Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Poland

  • Gniezno – Statue of Adalbert of Prague

    This statue of Adalbert of Prague was erected to mark 1,000 years since the saint’s death. He was given the job of the Bishop of Gniezno, which I imagine was quite a privileged and comfortable role, but he was then sent out to go preaching to the people of Prussia. If he did this voluntarily, he was a very brave man, as missionaries didn’t always fare well at this time.

    Anyway, he went off to Prussia and he was killed by barbarians, or technically, pagans. The church was quite keen on relics back then and his bones were finally brought back, after some argument, to Gniezno Cathedral in around 1,000AD. All was well with this situation until Bohemian Duke Břetislav I stole the bones in 1039 and he excitedly moved them to Prague.

    Then the story gets more confusing, as it seems the Duke stole the wrong bones, he pinched the remains of Gaudentius of Brescia. Now, he was still a saint, but it wasn’t the saint that the Duke really wanted. In 1127, Gniezno Cathedral also got Adalbert’s head, although goodness knows where that went for over 125 years.

    So there’s now the situation that Prague thinks it has the bones of Adalbert, and so does Gniezno. They both managed to have the saint’s head, which is just a little confusing, but it was made more surreal when in 1923 someone pinched Adalbert’s head (assuming he is in Gniezno) and they’ve never recovered that.

    Anyway, it’s a nice statue.

  • Gniezno – Sculpture of Bolesław I the Brave

    It occurs to me that I wouldn’t mind a sculpture like this of Julian the Brave in a few decades, perhaps I might mention it to Dylan…. Anyway, it’s of Bolesław I the Brave who was the Duke of Poland from 992 until 1025 and also the first person to be titled as the King of Poland.

    Bolesław I the Brave, also known as Bolesław I the Great (which would also be satisfactory to me if Dylan wants to change it), is a little bit of a national hero and his coronation was also at Gniezno. He established the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno, and the city remains today as Poland’s ecclesiastical capital.

     

  • Gniezno – Cukiernia Sowa

    This was one of the better rated coffee shops in Gniezno and since Poland doesn’t have Greggs (yet), this was the lunch option for me. Located at ulica Rzeźnicka 1, this is part of a national chain which has around 150 shops in Poland.

    OK, so they’re not chicken bakes from Greggs, but the cakes do look rather lovely.

    Well how lovely, colourful and appetising.

    Incidentally, and entirely irrelevant to anything, I like when coffee shops and restaurants place the cutlery like that. It’s far more common in Poland than in the UK, but I think it looks tidier. Anyway, I went for an eclair and it was full of crème pâtissière and it occurred to me that Richard would have been impressed with it.

    I really wanted another eclair after finishing the first, but I didn’t want the staff to think that I was greedy, and anyway, if I’d had a second I’d have only wanted a third. Coffee was above average as well with a rich flavour. Total cost of the coffee and eclair was around £2.20, but this coffee shop did have a premium feel to it.

    And, as for the service, it was impeccable. The server prepared my order behind the counter and refused to let me carry it, she wanted to bring it over on a tray (she probably thought I was an idiot and would drop it on their clean floor). I didn’t want to cause any diplomatic incidents (although I suspect it wouldn’t have got that far) so I didn’t resist. Friendly and engaging service, with the environment being clean and comfortable. There seemed to be a  lot of ladies at lunch during my visit… All rather lovely.

  • Poznan – National Museum in Poznan (Leon Dołżycki)

    This artwork was painted in 1922 by Leon Dołżycki, a Polish painter who lived from 1888 until 1965. The English translation of the painting name is mourner, and as far as I can tell, it is a representation of the sadness after a funeral but with colour which suggests positivity and hope. Perhaps there’s also an element on now being alone in the aftermath which is indicated, but frankly, I have no idea what I’m writing about, so the artist probably intended something entirely different. But I still liked the painting, it seemed quite bold and intriguing.

  • Poznan – National Museum in Poznan (Andrzej Wróblewski)

    I don’t usually understand modern art unless it’s explained to me, and even then I’m often clueless. This artwork, by Andrzej Wróblewski, initially left me as confused as usual. So, I decided to stand in the gallery and spend some time Googling the painting, making me ever more interested in the artist. The artist died young, living from 1927 until 1957, dying in a climbing accident at the Tatra Mountains.

    He was born in Vilnius, but when this was moved into Lithuania after the Second World War, Wróblewski was relocated to Kraków. The painting title is “Execution with a Boy – Execution V” and is one of eight artworks in a series which portrays the period when the Germans occupied Poland.

    The blue colour is deliberate and represents death. It’s interesting to see where these eight artworks have ended up, number 1 is in Toruń, number 2 is the National Museum in Kraków, number 3 is apparently in this museum but not on display, number 4 is in the Polish Army Museum, number 5 is this one at the National Museum in Poznan, numbers 6 and 7 are held privately somewhere and number 8 is at the National Museum in Warsaw.

  • Poznan – Basilium

    Basilium, which was meant to have one of the best beer selections in the city. I’m still slightly confused about this place, as they did have an enormous beer selection to buy in bottles, I assume to takeaway, but a rather limited selection of beers to drink in the pub.

    There a lot of beer cocktails and flavoured beers, but it seemed out of proportion to the small number of beers on draft which are listed at the bottom. The staff member said that there was one dark beer on draft and one bottled, and he was polite and helpful, but I had expected a little more choice. On reflection, I did wonder whether something was lost in translation, although the staff member did speak English.

    Some of the bottled beer selection.

    This is Fortuna Czarna, it’s drinkable, but not particularly exciting as it lacked any depth of flavour. There was no lingering taste or bitterness, but it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature.

    Branding in the toilets….

    The surroundings are clean, comfortable and quite modern in their appearance. There was a front and back area, although it was pretty quiet during my visit. It was a pleasant environment, but for me I’d have ideally liked a printed beer list to fully understand the range and specials that were available.

  • Poznan – Mo.Bar

    Mo. Bar, a rather modern and contemporary restaurant and bar, which food-wise specialises in pulled pork. They do salads, fries and some other meals, but they seem quite proud of their pulled pork.

    The menu was available in English. The staff were warm and engaging, it all made for a relaxing and comfortable visit.

    The pulled pork with chorizo, served with large fries. Its beautiful presentation made it all the more appetising and the taste didn’t fail to live up to my expectations. The pulled pork was tender, moist and full of flavour, with the chorizo adding an extra element of taste. The bun was firm and the seeds added texture, with the portion size being generous. The chips were also decent, firm on the exterior, fluffy on the interior and they were suitably garnished and seasoned.

    I have to confess that I just asked for a dark beer, so I’m not entirely sure what this is. Whatever it was was rich in flavour and had a greater depth of taste than I had expected.

    I liked how the restaurant had kept their menu simple and manageable, so they could concentrate on just doing a few things well, rather than lots of things badly. Welcoming, clean and the prices were reasonable, around £7.50 for the burger, fries and beer. All very lovely.

  • Poznan – Old Marych Sculpture

    I liked this sculpture located at plac Wiosny Ludów in Poznan, primarily because I feel that it represents how I usually ride a bike. It involves walking alongside the bike as the cycling bit for me is far too tiring, it’s just easier to push it.

    Anyway, I thought it might be a representation of an interesting local character, but it was decided to make a sculpture of just a typical Poznan resident on his way to work. It isn’t modelled on anyone in particular and it was designed by Juliusz Kubel, a local sculptor.

    Apparently it’s now good luck for cyclists to touch the sculpture. But I’m not a cyclist, so I didn’t bother.

  • Poznan – Stodola Kebap N Grill

    This Turkish restaurant is very well reviewed on-line, but I’m not really an expert in this type of cuisine. I’ve never been to Turkey and I’m not sure that the kebab shops in Lowestoft and Ipswich are really indicative of decent Turkish food. Anyway, I wasn’t actually that hopeful about this place.

    Nice and bright counter, with the staff being enthusiastic and welcoming, speaking good English. I had checked the menu on-line in advance so I knew what I was going to order, and I was pleased that this coincided with what they had on their menu boards. It doesn’t always work out like that…..

    Contemporary and modern design, all very interesting and fun.

    This is chicken kebab and chips with a spicy sauce on top. When it arrived the presentation didn’t look particularly exciting, so my expectations were still low. But that meat was outstanding, tender, packed with flavour and very moreish. The chips were firm and well salted, with the sauce adding some extra flavour and spice.

    This visit far exceeded my expectations and if this restaurant is typical of Turkish cuisine then I might need to have a little visit to Turkey. The meal, including a Fanta, cost around £4 and the restaurant was busy throughout my visit with both eat-in and take-away orders. Very lovely.

  • Poznan – Accor Hotels Menu

    This was the menu in the lift of the Ibis hotel which indicated the special food selection in their various hotels in Poznan. I couldn’t help but think it was a bit pork orientated….