Sharing with you my love to Wroclaw and its environs - a very exceptional place on this planet - a melting pot of many cultures famous for its openness and friendliness.
Welcome to Wroclaw!
If you want your love to last forever, come to Wroclaw and lock it on the Tumski Bridge (in Polish: Most Tumski), the oldest bridge in Wroclaw. After fixing the padlock on the Poland love bridge you must throw the key into the river! The best time to do it is St. Valentine's Day:-)
photo by Adrianna Maria Thea Potocka/Wroclove on Facebook
photo by Julo (Wikipedia)
photo by Magnaj (Wikipedia)
The bridge has been there for centuries (the Tumski island, where it is situated, is the oldest part of the city), but the first padlocks must have appeared in 2009. I saw them for the first time in July 2009, walking there with my German friend Andrea, who first noticed it. Since then, every time I'm there I am surprised by the growing number of padlocks and their amazing shapes. It's become a real tourist attraction:-)
The whole island, known also as the Cathedral island is a beautiful place itself, with old churches, quiet streets, cosy cafes and gas lamps lit up every day by a a lamplighter. He carries a special long pole to light up 92 gas lamps. I was lucky enough to see this special 'ceremony' one summer evening and it was really magical!
photo by my friend Miles
photo by Marek Ciechowski/mm moje miasto
Some other special love places in Wrocław:
photo by mia amica Stefania
.... and outside Wroclaw, in the gardens of the magnificent Książ castle, 70km away:
photo by me
Wishing you lots of love around you and inside you each day of the year!:-)
Christmas,
Christmas and it’s already after Christmas – that’s what we say in Polish when these
long- awaited holidays finish. I hope you had a wonderful time. What makes it
so nice is undoubtedly the special yummy food we eat during Christmas. To
prolong the festive atmosphere let me recall the delicious food we ate during
Christmas Eve Supper in my family. Most
of the stuff is eaten only once a year – just on that special evening. The absolute hit and the first thing to
indulge in is the beetroot soup eaten with little mushroom dumplings called ‘little
ears’. It can be replaced by a mushroom or fish soup. Then the second course is served – in my home
it is fried carp with mushrooms, pierogi (special Polish dumplings) with
cabbage and mushroom filling, cabbage with mushrooms, herbs and spices boiled
for a few days and boiled cabbage with peas. The other things include all sorts of fish – usually herring
prepared in different ways - under the ‘duvet’ of grated apples, onion and cream, marinated one,
with walnuts and prunes or fried fish
with vegetables called Fish a la Greek (!).
There is also a tartar sauce and grated cold beetroot, usually prepared
with horseradish. If we add a special
compote made of smoked dried fruit there will be 12 obligatory dishes. 12 like
12 months of the year or 12 days of Christmas;-). For dessert you can choose
from pasta with poppy seeds and walnuts, poppy-seed cake, various types of gingerbread
and nicely-decorated cookies. One very important traditional Christmas Eve dish
in Poland is sweet kutia - boiled wheat with poppy seeds and honey , which,
shame to say, I have only eaten once or twice in my life. The dishes differ a little depending on the
region of the country, but main principles are observed everywhere – no meat on
that day and a lot of fish, cabbage, poppy seeds and gingerbread.
Mmm…. Yummy…..
It’s so sad that I’ll have to wait another year for all these delicacies…
