A Solidarity Mural in Warsaw

I was up in the Ochota district of Warsaw yesterday, and this Solidarity wall mural really caught my eye. 
The mural commemorates the years 1982-1989 from the beginning of the infamous martial law up to Poland's eventual escape from communism.

What I find especially striking, maybe even original, about this mural is the innocence on all the three characters' faces, including that of the policeman frisking the bearded man. 

Wilanow Palace Gardens, Warsaw: The Mysterious Secluded Corner

For me, the most interesting part of Wilanow is what seems to be a church ruin in a quiet secluded corner of the Palace Gardens.  I'm not really sure about (nor have I been able to find out) whether the ruin is a church or not, but it certainly caught my attention while walking round the Gardens.

Next to the 'church ruin', there is also what appears to be an old monastic cloister:

Again, I'm not sure if the above are really old cloister remains or simply old servants' houses, but this quiet corner was definitely the most interesting and mysterious part of Wilanow Palace Gardens for me, as it seemed to have a presence, some enchantment so to say.

The Potocki Mausoleum at Wilanow, Warsaw

Before going through the Gate to the Wilanow Palace and Gardens, the elevated Potocki Mausoleum is well worth a look.  On closer inspection, the tomb contains some beautiful engravings:

The mausoleum was built from sandstone in the 1830s, and the canopy, in particular, is viewed as a fine piece of neo-Gothic architecture:

Also love the lion with its shield in the foreground here.

Gothic Bury (Lancashire): The Bottom of Hornby Street

The bottom of Hornby Street is another part of my hometown, Bury which has some surprisingly interesting Gothic-type imagery provided by the dark buildings there.  These buildings seem to stand out at sundown:

I've been told that these buildings stand near where the old populated area of 'Paradise' used to be, where my father's side of the family come from.  The building below looks as if it might well have been a church in the past, but, if so, it hasn't been one for many a year:

Yes, I think that the bottom of Hornby Street is a dark and mysterious place, holding echoes of the past, of what my hometown once was.

Wilanow Palace Lake, Warsaw

Yes, the Wilanow Palace Gardens are very beautiful and well worth a stroll round during summer, but I also really like the small lake at the back of the Gardens which serves as a nice retreat from both the hot weather and crowds at Wilanow during the summer:

However, if you're feeling energetic, you can also go for a boat ride on the small lake:

Never tried boating here, but I guess it's good fun. 

The small lake is also a good resting place for our friends the ducks, and the one in the picture below is having a nice mid-afternoon snooze, I guess you could call him (her) a 'dosey duck':

Of course, not all the ducks are knackered or bone idle, and one or two of them can be found swimming on the lake, especially if disturbed by humans:

Finally, the water lilies next to the riverbank make the small lake aesthetically complete:

Yes, the small lake is a special quiet place.

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.