Let's play - children's day

1st June 2016

Today is Children's Day. So let's play. It is not a public holiday. It was introduced in 1952.

Gdansk once again

31 st May 2016

One of our holidays destinations in Poland is Gdansk. We have been many timese there but tricity is our favourite place. Firstly Baltic Sea secondly the craddle of independence.

 

Photos from last July.

Sunset at my place

30th May 2016

 

It was a warm summer day. It was 30C degrees - definitely summer.

Sunset near our power plant.

Have a peaceful evening.

 

 

THANKS FOR VISITING.

 

 

Belbooks Diet - Secrets of Linden Tea

So now watch how to make a linden tea. I made ift wiith my granny in that way.

Linden - symbol of Catherine

29th May 2016

I love lindens.  Why ? This tree  always reminds me about my grandma Catherine. She was French born woman in 1906 later we came back to Poland with their parents American born.  My great grandparents and grandparents were  not Polish. They were too poor to live in Poland so they tried to earn money in different lands.

My granny Kate was a strong woman who survived WWI and WWII and later communism and she was lucky enough because she died in 1997 when Poland was completely independent.

When I was born she was 68 so too old to take care of me, but we got on very well. She lived on the small farm had some chickens and a big black and white cow. She planted a lot of veggies and had the most delicious apples trees in the world. She was a very stubborn woman, mother of five children( my mother was the youngest) and her husband was American born citizen, Thety travelled to different countries and had a lot of problems with communist goverment in Poland because hey were only permanent residents here not citizens.

I loved visiting my grandma at that time we were sitting under the tall linden and grandma toold me about my roots. The linden was planted by my grandfather when his youngest child was born. The linden is now 70 years old like my father.

My grandma collected flowers from linden and made the best tea. She added also some lemon and sugar. During the sunny days the linden gave us he shadow when we talked about roots.

In July we gathered flowers for tea. This tea helped me to fight cold and flu.

 Now I buy linden tea in the herbal shop.

I inherited my grandma's garden and linden.It is  far from my house. Next weekend I am going to visit my linden, So I am going to take some photos of it.

My daughter Catherine inherited name after her great grandmother. And what is interesting and fascinating she was born on the same day 12th March as her great grandmother but 99 years later. And her character is very similar to Catherine. 

All photos of linden I took at my place in Bytom.

Local park in the spring

27th May 2016

Today I have uploaded photos which I took yesterday walking dog with my daughter. Weather was cloudy but nice. Perfect for walking under shadowy trees. It is the old park which was started many years ago when Germany was here. Lately it has been restored. A lot of trees are very old which remember a complicated history of this region which belonged to three nations The Czech Republic, Germany and now Poland.

The pet and his owner.

The oldest tree hee. The oak which is over 300 years old. Looks strong and healthy

There is a pond near park in the future a housing estate is planned here.

Ferns are everywhere.

THANKS FOR VISITING!!!

Roses

27th May 2016

Today is Mother's Day here. The day is cloudy and not so hot.  Walking the dog in the morning I took the great photos. Nice fence and roses.

Roses for all mums around the world..

Tomorrow is Corpus Christi

26th May 2016

Tomorrow is a Corpus Chisti which is a public holiday. It is also Mother's Day in Poland.

What Do People Do?

Large groups of people take part in outdoor processions in many villages, towns and cities in Poland. The processions include children dressed in white who scatter flower petals on the streets. Some of the procession’s participants stop to pray at temporary shrines. Many homes are decorated with religious icons during Corpus Christi.

Public Life

Corpus Christi is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. There is a trade prohibition on public holidays in Poland. Traffic is stopped during the Corpus Christi procession times in many places in Poland. People intending to travel via public transport during public holidays must check with the public transit authorities on any changes to time schedules.

Background

Corpus Christi is a festival that the Catholic Church has celebrated to honor the Eucharist since 1246. The name “Corpus Christi” is a Latin phrase that refers to the body of Christ. It is a moveable feast that is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in Poland, a country where most of the population belongs to the Catholic Church. Corpus Christi is also observed in various countries in the world.

Symbols

People scatter flowers on the streets to welcome Jesus, who is believed to walk the streets with the people during the Corpus Christi processions. The twigs that decorate the temporary prayer shrines are often torn off for good luck and happiness.
Wiki

The old cross.

25th May 2106

It is an old Cross which is located near the theatre of dance. In my opinion it is very old but looks nice.

I think it is over 100 years  old and the architecture is very interesting,

Abandoned coal mine

24th May 2016

It is an abandoned coal mine in my city located near city centre so it is a nice view for residents or tourists.

 

In the past there were six coal mines here but most of them were closed. Now only one is working. And it seems that our coal is much more expensive than Russian Chinese or Australian ones. Our climate is getting hotter and hotter so we don't need so much coal.

Dance Theatre at my place

23rd May 2015


It is theatre in my city. Looks impressive.

1. The principal mission and assumption of the new artistic institution is creating and propagating the art of contemporary dance, enriched by other forms of the art of movement (such as pantomime, classical ballet, street dance, etc.). The rich tradition of contemporary dance in Bytom and the interest of the citizens in this field of art give Bytom a chance to become Poland’s dance capital. The additional strong point, which will enable developing of the institution’s activity in completely different fields is the building of Rozbark mine’s Waiting Room, which is the seat of the new institution.
2. 
   

Holidays are coming

23rd May 2016

So it is only one month and wes tart holidays. I can't wait for it. The weather is perfect now. 

Photo was taken on 21st May in my city..

My way to holidays .- not so long.. And what abouit y0u?

It is a great monument

22nd May 2016

This photo was take by my daughter last year in Warsaw

The "Little Insurgent") is a statue in commemoration of the child soldiers who fought and died during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It is located on Podwale Street, next to the ramparts of Warsaw’s Old Town.

The statue is of a young boy wearing a helmet too large for his head and holding a submachine gun. It is reputed to be of a fighter who went by the pseudonym of "Antek", and was killed on 8 August 1944 at the age of 13. The helmet and submachine gun are stylized after German equipment, which was captured during the uprising and used by the resistance fighters against the occupying forces.

Have a peaceful Sunday

Valley of Death in Slovakia

21st 2016

The valley of Death we visited it two years ago . This interesting place is located in Slovakia. 

The Valley of Death is located in the Dukla Pass just outside the village of Svidnik in the north eastern corner of Slovakia. In this valley several tanks and other remains from one of the great tank battles of World War II (the Battle of the Dukla Pass) can still be seen. Some of the tanks are left almost where they stopped during the battle, while other have been turned into monuments. Most of the tanks are Russian model T-34

We are siting next to the Soviet tanks from WWII.

Poland Rediscovered: Krakow, Auschwitz, and Warsaw

Summer trip to Cracow, Poland

Ctracow - my tomorrow destination

21st May 2016

I am gong to Cracow tomorrow. and I am sure it will be a great day.

Cracow is a very popular city with tourists always crowded and busy. But Love walking there. There are a lot of landmarks here. It was the capital of Poland in the past.

The Vistula River the longest river in my place.

Blue trams which are popular in Cracow. In my place red anda grey are the most common.

All photos I took on 31st May2015