What a nice stereotype!!!

I went with my friend who is blind to a rehabilitation center. He has some problems with his spine and that’s why he needs some exercises. We found the room number 216 and we asked a nurse what we had to do: to wait or to go in. She didn’t know so she promised to ask someone about it. She came back after about 5 minutes and asked my friend: “But why have you come here? To give a massage or to have a massage?” We started to laugh. This is such a strong stereotype, that if you are blind you must be a masseur.

death-lanterns

Death-lanterns are the remains of former customs. They were placed by hospitals or cemeteries. It seems that they are connected with an ancient tradition of keeping fire or candles on graves. They were especially helpful during epidemics, when a lot of sick people were taken to hospitals or dead people to cemeteries. People believed that the fire of death-lathers helped lost souls in finding their graves before the sunrise. Their purpose was also as a reminder about the prayer for the dead. In a symbolic sense they were a line between death and live. There is many monuments of this type on the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostella. In Kraków there is a death-lantern, next to the church of St. Michał.

a house for swallows??

Lately I have been traveling a lot. At the moment I’m in Katowice. Last week I was in Rzeszów, and just before I had been in Olsztyn. I returned from Olsztyn by train. I had to change the trains in Iława, which is small, provincial town. I didn’t expect there anything more than a cup of tea in station’s canteen, but lucky me. The joy is doubled when you find something interesting. The station building is amazing. It was built in neo-Gothic style in 1900. It is made of red bricks and it has a wooden ceiling and stained glass windows. In the nooks of the station live swallows. And of course there was tea in the canteen.

a shuttle man

When I go to Rzeszów to visit my parents I always feel nostalgic. This time, a walk with my mother reminded me of the time I spent in the public garden on banks of the river Wisłok. I used to go there with my grandmother. We used to pass the river on a shelter driven by an old man. He was well known within the city. He died many years ago, but people still remember him very well. The shelter was replaced by a footbridge, and on the closest lawn appeared monument of the old man.

Time machine

I like contradictions, that’s why this morning was so interesting for me. My friend asked me to go with him to a clinic for an MRI test. We were surprised that there is such a machine in a clinic which is behind the administration building of steel mill. People think that the glory of the clinic, as well as the steel mill, ended many years ago, but the doorkeeper was not surprised when we asked about the MRI. He directed us to a lift, the same sort as in a block of flats of my aunt twenty years ago (a real technological museum piece). We were informed that we had to go to a basement. And you know? In the basement there was indeed an MRI machine! The lift was like a time machine leading to better world: MRI, nice staff, no queue and no delay. And my friend is OK. Maybe not healthy, but it is definitely not very serious.

Flying Saucer

Last weekend I was in Katowice for a workshop. It is a very industrial city which does not any charm for me except for one place. It is a “Spodek” (flying saucer) – a concert hall, where I spent many evenings. I was for example there for the concerts of Cocteau Twins, The Cure and Genesis. A view of the “Spodek” on early Sunday morning made me recalled all those nice memories.

What a surprising being!

I was walking with my friend. From the opposite direction was coming a woman with a dog. The dog was very funny: unbelievably small, white with big eyes and ears. The owner leaded the dog with a red leash. My friend was delighted with the view. She said to me: “What a surprising being!”. Suddenly the dog stopped. His owner dropped the leash. The dog started to look at my friend with astonishment. I started to laugh and I told her: “you must be also strange being for that dog”.

Szpieg z Krainy Deszczowców

This is a real treasure among graffiti. Let me introduce you to the Spy from the Rain Peoples Country – a hero of children’s tale. He was following The Wawel Dragon who had set off on a rescue expedition with help to professor Baltazar Gąbka. I forgot about existing all those heroes, so to find this picture it was nice surprise for me.

instead of...

When I have to do something in the city after my work, usually going home I have to change my bus on the stop near dormitories of Technical University. I noticed a long time ago, that there is a small graffiti there. This is a picture of a girl with red flower in her dark hair. Below there is a rose with a drop of blood dripping from its thorn. I have never made a picture of it because of not enough light for making photo. I will do it one day, but at the moment we must be satisfied with a photo of the same graffiti without the rose. This is a stop of tram number 14.

Wetlina

Wetlina 1 - 5 September 2008

Równia

This time my stay in the Bieszczady Mountains was connected with my work. I was on a project workshop there. It was difficult for me to accept all obligation and responsibilities. All those views and smells of clean air I associate with freedom and rest. It was of course some nice things besides work. For example I could see again the orthodox church in Równia, which I consider as the most beautiful between wooden churches of this region.

bench

In the photo: a shop window in Venice. It shows how different might look a bench, with a young couple in love and old, probably married couple. The shop window reminded me a story from a train to Warsaw. An old lady said that passing time makes stops in trains higher and higher. People waiting for stopping a train stared to laugh at her joke about loosing fitness because of age. One passenger said to her that he has force to keep steps in the same size like last year just by helping her with her luggage. She accepted the offer with charm and gratitude. On the platform she said that indeed steps were not higher then last year thanks to him.

...snails

Going to work I usually a pass small public garden next to the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy. Lately some modern sculptures appeared in the garden. Generally, I would say that they are terrible. They look like crazy erotic imagination of snails. They are tasteless to be honest. One of them is named "Transformation". This title meant for me nothing till the moment when some vandal damaged the sculpture a bit. In the part of this abstract snail, where the head appeared that it should be a head, the vandal painted a schematic nose, eyes and a smile. Thanks to that, the snail transformed to hearty character of a funny fairy tale.

a wind

Today in whole country is very strong wind which cause a lot of strange noises. It makes my dog terrified. He tries to hid himself everywhere it is possible. The best is bathroom. Equally good is wardrobe and space under my desk. From time to time he takes sitting position in the middle of a room and looks at me with a request in his eyes: “Do something with that please”. I expect that he will come to my bed at night. Usually he don’t do that, but there are exceptions like: thunderstorm, fireworks and strong wind. He should be happy that we doesn’t live on the coast. There is even worse. My friend is going to make a photo of a storm. Baltic sea must be beautiful today. In the photo: I and Baltic Sea some month ago.

angel in zelkow

An Angel. Magda got it from someone.

zelkow

Today’s evening I spent in my friends summer house. The house is very close to Krakow, but in deep forest, fare away from the most popular places around it. It is very old, very quiet and beautiful. It is also very destroyed, but it is not a fault – M. and her husband were looking for something like this, so they are very happy. In the house there was a lot of old furniture and items. M. has bought it from a farmer who didn’t treat it as valuable things. For us it is. Beautiful old-fashioned chairs, cupboards, farmers tools. Even wedding trunk of some bride before years…
In the photo: an authentic kerosene lamp form the house. It was forgotten there for many years. It is still working. It hangs on the wall made of stones with ammonites.

Camaldolite

The Camaldolite monastery is in Bielany near to Kraków. This is a strict monastic rule. Monks live in isolated monastery. They get up at 4 o’clock every day. They work hardly and pray a lot. They don’t meet people. It is not allowed to women to visit the monastery during whole year with the exception for 12 days. One of them is Christmas. I'm not religious but decided to go to the monastery for the Watching Service.
We left our car somewhere in the forest (there was probably the first parking place, in the way to the monastery). We were walking to the church very slowly in a group of other people for about 15 minutes. Frost, snow, darkness, silence… Much closer to Christmas then usual commercialized space… In the church: monks, a lot of
People singing… They don’t use any instruments, just human voices. It is very exceptional.

A heart

Whilst I was going to work today, I went to the Coffee Heaven and ordered the Coffee Latte. I was in hurry so I was very disappointed when a girl and a boy were flirting, instead of making my coffee. After few minutes the boy started pouring milk to a mug. The girl was observing it carefully. I guessed that he was teaching her haw to make a picture of coffee on milk cream.
Then he gave me my coffee. There was a beautiful heart on the cream. I’m sure, that the heart was not for me, but for the girl working in the Coffee Heaven.

It’s raining all the time. It is so frustrating. I miss olives groves in Cyprus. I’ve seen them a week ago. It is hardly difficult to believe in it. In the photo: an olives grove.

Saint Anna

I got to know about the Monastery on Mount Saint Anna, when ecologists were protested against building a new motorway. Ecologists have lost their battle, so I could went back from Germany by this motorway. I turned into the road going to the Monastery for small pause in my trip. I visited the church with a sculpture of Saint Anna (known of its miracles) and Calvary of the Cross.