The Wilanow Church Bells, Warsaw

Was bored senseless of working on the computer on Thursday afternoon so I jumped on the 116 bus in Warsaw to make my way to the Wilanow Palace.  The first thing I saw at Wilanow was the church there:

It was about seven or eight years since I'd last been to Wilanow Palace so it was almost like visiting it with new eyes.  The most striking things in the church grounds were the bells dedicated to Pope John Paul II:

I can only guess but I don't think these bells were here when I last visited Wilanow.  However, for me the most impressive things in and around the Wilanow church grounds have always been the Stations of the Cross and the statue of Our Lady with her feet on top of the world:

Yes, as a Catholic, the last two things are more impressive for me, as I'm not massively keen on the popularist devotion to the late John Paul II.

Wombats at Dinner

My brother Paul, who lives in Sydney, Australia, has sent me an incredible picture of a friendly bunch of wombats all having dinner together.  The one on the left seems to be eating carrot which must be tasty for these wonderful little creatures.  In my mind's eye, this picture reminds me of the documentaries about the famous panda gymnasium in China where infant pandas are often filmed drinking buckets of milk together.

Leafy Gravestones in Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

Always find something interesting when I pop in for a stroll round the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw.  This time round, I found a couple of wonderful gravestones with leafy designs on them:

Unfortunately, I only had my mobile on me for pictures, so we need a closer look to get a better idea of the beauty of these gravestones:

Yes, I would say that the ornate beauty of these leafy gravestones is a fitting mark of respect for the dead.

Pole Mokotowskie Park, Warsaw

Last time I was in both parts of Pole Mokotowskie Park  must've been about 8 years ago, so it was good to retrace old ground  on Monday morning.  The latter is a great time to stroll through Pole Mokotowskie, as it's very calm and peaceful, unlike Saturday afternoon when it seems that the world and his wife are there.

Anyway, this Monday, I entered Pole Mokotowskie from the Metro Politechnicha side of things:

Was glad that I had my small camera with the zoom on me so I could get a closer look at what was at the top of the column entering Pole Mokotowskie.  Soon, it was nice to see that the Park's famous flowerbeds were working their way towards full bloom:

Pole Mokotowskie is also famous for having several wooden grill bars where you can sit outside eating barbecued or grilled kiełbasa (sausage) and drinking a nice cold pint on a warm summer eve:

Scattered around the Park, there are also several pieces of nondescript 'Abstract Art' which don't really do anything for me:

Just think the Park would be better without this kind of thing, but maybe somebody somewhere likes it.  Still, during my stroll round the Park, I found the Fonobar just by chance:

Never been to the Fonobar before, but may have to do in the future for some concert or other, so this may turn out to be a useful find.

Finally, I was surprised to find out that my straight walk through both sides of the park led me to Jeff's Grill Bar, which I've passed for years without realising that it leads into Pole Mokotowskie:

Never been in Jeff's, but, as the name suggests, people say you're better off with a burger rather than a salad there. 

What about Pole Mokotowskie itself? 

Well, I basically found out that it was built up during the 1970s/1980s as a place for the Warsaw people to find some peace and relaxation.  A great idea, I think.

The Glass Tower Buildings in Warsaw City Centre

Took this picture of Warsaw City centre, with its glass tower buildings and Palace of Culture (on the right) in the distance, from the bridge that joins both parts of Polimokotowskie Park together.  The picture below takes a closer look at some of the glass buildings in Warsaw city centre that have been built recently to block out the Soviet Palace of Culture from dominating the Warsaw skyline:

The glass tower in the middle of the picture with the pointed  top is the highest residential building in Poland.

Antimatter at Warsaw Klub Progresja 12-07-13

This was one of those rare events when I went to see the support band (Antimatter) more than the headlining act, Anathema, not that I have anything against the latter who are obviously a more than decent band.  Even though it was only an accoustic show, it was good to hear a decent portion of  Antimatter's 'Fear of a Unique Identity' done live with 'Monochrome' being my favourite tune of the night.  Mick Moss has an incredible David Sylvian/Eddie Vedder voice combined with a perhaps too modest, unassuming stage presence, but perhaps the latter is the real charm.  Anyway, Antimatter were great and I'm really glad I got out to catch them despite feeling knackered after a full-on week of work.

What about Anathema?  Well, of course, I stayed on to watch them, and quite liked the show without it really being my kind of thing:

To be honest, the Cavanagh brothers had a great rapport with the crowd, and I really enjoyed 'Untouchable', probably my favourite Anathema tune (well done to the kind person who filmed part of this):

Despite this, I was just too shattered and ended up going after about 75 minutes of the Anathema set which was a pity, as I was warming to them.

Bush at Warsaw Klub Progresja 9-07-13

Like Mudhoney in late May at the Stodola, I enjoyed this a lot more than I'd expected.  To be honest, like quite a few of the bands I see in Warsaw, I only know Bush in passing, remembering them from the mid to late 1990s when they got labelled as being a 'British grunge band'.  However, I was happy to see that I recognised about half of the set, including 'Everything Zen'; 'The Chemicals Between Us'; 'Machinehead' etc.  Of course, the loudest cheer of the night was reserved for 'Swallowed'.  Was especially pleased that the band encored out with my favourite tracks:  'Glycerine' and 'Comedown'.  Well done to whoever recorded 'Glycerine' (below) on the night:

More than anything, I was impressed by how the band members, especially Gavin Rossdale, were aware that a band needs an audience every bit as much as the latter needing a band, and it was great to see them making themselves amenable to people taking pictures from the crowd through kind of prolonged 'poses'.  This was also a hot summer evening, and the Klub Progresja was thankfully not packed out, but frontman Rossdale repeatedly expressed the band's appreciation for the warm reception, and, at one point, mentioned that he liked the weather and wouldn't mind living in Poland (don't think he's seen a full on Polish winter, do you?).

Yes, like Mudhoney in late May at the Stodoła, this was a gig that I enjoyed much more than I'd expected.