Polish bad taste

A very popular Polish restaurant has this large  stainless steel trough for those who have had too much. A joke as this restaurant is hardly the place to get wasted but very handy none the less.

Babia Gora or Witches Mountain is the highest peak (1,725) in a small national park of the same name. The track to the top starts at 1,000 metres and it is a steady uphill climb all the way - half in forest and the second half in alpine scrub and open tops.  The Polish/Slovakian border runs within 20 metres of the summit (which is in Poland) but only a simple wooden post with a small sign in Slovakian is the only indicator. For New Zealanders used to being surrounded by water, hopping from one country to another is weird....

Even though it was summer it was windy and cold at the top.

According to folklore, witches met on the summit on the Sabbath - presumably Polish and Slovakian witches. 

They still exist....

They are very rare but they do still exist. An immaculate Lada on the street in Krakow.

The revolving coffins of Krakow

Opposite the main cemetery in Krakow are a number of undertakers and monumental mason business along with numerous florists and candle sellers. One unique business has its wares on sale in a large revolving cabinet. As it spins around you can view the silver and gold lining versions and the type of casket you want. Not sure if they would let you try them out for size and comfort.

I like the silver one myself.

Gofry

Gofry is the Polish version of a Belgian waffle but with a lot more topping and whipped cream. They never give you a fork and knife to eat it so it is a real mission to eat the thing without making an incredible mess.

"Concrete and democracy belong together'

 In 1911, the Wroclaw city council commissioned architect Max Berg to design an Exhibition 
Grounds and Hall so that the city would compete with trade fairs such as those held in Leipzig and Frankfurt. Controversial at the time, the Centennial Hall was both an architectural and engineering master piece and is now listed as a UNESCO heritage building.

With its strong, simple and undecorated lines, the building heralds the Bauhaus and Art Deco movements of the 1920s and 1930s. The hall had no stage and the lower tiers of seats were removable so it could be used 'democratically' for exhibitions, concerts and sports events.

It was the largest dome built of reinforced concrete and the wide concrete arches were breakthrough in structural engineering.

In addition to the hall, there is also a long terraced restaurant overlooking a small lake which is turn is surrounding by a magnificent wisteria covered pergola. Originally the grounds featured five themed gardens of which only the Japanese Garden remains.

Several Nazi rallies were held there in the thirties but Hitler hated the building as being too stark and plain. To celebrate the triumph of socialism over fascism, in 1948 a tall slender spire was placed at the main entrance to the hall. Still used extensively today, the building has been lovingly restored.

"No Freedom Without Dwarves"

Scattered around the city of Wroclaw are over 300 small bronze statues of dwarfs. About 15cm tall, they are tucked away everywhere and it is cute trying to find them. Poles though have never been strong on 'cute' and the dwarfs are a political symbol that harks back to the last years of the Soviet era.






The Solidarity Movement of the 1980s was part of a wider unrest sweeping Poland over the Soviet occupation and in Wroclaw it took a very unusual and innovation turn. In 1981 whenever authorities painted over anti government slogans, Waldemar Frydych would stencil a dwarf on the fresh paint to illustrate that it would take more than paint to stop the protest. Quickly the dwarf with its distinctive orange cap (apparently Polish dwarfs wear orange caps) started appearing everywhere under the slogan "No freedom without dwarfs". The dwarf figures mocked and poked fun at the authorities who were powerless to move against what was on the surface just some silliness. But the message was clear and as the eighties progressed the dwarf movement became much bolder, but never lost its sense of fun.

Groups of mainly young people paraded through the streets dressed as dwarfs with slogans such as 'Help the militia, beat up yourself'. The authorities had to act but were left arrested people and charging them for wearing an orange hat or trousers.

The peak of the movement came in 1988 when over 10,000 people packed the central city all dressed as dwarfs.

The Battle of Raclawice

General Kosciusko in the white coat

Panorama painting was a popular form of entertainment in the late nineteenth century and usually depicted a crucial battle during various stages. The canvases were enormous and were designed to be toured and exhibited in round tents. Due to their sheer size and hard working life, few panorama paintings have survived and this one illustrating the Battle of Raclawice during the Kosciuszko Uprising is the only one in Poland. Panorama painting was also considered too mass market to be taken seriously as 'art' and no  took much effort to preserve them.

Painted in 1894 and measuring 15 metres by 114 metres the painting commemorates the Battle of Raclawice in 1794 when a combination of Polish troops and armed peasants under the leadership of Tadeusz Kosciusko defeated a superior force of Russian troops. Of course Poland lost the war, but this battle always remained as a symbol of Poland's fight for independence. Even now viewing the painting is a reverential experience and one is expected to behaviour with respect as you would in a church.

Originally located in Lvov, the painting was moved to Wroclaw in 1945 but not surprisingly given the subject, during the Soviet occupation of Poland, the painting was 'undergoing 'restoration' and finally publicly displayed after 1985.


It is curious that Australia's highest mountain should be named after someone who had no connection whatsoever with that country. Apparently it was given that name as it bore some resemblance to the Kosciuszko Mound in Krakow. Of course the Australian's didn't get the spelling right and this was only corrected in 1997

Wroclaw

Polish is an impossible language - how can a word like Wroclaw end up being pronounced Vrotswaf?
Unpronounceable Wroclaw is an attractive city in Western Poland not too far from the German border. The old city, focused on two squares the Rynek and the Salt Market, attracts a large number of visitors especially the Town Hall, a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture.

The tourists are mainly German, many of whom have connections to this once German city. Now thoroughly Polish, the city was known as Breslau prior to WWII. Before the war the Polish population of the city was less than one percent, while in the surrounding rural area Poles dominated. The city escaped destruction during most of the war until a disastrous two month siege by Russian troops in the dying months of the war - in fact Breslau didn't surrender until a few days before the German capitulation. By then the city was in ruins and most of the remaining 200,000 Germans left in the city (as many had left before the Russians arrived), all moving west by 1947.

Like other Polish cities, the city, now named Wroclaw, was lovingly rebuilt, while removing all traces of its German history including destroying the old German cemeteries.

Isn't it amazing that Poland could rebuild so many of it's devastated cities despite losing 20% of the population, the economy ruined and the country occupied by the Soviets, when New Zealand finds it impossible to rebuild the Christchurch Cathedral?

Since Polish independence from the Soviets, Poland and Germany have been closely allied and very few traces of bitterness towards Germans lingers (the opposite can be said of Polish/Russian relations).

However, Angela Merkel's conciliatory approach to Russia over the Ukraine has deeply disturbed the Poles who now see their country almost on the front line with an aggressive Putin. This is despite Poland being a more important German trading partner than Russia.

Ferrara

Ferrara receives even fewer tourists than Ravenna, yet it is a beautiful medieval and renaissance city with a fabulous moated castle and stunning Renaissance town hall and cathedral. The oldest part of the city is virtually untouched since the 14th century, while the 'newer' Renaissance' districts contain numerous superb palazzos. The most famous is the 'diamente palazzo' or Diamond Palace decorated with over 8000 'diamonds'. You are likely to be the only foreign tourists here.

 

High Tide

I always thought that the high tide floods in Venice occurred in exceptional circumstances such as spring tides, but it is in fact a regular thing especially this summer with so much rain. In the photos water blocks the entrance to St Mark's Cathedral and in fact water enters the church itself. What looks like puddles in the square is actually sea water coming up through storm water drains - doesn't stop the huge numbers of tourists who visit Venice every day.

The Two Towers

After a few

My last visit to Bologna was in 1979 and I remember it as an attractive city then and it hasn't changed much since then. The most appealing thing about Bologna is that is has nothing important to see or do so it attracts very few tourists. However, it is a great base to visit northern Italy with Florence, Venice, Parma, Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara and Verona all easily accessible by train and it is much less expensive to stay here.
 Best  of all Bologna is famous for its food (especially spaghetti bolognaise which is known locally as ragu). Every where there are small local restaurants many attached to delicatessens so you can chose the food you want to eat. Unlike the more touristy places, the locals are friendly and it is easy to settle for a night out.

That said it does have two outstanding medieval towers. Built in the 11th century, these towers were built to protect individual families during times of conflict. Common in most Italian town, most of the towers have been long since pulled down. In Bologna only 20 out of the original 160 towers survive, two of which have been become symbols of this city. The tallest stands 100 metres and is still in good condition 1000 years later. Right next door, a much shorter tower has a serious lean, though apparently is in no danger of falling down. Its a bit of climb up the wooden stairs but the view from the top is worth it.

 

The leaning tower is right below