting Jews leave prayers and messages for their deceased ancestors:

And finally a shot of another wooden sculpture back in the centre of Szczebrzeszyn:

Reconstructed Historical Building

A few shots of the reconstruction of a historical building on the top of a hill in Szczebrzeszyn, eastern Poland.

The hilltop location offers great views of the town below:

And the surrounding countryside:

The building itself also has a cafe or restaurant inside, I think.

Turning the Compost Heap Over

 

An important job, turning the compost heap over.

Also in Eastern Poland, I looked at the new-look orchard:

Hopefully, it will now survive after being tended to:

A nice, pleasant, small dog that lives next door:

And a new plant slowly growing, but surrounded by weeds:

Mushroom-Shaped Pillars in Lublin

When on the eastbound coach, I couldn't take my eyes off the mushroom-shaped pillars in Lublin coach station:

I thought they were amazing.

Waiting for the Coach East

Having got to the metro station at the National Football Stadium, we waited for the coach east, with some strange-looking things across the road catching the eye:

 Also had a quick look at the train track which led to the football stadium itself:

Coming Across Kępa Potocka Park

 A few weeks ago, we chanced upon Kępa Potocka Park in Warsaw:

A big part of this park seemed to follow the path of a canal:

And, during this time, the temperature was up in the 20s, with all the spring blossom being out:

Sadly, for the last couple of weeks, the temperature has dropped dramatically.

An Hour in Powązki Cemetery

 A couple of week ago, it was 26 degrees Celsius in Warsaw so we sought the shade of Powązki Cemetery:

Shortly after entering, we were greeted with some incredible sculpture work on the graves:

Everywhere you looked, there was something interesting to see, so my camera went into overdrive.

Trying to capture the Catholic atmosphere of the place:

Initially focusing on the statues of Christ:

Then, the many statues of angels:

There were literally angels everywhere you looked:

Plus statues of Our Lady:

And house-like tombs of the dead:

And in the leafy monumental shade, we heard the sound of a violin being skilfully played, I could recognise the Classical music but not name it.

After a well-spent hour, it was time to leave, to re-enter the sunlight.

Powązki Cemetery dates back to the late 18th century and is well worth a visit, providing some kind of relief from a too hectic, modern world.