Spa in snow

I went to the coffee shop, but it was empty, so I took my place. Out the window I could see the snow falling, and some sanatoriums from the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them have been closed and destroyed. It's a pity how they deteriorate. Szczawnica is a small, romantic spa, and it is still popular among people who spend their holidays here. I don't understand why so many buildings here are in such a bad condition. Only a small number of them are renovated and it makes the center of town very beautiful.

god and bad thing about Salonika

I suppose that the most beautiful in Salonika is the sea during sunset. The water, lightened by the sun, has the colour of steel. Ships and birds against the background of sky looks like figures from a theater of shadows. I will never understand the solitude of homeless dogs in big Greek cities. They are neglected – it is obvious. They are not dangerous, when you live them alone – this is surprising. They are unbelievably sad which is hopeless and this makes me sad.

Collection of my postcards

I usually buy post cards during my travels. I never had knew why I was doing it. I rarely send them to my friends or family (we live in SMS era…). Also, I rarely look at them. I don’t even treat them as souvenirs from the trip. I just keep them in a drawer. Last weekend I found a great possibility to use them. I was a participating in discrimination and antidiscrimination training. In one exercise trainers used postcards in a way which was great for me. Each participants had to choose one card and tell about his or her reflections at the beginning of the second day of the training. It was very interesting for people. They were deeply involved in the task, very creative and open. I think, I will use my collection in my future work in similar exercises.

une lettre

Je marchais dans la rue. C’ étais une nuit. Je ne regardais pas autor de soi, mais la rue sous mes preds. Soudain, j’ai remarqué un Moreau de papier qui semblait interessant. Dans un premier temps, je ne savais pas pourquoi. Je me suis approchée et j’ai pris le papier. Il sést avéré qu’il m’avait intéressé parce que, j’avais remarqué mon prénom (Gosia), écrit dessus. Ce était comme si cette lettre avait été écrite pour moi. Bien sûr, cette lettre n’était pas pour moi, mais pour une autre personne. La contenu a était trés bizarre: « Dites à cette Ania de vous rendre les notes de Gosia et si elle les copie, elle restera à un tunnel ». Les notes au verso etaient aussi bizarres: « Esc-que tu savais que Marek (le frére de Krzysiek) a été au Centre de régimes et un emplyer du Centre lu-a dit qu’il était interdit de manger des bananes? »

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.

and in Jedbourhg Abbey

One more memories from Scotland. On the way to Edibourgh we stopped in Jedburgh. I was the only one person from our group who wanted to see the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey. They gave me a very limited time to see everything that’s why I decided to go only to go to see the central nave. This beautiful place symbolize for me the gravity of passage of time. The central nave was constructed of 3 levels of arcades. Over the nave there was only the sky.

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.