Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Author: admin

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Barracks)

    A photo from one of the barrack buildings at Majdanek. Initially the prisoners at the camp needed to sleep on straw filled mattresses on the floor, but from early 1942 this bunk bed arrangements was introduced. Each of the barracks were designed to house 250 people, and even that is at quite a push, but they were soon housing over 500 people.

    The initial intention of the camp was to hold Soviet prisoners of war and also civilian prisoners, so the standard of accommodation was meant to be at least bearable. There were 108 barracks erected in total across the site, with the conditions being ever more intolerable as the war progressed and the purpose of the site changed.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Memorial)

    Majdanek’s memorial is an imposing structure built at the entrance to the camp and it was erected in 1969 to mark 25 years since it was liberated. The memorial was designed by Wiktor Tołkin, a Polish sculptor who had been incarcerated at Auschwitz Birkenau and had managed to survive a death march.

    The memorial is, I understand, meant to represent the enormity of what happened here. It is intended to be both bleak and to also represent hope for the future.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Execution Ditches)

    Located towards the rear of Majdanek, these are execution ditches which were dug in November 1943 to bury the bodies of around 18,000 Jewish prisoners who had been murdered. There are three of these ditches and bodies were stacked and then set on fire.

    There are some questions about why these ditches were dug in a zig zag shape and why so close to the houses at the rear of the site. It’s said that the Nazis played loud music to disguise the sound of the killings, although I suspect it would have been hard to entirely hide from local people what was happening here.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Column of Three Eagles)

    This is a modern column which was designed by Witold Marcewicz and placed here in 2013. The timing was deliberate as it marked the seventieth anniversary since a number of Poles erected a similar looking sculpture in the field with the national symbol of eagles.

    The Nazis hadn’t allowed the Poles to place the column up out of a gesture of goodwill, but rather because there was a visit by the Red Cross in 1943 and they wanted the camp to look decorated and welcoming. The Red Cross also brought food into the camp and it seems from what I’ve read that the prisoners were actually given it.

    I’m slightly confused as to exactly what went on and when at Majdanek because the Red Cross did have some involvement at the camp during 1943, even securing the release of some prisoners. Although they were only released into Lublin, which was under Nazi control anyway.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Shoes)

    The Nazis stole the property of Jews, and others who they imprisoned in concentration camps, on an industrial scale. They were sent to Germans who needed assistance, especially those who were settling into Poland, as well as sending some shoes on to other concentration camps.

    When Majdanek was liberated the Soviets found 430,000 pairs of shoes, a number almost beyond imagination. There were so many shoes here because Majdanek was used as the storage site for property stolen at a number of other camps, and the Germans fled without time to send them on.

    There is a story behind every single pair of those shoes, although unfortunately it’s not a story that will be told. The shoes of children, men and women, stolen by the Nazis when the victims arrived at the camp.

    Sadly in 2010 there was a fire in Majdanek and 10,000 shoes were destroyed in the blaze. And in November 2014 it was discovered that a visitor had cut into the wire mesh and stolen around eight pairs of shoes. It’s hard to find words to comment on that sort of theft.

  • King’s Lynn – Lattice House

    It’s a few years now since JD Wetherspoon sold off the Lattice House in King’s Lynn, which I thought was just a little unfortunate as it was one of my favourite JDW pubs. It made sense though since they have the large Globe Hotel just around the corner and probably didn’t need two pubs so close together.

    But then something potentially rather impressive happened after a short spell under a different pub operator, the building was rebranded as the Bishops Dining Rooms and the whole concept seemed very much in keeping with the historic building. The south end of the building had been in use as an inn since at least 1714, so it can claim some considerable heritage.

    And then they did something quite bizarre. They decided to ban young people. Not children to create a slightly quieter and relaxed dining environment, but they banned people in their early 20s. Somehow, and perhaps this could only happen in Britain, it was thought that people in their early 20s couldn’t enjoy a decent dining experience.

    And, the rest is of course history. As soon as that decision was made, it was perhaps inevitable that the ill feeling caused would lead to the restaurant being considerably less busy than it might otherwise have been. Particularly irritating when the restaurant actually seemed to have been pitched so well in terms of price, decoration and menu choice.

    Anyway, that’s not really relevant, what is relevant is that the Lattice House name is now coming back and the restaurant is being restored into being a pub once again. The new owners have confirmed they don’t have a problem with younger people, so the age limits have been dropped. So I’ll make an effort to visit in the next few weeks……

  • Krakow – Gallery of Contemporary Art

    This is a quirky little modern art museum which has two temporary exhibits which regularly change. The layout wasn’t entirely obvious to me and the guide they gave me didn’t immediately make sense, although things became a little clearer later on.

    The first exhibition was surprisingly interesting, including the above video of a woman covered in balloons trying to crawl through a barbed wire fence. There was something quite mesmerising about watching the balloons slowly burst. The exhibition was created by Rebecca Moss and it was entitled ‘From Sublimity to Ridicule’.

    A large image of a fire.

    And standing in front of the image achieved this.

    I didn’t find the other exhibition (in which I didn’t take any photos) by Irena Kalicka particularly engaging, as it didn’t seem to tell a story or have much relevance to anything. I read the notes about the exhibition and the logic behind it, and it was too abstract for me to be able to grasp.

    However, the first exhibition was interesting, the staff were friendly and I liked the general quirkiness of the arrangement.

  • Krakow – Bunkier Cafe

    Cafe Bunkier is located in an interesting glass building situated outside of the modern art gallery which it is attached to.

    There were a variety of cakes on display, but they didn’t seem quite exciting enough to order, perhaps looking a little too processed. Although I’m sure they tasted lovely.

    The cafe was busy inside, with a separate smoking half further down which is segregated off. The atmosphere was quite relaxed in the cafe, despite it being busy, and the temperature was also appropriate and I imagine that’s difficult to control in a building such as this.

    A decorative element above the counter. It was slightly confusing knowing how to order given that some customers were ordering at the table and some at the counter, but I came to the conclusion that either were entirely acceptable.

    I did ponder ordering a hot meal and instead just went for fries, although what came were chips and they weren’t particularly exciting. The garlic sauce that came with them wasn’t ideal and I had a slightly excessive wait to try and get some salt from the counter. I also went for a soft drink as I didn’t feel that there was a particularly interesting range of beers, although some reviews seem delighted at what choice there was. I just have quirky tastes I think.

    The prices were reasonable and the staff were polite, although not overly attentive. I think much of the attraction of this restaurant is the location, it’s housed in a quirky building and it’s worth visiting to experience that element. I did notice someone else ordered a fish and chips, which I looked at quite jealously as a waitress walked past the table with it. All in all, worth visiting although it’s not a destination I’d probably return to.

  • Krakow – Ed Red

    I kept thinking about Ed Miliband when I visited this steak and burger restaurant in the centre of Krakow (just because of the restaurant name, as Ed Miliband isn’t usually a politician that I have much reason to think of), although they are apparently moving location soon.

    The restaurant claims that they were the first in Poland to offer dry aged beef. This is meant to increase the taste of the meat, but it’s an expensive process which takes some time to complete.

    The waiter was knowledgeable and keen to engage about the menu and I was pleased that there was a dark beer available. Having said that (written that), I couldn’t see it on the menu, so I’m not entirely sure what it was.

    I’m not really one for steak, but the dry aged beef burger sounded very tempting, so I went for that. I added chips and coleslaw to the meal and it was all well presented. The burger had a depth of flavour to it, although not so much that I would have noticed it was more expensive dry aged meat. The chips were fluffy on the interior and firm on the exterior, and had a decent taste to them. The coleslaw was quite chunky and although everything was perfectly acceptable, the whole combination seemed just a little dry. I’d have liked the burger to have been more tender, it was lacking in moistness.

    Also, I was surprised that the staff didn’t ask how I wanted the burger cooked. I prefer burgers to be cooked medium, but no-one asked me, although I was pleased to note that the burger came served medium anyway. However, some people do prefer a well done burger, so asking customers seems more sensible.

    The dessert of creme brulee, and this was excellent, with a decent amount of surface area. A firm crust belied the soft and custardy interior. The cookie ice cream was smooth and free from ice crystals, although a plainer ice cream would have worked just as well.

    All in all, this was a well managed restaurant and I was comfortable throughout. The interior was modern and the restaurant was sizeable, although it was relatively empty when I visited. It’s not the cheapest option in the city centre, but it’s well reviewed and the staff were professional and helpful throughout.

  • Katowice – Galeria Katowicka Toilets

    I can’t imagine I’ll make many posts about shopping centre toilets, but there seems to be some gallows humour at the urinals….