Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Warsaw – Palace of Culture and Science (Observation Deck)

    Warsaw – Palace of Culture and Science (Observation Deck)

    I have more to write about the Palace of Culture and Science, but for now I’ll limit myself to my visit to the observation deck. In short though, the Palace is what I consider to be an eyesore which was forced upon the people of Warsaw by the Soviets in the 1950s. The building is 237 metres in height and is, according to Wikipedia, the sixth highest building in the European Union (it’ll be the fifth soon, as the Shard in London is higher).

    In terms of the observation deck, it’s a professional little operation, with visitors being transported by lifts to the thirtieth floor of the building in around nineteen seconds. There’s an admission charge that equates to around £4 and it’s the highest observation deck in the city, with extensive views over the area.

    I had a little look at TripAdvisor to see what other visitors thought.

    “The tower has 33 floors or so and the local employees suggested buying tickets for the viewing floor. I was disappointed that it was too foggy to see anything and expecting the employees to at least mention it.”

    Personally, I think I might have looked to see if it was foggy before going up…..

    “It was cloudy day and no view at all but they were selling expensive tickets to see whole Warsaw from 30 floor of this ugly building. Shame of them 🙁 I was with kids and asked before if there is option to see something today. Answer was: I have no clue, I’m working here, downstairs.”

    It’s hard to deny that a staff member inside a ticket office downstairs probably isn’t going to know how cloudy it is….

    “Do not go up with the elevator. First you wait in long line than you come up there and the only landmark of Warsaw is the one you are on. Then you wait in the line for going down.”

    I’m not quite sure what people expect to see other than Warsaw city centre from an observation deck overlooking Warsaw city centre.

    And, below are some of the views.

  • Warsaw – Drugie Dno

    Warsaw – Drugie Dno

    Unfortunately, my visit here in February 2018 wasn’t particularly well photographed, so I might have to go back….

    The beer selection was decent, with a well measured range of options, including a few dark beers. I went for a dry stout, which had a richness of flavour, although my memory doesn’t allow me to write further than that.

    The prices were towards the higher end of the scale for Warsaw, but not unreasonable. The staff were busy and helpful, with a friendly barman taking the time to explain the beer options which they had. The beers are nearly all from Poland, but there were a few options from further afield, although the quality of the local beers was high.

    The stairs downstairs were an exciting challenge when others were trying to come up…… I liked the whole modern decor of the bar though, it felt contemporary, on-trend and interesting.

    I was with a group of people when I visited, which was on a weekend evening and the bar was busy to say the least. The food being served looked well presented and generously portioned, although we didn’t partake on that occasion. Anyway, I think I might need to return to try the food, but at least my last visit was all very lovely.

  • Warsaw – Mausoleum of Struggle and Martyrdom

    Warsaw – Mausoleum of Struggle and Martyrdom

    Rather appropriately in some ways, in terms of never forgetting what happened here, this museum is located within the building of the Ministry of National Education. Before the Second World War, the building was used as the Ministry of Religious Beliefs and Public Education, but during the Nazi occupation of Poland, the basement was repurposed as a prison. On the floors above, the secret police set up their offices and began their work in trying to oppose the work of the Polish resistance, the influence of the church and those who sought to damage the rule of the Germans in the city.

    A visit starts with a video presentation, with the staff member helpfully putting on an English translation for me. I was the only visitor for much of the time (I visited in February 2018, at a time when it was cold and starting to snow…) and the staff were warm and engaging, but otherwise let me get on with visiting the museum. Although this did mean that I was then walking around the cells and former torture areas on my own, which does allow for a more atmospheric visit. By atmospheric, I mean slightly unnerving.

    A corridor between offices used by the Nazis, with torture and killings being commonplace in the cellars. One of the rooms used by the officers has been restored to as it might have looked and there’s a radio there, a reminder that this was played loudly during some periods of torture, to drown out the sound. Torture was also often performed in front of the victim’s friends and family, with the individual sometimes being dragged back unconscious into their cell.

    A corridor with located cells off it. During the period of the Warsaw Uprising, a large number of people were executed here and their bodies burned in nearby buildings.

    Graffiti scratched into the wall by the prisoners, usually by using their fingernails. Over 1,000 inscriptions were found in the cells, including prayers, names and details of those who had been killed.

    One of the cells, with some of the rooms having bullet holes in the wall, a reminder of the horror which took place here. Prisoners would be seated in some areas and have to wait in silence for their interrogation.

    After the Germans left the city, a decision was made relatively quickly to preserve the basement area as a museum, dedicated to all those who suffered there. There have though, at the museum’s admission, been some structural changes made to the building since then, so I’m a little unsure of just how much looks the same as it did. Given that so much of Warsaw was destroyed by the Nazis before their departure, this remains though one of the best preserved of the buildings which the Germans used during their time here.

    The TripAdvisor reviews are nearly all positive, with few exceptions, although one Canadian was really pleased with their visit:

    “A dark corridor and rooms with a bed, that’s what we could see.”

    Hmmm…..

    It’s a small museum, with a low admission charge, with everything being well curated and there was plenty of information about what happened in the basement. Much of that information is presented on video screens, with English translations available, a sobering reminder of the past.

  • Good Beer Guide 2020 or the Good Pub Guide 2020?

    Since I’ve been asked about this….

    There are two books published every year which both recommend pubs which should be visited, the Good Beer Guide and the Good Pub Guide.

    I’ve had a browse through the Good Pub Guide and, although I appreciate everyone has different views, there are some really surprising and generic choices in there. Without denigrating any particular location, there are some listed pubs which are bland and lacking in any depth of beer options. And very many interesting pubs in areas that I know, which have a really good atmosphere, excellent craft beer choice, innovative real ale and engaging staff are all missed out.

    The Good Pub Guide also claims it’s independent, which I don’t deny, but then takes advertising from breweries and pubs. And then, the book admits, “the pubs featured as main entries do pay a fee”. So, for me, it’s meaningless, however well intentioned that is. They then claim that they’re “the only truly independent guide of its kind”, but I’m not sure how the Good Beer Guide is somehow in hock to anyone.

    The Good Pub Guide seems to really focus on mid to high end pubs which serve food, with few exceptions. If it was rebranded as the good pub food guide, then it might perhaps make more sense. But how they’ve managed to miss nearly every micro-pub, community pub, craft beer pub and quirky pub is surprising for a guide that has been published for so long. In some relatively large towns and even some cities, the Good Pub Guide has nothing to offer at all. The emphasis on country pubs is heavy, and there are a few areas which seem to have several pubs all clustered near together which doesn’t fit right with me.

    Whereas, the Good Beer Guide has rarely failed to let me down, indeed, not one choice has ever felt inappropriate. And some pubs in there have been real finds, with some fantastic craft beer and real ales, but also historic buildings and perhaps most importantly of all, a great atmosphere and service. The Good Beer Guide is up-to-date, they don’t sneer at pubs that might be cheaper and I like their often humorously pithy comments and summaries of the locations they’ve recommended. Indeed, the Good Pub Guide gives similar space to every entry, without really sometimes having much to say, whereas the Good Beer Guide does feel that it speaks its mind.

    By a country mile, I’d recommend the Good Beer Guide for anyone who wants pubs with character.

  • Warsaw – Monument to Janusz Korczak

    Warsaw – Monument to Janusz Korczak

    Located at ul. Świętokrzyska, in the shadow of the ridiculous Palace of Culture and Science, this monument is to the author Janusz Korczak. His real name was Henryk Goldszmit and he was not just an author, but also an educator who was heavily involved with orphanages. Korczak served as a lieutenant in the Polish army during the First World War and he tried to join the army once again at the outbreak of the Second World War, but he was 61 years old and thought to be too old.

    Korczak ran an orphanage when the Second World War began and he went with it when it was moved inside the Warsaw Ghetto, but he did his best to protect the children in his care. When the ghetto was liquidated in August 1942 all of the children, around 192, were rounded up to be sent to concentration camps and Korczak had two opportunities to leave the ghetto, both of which he declined. It’s not known what happened to Korczak and the 192 orphans, but it’s thought that they were all murdered at Treblinka.

    Władysław Szpilman saw Korczak and the children being marched out of the ghetto and wrote:

    “He told the orphans they were going out into the country, so they ought to be cheerful. At last they would be able to exchange the horrible suffocating city walls for meadows of flowers, streams where they could bathe, woods full of berries and mushrooms. He told them to wear their best clothes, and so they came out into the yard, two by two, nicely dressed and in a happy mood.”

    Some of Korczak’s writings in the ghetto survived, and they aren’t in the form of a descriptive diary, but are more of a literary bent. I particularly liked this text, of which there’s no shortage of existentialist meaning. The PDF of his book is available here.

    “I know that many are dissatisfied at my clearing the table after meals. Even the  orderlies seem to dislike it. Surely they can manage. There are enough of them. If there were not, one or two always could be added. Then why the ostentation, the obstinacy, and even maybe I’m nasty enough to pretend to be diligent and so democratic.

    When I collect the dishes myself, I can see the cracked plates, the bent spoons, the  scratches on the bowls. I expedite the clearing of the tables and the side table used for the  little shop, so that the orderlies can tidy up sooner. I can see how the careless diners throw about, partly in a quasi-aristocratic and partly in a churlish manner, the spoons,  knives, the salt shakers and cups, instead of putting them in the right place. Sometimes I watch how the extras are distributed or who sits next to whom. And I get some ideas. For if I do something, I never do it thoughtlessly. This waiter’s job is of great use to me, it’s  pleasant and interesting.”

    The monument was unveiled in 2003 and was jointly funded by the Shalom Foundation and the Janusz Korczak Association. One of the underlying principles of the monument was to ensure the words of Korczak weren’t forgotten:

    “Sorrow is too cold for the children, so they quickly run into the sun of joy”.

    His sacrifice meant that many children had just a little bit of hope in their final days.

  • CNN – Warsaw In List of Best Beer Cities

    Well, how lovely, Warsaw has been listed as one of the 15 best beer cities in the world according to CNN. I haven’t previously given much attention to craft beer in the Polish capital on my previous visits, but I shall fully investigate this matter in a few days when I arrive there…..

  • Zurich – Zurich Airport (Observation Deck)

    Zurich – Zurich Airport (Observation Deck)

    Unfortunately, very few airports seem to now have observation decks and there’s little reason for this that I can think of. Since they’re after security, there’s no risk of attack and if they’re worried about smokers, they can always post security staff up there or shove in a smoking area discreetly.

    Zurich Airport have what I think is the best observation desk that I can recall visiting at an airport, free of charge and of some considerable size.

    It was possible to listen in to the radio communications system, with the phonetic alphabet displayed. I can never remember this, I just make words up, usually relating to food or products which Greggs manufacture.

    The view of an aircraft owned by Swiss Air Lines, with Zurich Airport being their hub.

    An Air Berlin aircraft.

    An explanation of the air traffic control system.

    A detailed explanation of the runway system.

    Everything was clean and well implemented, with the whole area offering somewhere more interesting to wait for a flight than sitting in the main terminal. It also adds an extra element of excitement for children and it’s a shame that more airports don’t offer this. Heathrow has made little effort here and although there’s an observation deck at T4, it’s enclosed and has obstructed views. Now that Heathrow have said they don’t intend to build a Terminal 6, I don’t imagine much will change in the UK’s main airport….

  • Zurich – Starbucks Train Carriage

    Zurich – Starbucks Train Carriage

    This is an old photo, from when I visited Zurich in 2015. The Swiss rail network (SBB – Swiss Federal Railways) had installed a Starbucks outlet on this train in 2013 in a bid to encourage people to use public transport. The branding doesn’t seem to have lasted long and there’s little mention of this on-line after 2015, so I assume that it was discontinued.

    But this does remind me of my idea to put a Greggs carriage on every train, or at least every intercity train to begin with. No point in getting too ambitious straightaway….

  • March – 38 West End

    March – 38 West End

    This property is one of the oldest in the town of March, with the central part dating to 1626, with extensions added in the nineteenth century. The town guide notes that, “inside, the house has elaborately carved wooden beams, one depicting the ‘Tree of Life’, the other grotesque heads and fantastic animals”. There are currently plenty of photos of the property at Zoopla and it looks like a building packed with character and history.

    Assuming that the houses haven’t been renumbered, in 1939, the house was occupied by Errol R Bassham and Violet M Bassham, along with their family. Errol worked as a bank cashier and was also an ARP warden, where Violet was a nurse for the Red Cross. Errol died in 1955 at the age of 60 and Violet appears to have become involved with local amateur dramatics.

  • March – Old Bank House

    March – Old Bank House

    This glorious building was constructed as a residential property in the seventeenth century, but was repurposed to become a National Provincial Bank in the 1840s. It is once again a residential property and the building is Grade II listed, with a note that an eighteenth century staircase remains in situ.

    There are some photos of the interior at the moment at Zoopla and the property sold recently for what seems a rather reasonable price. I don’t know when it stopped being a bank, but it was still open in 1916 and the manager at the time was Herbert N Shaw.