Just back from Szczebrzeszyn in eastern Poland where me and my wife spent a few days with her parents over Christmas. While travelling there, we stopped off at a wonderful traditional Polish restaurant near the small town of Ryki on the Warsaw-Lublin road. What you can see below is the meal I had: pork joint, oiled salad; grilled pepper, fried mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. Yes, this was genuinely scrumptuous.
Inside the restaurant, it was like being in a museum, my favourite antique piece being the small rocking horse below:
As usual, I also really enjoyed my mother-in-law's homemade food which included the following:
1. Vegetarian Gołąbki with some kind of oatmeal and rice (rather than the traditional pork) inside the cabbage leaves
2. Babcia's (Grandma's) Biscuits - these are better eaten just after being cooked, as they have an incredible buttery taste
3. Apple and Walnut Cream Sponge Cake and Soft Raspberry Cheesecake
4. Homemade Kiełbasa (Sausage) cooked on top of a radiator - this really is the best way of cooking homemade sausage, although it does require a certain amount of patience.
This post is devoted to some incredible pictures on display in Catalunya Square, Barcelona when I visited the city 2-3 years ago:
Yes, the pictures were of none other than General Francisco Franco, the Spanish leader who saved the Iberian peninsula from Sovietisation (Stalinisation) process. Just for the record, my own view of the General is that he was the less of the two evils in the Spanish Civil War, but having said that, I was somewhat shocked to see his image being so publically shown in modern-day Catalonia.
In particular, I found the pictures of the General attending the Old Latin Mass absolutely fascinating:
Yes, General Franco was a devout practising Catholic, and on his deathbed, some of his final words are said to have been that he devoted his life to saving Catholic Spain from Sovietisation (Stalinisation) process. For me, on one hand, I don't view the General as a saint, but on the other hand, I don't swallow the politically 'correct'-type revisionist account of him being a monster.
However, I must reiterate that I was shocked to see such pictures being shown publically in the heart of Barcelona. Moreover, some of the other pictures on display showed soldiers and people who appear to be attending the same Old Latin Mass as the General, and if these people are the General's soldiers and supporters, the pictures really are fascinating, as they are humanising rather than demonising the people:
Thus, after seeing these pictures, I'm left with the question of whether the memory of General Franco is no longer a massive problem for Catalonians, or, less likely, that they now offer some kind of begrudging respect to the leader who saved the Iberian peninsula from Sovietisation (Stalinisation) process.
In my native Great Britain, it is often difficult to celebrate Christmas freely and properly, because the politically 'correct' dictatorship claims that it's a time of year which 'discriminates' against Jews, Muhammadans, and other non-Christians. However, I remember a good Catholic bishop once saying that "Political 'correctness' is for imbeciles", and wouldn't go out of my way to disagree with this opinion, although the remark may be a little tough on imbeciles.
In contrast, away from the politically 'correct' insanity in Great Britain, I'm really grateful that I can openly celebrate Christmas (as a Christian) in Poland. Thus, when I saw a friend, Gary, for the first time in 30 years (since our schooldays) in Warsaw this weekend, I thought it would be a good idea to go looking at the Christmas decorations down near the Old Town. However, before doing this, we first had a look at a snow-laden Lazienki Park:
Yes, the Royal Palace (on the lake) looked almost mystical in the darkness. The two pictures below, from a tourist information site, show what the Royal Palace looks like during summer:
Now, after Lazienki, we made our way down to the Old Town on the 116 bus, where we found a wonderful Christmas atmosphere near and around the Royal Castle:
Absolutely love how the bushes above have been shaped and adorned with lights to look like Christmas present boxes.
Yes, the 'boxes' were there again at the foot of the Christmas Tree near the Royal Palace. What you probably can't see is that a deft falling snow was adding to the seasonal atmosphere. For me, the softness of fresh snow is like sunlight, it simply uplifts the soul.
Yes, there was a sense of awe and wonder, many people were going to be at Mass the following day, and sometimes it just feels great to live in a country that is still unashamedly Christian (Catholic). The final picture below is of the old Gothic church at the back end of the Old Town (the old Town is full of churches).
Finally, I'll end this post with 'All Around My Hat' by Steeleye Span (on a German TV show from the 1970s).
Not sure if I'm right in viewing this as a Christmas song, but I have some really good memories of dancing around drunk to it at Christmas time in pre-politically 'correct' Britain. If only Britain could turn back the clock . . .
Time for another piece of travelogue writing, I think.
Legend has it that my mother's side of the family whose surname is Brandon originate from Brandon village in county Kerry, Ireland. However, all that we know for certain is that our family of Brandons came over to Lancashire (to work as weavers) from Thurles in county Tipperary in 1822, and this is where the family tree seems to stop, so the rest is pure speculation.
Despite the above, the idea of my mother's side of the family originating from Brandon Bay has always stuck with me, as I've always been a Romantic drawn towards enchantment. Thus, last year in early August, my friend Northsider Dave and his kind wife took me and my wife over the Connor Pass and down into Brandon village in deepest county Kerry. The drive over the Conor Pass was incredible, and I remember looking down at the wonderful scenery below (yes, it's quite some way down!):
Many thanks to the travel site that provided this picture.
However, my main reason for going to Brandon village was that my mother was dying of cancer in Paper Town (Bury), and I just had to see the 'mythological' origins of her side of the family. And when we got to Brandon, I wasn't disappointed.
As Brandon village is set on the Kerry coast, surrounded by a host of dark brooding mountains, the place is an isolationist's dream: you can simply encounter your deepest self there.
At the centre of the village, there is a nice, homely pub, but in the picture below you can see some locals at work crab-fishing. What particularly fascinated me in Brandon was the sense of awe that a group of teenagers seemed to get from seeing visitors from the 'outside world'. As there's little to do in Brandon, these teenagers must've been dreaming about how, when and where they would enter that big wider world. Of course, I wish them all well wherever their destinies take them.
The next picture below is of Northsider Dave's faithful Jack Russell hound, Fido, swimming in Brandon, and she seems to be in her element, doesn't she?
Yes, it may only be an isolated crab-fishing place in the middle of nowhere, but I felt something at Brandon, and, who knows, maybe my mother's side of the family does originate from there, after all. Of course, my mother died last year, but my memories of Brandon's stillness and tranquility give me some sense of peace.
The last picture below is of (a badly overweight) me standing with Brandon Bay and some of the surrounding mountains lying in the background.
Thankfully, the beer belly has now gone. Would love to go back to Brandon for a couple of days some time, as I love the place.
As I sometimes do, on Sunday at 2pm, I went to the Old Latin Mass at St. Klemens Redemptorist church in Warsaw:
Really enjoy going here, as I can just listen to the Gregorian Chant, and let the beautiful rhythms/melodies of the Mass that I discovered as a 17 year old (30 years ago) seep into me, and I always feel uplifted. The picture below is off the official St. Klemens website:
If you like this kind of picture, you'll find hundreds of them on the official St. Klemens website. To do this, I just type in my pigeon Polish, something like: Swiete Klemens Warszawa Stara Msza Po Loczinsku, and get access to the site concerning the Old Latin Mass.
After Mass, on Sunday, while on the tram going back home, I saw some kind of financial advertisement with what my Polish wife calls a real Father Christmas (St. Nicholas) as opposed to an American one (Santa Claus):
Really love these pictures and agree with my wife that this is what Father Christmas (St. Nicholas) should be like.
Also, today, I managed to get some close-up mobile shots of 'The Magical (Big) Wheel' near the Palace of Culture in Warsaw city centre (hope you like them).
Don't know about you, but this almost reminds me of a firework display, and never dreamed that this 'Big Wheel' would give me such joy (the magic of enchantment, you really can't beat it).
Finally, I guess I should end this post with a Christmas carol or hymn. A few days ago, my good friend Northsider Dave asked me about my favourite Christmas carol/hymn, and, quite predictably, it would have to be 'Adeste Fideles'. Last heard this at (the Old Latin) Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Victories Catholic church in Preston about 10 years ago. Below I've attached two excellent (but very different) versions of 'Adeste Fideles' by Enya and Tarja Turunen:
That snowed under with work that I can only write these things in the early hours of the morning. Here, I'm just showing a few mobile phone images of Warsaw in December, as Christmas quickly races up on us:
If you can 'see' this one, it's St. Anthony's, near the Opera House in the dark, while the one below is of the Opera House itself:
Over the years, I've seen a handful of ballets (e.g. 'Swan Lake') and operas (e.g. 'Madam Butterfly') here, and really enjoyed them. Yes, it's definitely an interesting night out, even if you have to get dressed up.
Of course, the weather has started to dip quite a bit, so I've had to start eating more meat with my food. Thus, my favourite homemade meal at the moment is thinly sliced beef steak; potatoes (or rice) and vegetables; topped with natural tofu and my beloved cottage cheese:
Yes, this is a really wholesome and tasty meal.
Of course, there are obvious commercial signs that Christmas is coming in Warsaw, such as the ones below:
Quite a nice touch having this shiny 'Big Wheel' near the Palace of Culture.
Also, if you never knew what Father Christmas' sleigh looked like, you can get a glimpse of it outside Arkadia near the Gdanski metro station.
As it's December, and we have had some snow in Warsaw this week, particularly today, I think I should end this post with a song about December and another about Christmas itself:
Saw All About Eve four times in Manchester and twice at Festivals during the late 1980s/early 1990s, but it all seems a few lifetimes away now. Also caught them at another Festival in the early 2000s after they'd reformed which was nice.
And the song about Christmas itself.
Really liked Luscious Jackson, just never got to see them, more's the pity. Bear with the second video here, as it does get round to them doing 'Let It Snow' with a sublime adaptation of Gary Numan's 'Cars' mixed in with it.
This concert was perfectly pleasant, but, at first, I simply wasn't in the mood for it after seeing two other concerts (Archive and Marillion) two and three days beforehand. However, I managed to get down to the Stodoła for 7.30, and was happy to see that it was only about a third full, but come starting time just after eight, it once again seemed like the world and his wife had turned up. Despite this, about 65-70% of the audience were women (mainly in their twenties), which, of course, was no bad thing at all, especially for a middle-aged man's eyes.
As for Imany and her band, they are musically very slick and tight, and Imany, herself, has one hell of a voice. Also, to her and the band's credit, they were on stage for more or less two hours, and it was never visually boring, as she alternated between being hauntingly still for the slower stuff, and doing a kind of 'ostrich-type' dance for the more up-tempo stuff. Being a middle-aged man (and I wasn't the only one there), my favourite tunes of the night were 'Slow Down' and (Africa Has a) 'Shape of a Broken Heart'.
However, predictably, it was the final encore of the night, 'You Will Never Know' that brought the house down:
Of course, well done to whoever shot and put these videos of Imany doing 'You Will Never Know' on Youtube. I like the fact that they are shot from completely different angles, and offer good views of the crowd dynamics at the Stodoła. It could be me, but I think Imany may've done 'You Will Never Know' more than once on Saturday night, but like I say, this may be just my imagination.
During the second half of the concert, I just did my usual thing and retired to the exotic hallway/bar area for a couple of nice cold ones (granted, it was only Zywiec, but it was nice and cold, and quenched my first).
On Wednesday night, during the Archive gig, I ended up getting this amazing picture from the Stodoła hallway area:
Yes, at the Stodoła, they have a screen advertising their upcoming concerts, and I must've clicked my mobile at exactly the point when the Steve Lukather advertisement was turning into the Ellie Golding one, so I guess it can be kind of viewed as a unique picture.
Also, on the Thursday night, during the Marillion concert, I got a nice shot of the Marillion advertisement while the band were playing their final encore, 'Garden Party'.
Yes, it's been quite a tiring adventure, three concerts in five days, but I've thoroughly enjoyed not only the music, but also the sociological experience: all three crowds were different in terms of dress codes and anthropology (e.g. dealing with difficult proxemics), and this kind of thing fascinates me.
