Monday, 27 June 2011
Le Tour de 'Ollie'
Here it is, the route I'll be following for the next three weeks. Living out of a tent and the back of my car. Anyone know a good car valet? It's going to need one by the time I'm done..........
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Packing!
It's time to start getting really excited about the next trip and the best way to do that is to start packing (after writing a couple of lists of course). Bearing in mind I'm going to France where they have shops and the like, I'm wondering if the spare bed full of stuff is really necessary. Furthermore, I need to leave room for a bike and me.....
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Warsaw by night
The amazing Palace of Culture in Warsaw was a gift from Russia to the Polish people. For some strange reason, they weren't to keen on the present. Not quite sure why!
It's now a multiplex cinema, sports centre and offices. Looks pretty impressive when lit up at night and is pretty much visible from anywhere in the city.
In the national museum of army history today I found the most impressive eyebrow moustache combination ever. Look at this fella.
It's now a multiplex cinema, sports centre and offices. Looks pretty impressive when lit up at night and is pretty much visible from anywhere in the city.
In the national museum of army history today I found the most impressive eyebrow moustache combination ever. Look at this fella.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Warsaw
Warsaw seems to have a very small old town which is disproportionate to the size of the city that has grown up and surrounded it. The main square looks great and bustling with Friday evening fun.
The 'original' city walls look to be in suspiciously good nick but show how cramped it was inside. In Zakopane all the little boys had little balls that they smash together so the background sound in the evening was lots of little cap guns going off. Here in Warsaw the toy of choice is a pot of slime that makes a raspberry when you push your fingers in it. So the background sound in the old town here is farts. It's sime but it kept me happy :-)
Across the river Warsaw now has a funky new football stadium for Euro whatever the year is.
The 'original' city walls look to be in suspiciously good nick but show how cramped it was inside. In Zakopane all the little boys had little balls that they smash together so the background sound in the evening was lots of little cap guns going off. Here in Warsaw the toy of choice is a pot of slime that makes a raspberry when you push your fingers in it. So the background sound in the old town here is farts. It's sime but it kept me happy :-)
Across the river Warsaw now has a funky new football stadium for Euro whatever the year is.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Auschwitz
If you come to Krakow then visiting Auschwitz would be pretty much mandatory. About 60 km west of Krakow is the town of Oswiecim which is home to the death camps of Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Auschwitz 1 houses the main museum and interpretation centers and is built on a relatively small scale. A gridiron layout of un-assuming three storey brick buildings with metalled paths between. The buildings have the feel of a small factory complex or industrial estate.
This belies the fact the it was here that Josef Mengle carried out his 'experiments' on women and children. The techniques for mass extermination were developed here with small 'test' gas chambers and a crematorium.
I got there early so that I could walk around without being in a tour party. The sheer number of visitors means that it is a busy bustling place which probably takes away from the intention which is to be a silent memorial and a place for prayer and contemplation.
There were several large groups of Israeli army and police cadets in full ceremonial uniform photographing and filming every last detail. It would appear that visiting Krakow and Auschwitz are part of one's national service duties.
Out of all the exhibits here the most arresting are the piles of personal effects. A pile of glasses, a room full to the ceiling of shoes, a room full of enamel plates and bowls and a room full of women's hair.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a 2km walk away and is where the full scale of the industrial process of maiming, torture and death was brought to bear. To give an idea of scale, from the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoriums to the main gate house was an 11 minute walk. Barrack houses were located to either side of the railway yard and these stretched for about 1.5km in either direction. 200,000 people could be housed here at anyone time and 1,300,000 people were brought here and for 1,100,000 it was a one way journey.
Auschwitz 1 houses the main museum and interpretation centers and is built on a relatively small scale. A gridiron layout of un-assuming three storey brick buildings with metalled paths between. The buildings have the feel of a small factory complex or industrial estate.
This belies the fact the it was here that Josef Mengle carried out his 'experiments' on women and children. The techniques for mass extermination were developed here with small 'test' gas chambers and a crematorium.
I got there early so that I could walk around without being in a tour party. The sheer number of visitors means that it is a busy bustling place which probably takes away from the intention which is to be a silent memorial and a place for prayer and contemplation.
There were several large groups of Israeli army and police cadets in full ceremonial uniform photographing and filming every last detail. It would appear that visiting Krakow and Auschwitz are part of one's national service duties.
Out of all the exhibits here the most arresting are the piles of personal effects. A pile of glasses, a room full to the ceiling of shoes, a room full of enamel plates and bowls and a room full of women's hair.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a 2km walk away and is where the full scale of the industrial process of maiming, torture and death was brought to bear. To give an idea of scale, from the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoriums to the main gate house was an 11 minute walk. Barrack houses were located to either side of the railway yard and these stretched for about 1.5km in either direction. 200,000 people could be housed here at anyone time and 1,300,000 people were brought here and for 1,100,000 it was a one way journey.
Restricted lives in Poland
Whilst the Polish nation has embraced freedom and capitalism with open arms, there are still areas of life which don't seem to be able to shake off the over reliance on rules and regulations. For example the photo below list what you can not do on a tram.
No roller skating, bugling or ice cream. I'm really sorry but that has just killed tram travel for me!
No roller skating, bugling or ice cream. I'm really sorry but that has just killed tram travel for me!
Krakow art house cinema
Yet another great little art house cinema find on my tour. The Kino Pod Baranami is set in one of the many old residential palaces that surround the main square in Krakow. It had an African American season on at the moment but I went to see Lars Von Trier's latest epic Melancholia. The film is more accessible than any other Von Trier film I have seen and he seemed to have been able to draw on a cast of 'bankable' stars.
Whilst giving himself plenty of time to develop the characters, after just over two hours, I wasn't overly engaged with them and (not wanting to spoil it) the end came as something of a relief.
Still I think this is the only cinema I have been to with and 18th carved panelled oak ceiling:
http://www.kinopodbaranami.pl
Whilst giving himself plenty of time to develop the characters, after just over two hours, I wasn't overly engaged with them and (not wanting to spoil it) the end came as something of a relief.
Still I think this is the only cinema I have been to with and 18th carved panelled oak ceiling:
http://www.kinopodbaranami.pl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)