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.