Trip To Europe 2024

On Monday we left Krakow by train and headed to Warsaw. The trains had been busier than we were expecting and we ended up having to book first class to get on. We took a slower train that was meant to take around three and a half hours, but actually took a bit over four. We were in a carriage of six people. The Polish man across from me was really helpful in assisting me with putting my case up on the rack.

The seats were comfortable enough and the scenery was pleasant with lots of yellow flowers covering the farmland. The main problem was that the train was freezing cold. The aircon was set at an Arctic temperature. Since I had been coming down with some virus or other anyway, this really just finished me off. When the man across from me noticed how much I was shivering, he tried to put the aircon off for me, but it was centrally controlled and wouldn't go off. By the time we got to Warsaw, I had turned into a huge block of ice. I don't think I have ever been so cold.

Yellow flowers.

Yellow flowers.

Yellow flowers.

Town we passed through on route.

We tried to book a Bolt to the hotel and it took us a while to find our driver, but he was absolutely determined to find us. He phoned me and talked me through where he was. Eventually I saw a driver leaping up and down waving at me and we were good to go. I was so relieved to reach the hotel as the freezing cold journey had rendered me really, really unwell.

We had booked two nights in The Sofitel Victoria. It was the most expensive hotel of the whole holiday and it was supposed to be a treat to ourselves. It was a very nice hotel, but I was so ill by the time we got there that I just got into bed fully dressed and lay shivering under a huge quilt for five hours before I felt warm enough to move and even then I didn't move far. I didn't have the strength to go out looking for food or drink. We had some water and biscuits and the hotel gave us a small box of chocolates. That had to do us, because of the state I was in. After five hours of warming up, I spent about twenty minutes making us coffee and finding the biscuits we had brought with us, then I went back to bed and passed out for about ten hours.

Hotel lobby.

Our room.

Our room looked out over Piłsudski Square which is named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski who helped restore Polish statehood after World War I. This is the largest public square in Warsaw. There were some excavations being carried out there. We could look over them from the room, but they were hidden at street level.

View from our room.

View from our room.

View from our room.

Excavations from our window.

In the morning I felt a bit better but not exactly well. I went out and found a Carrefour and brought back rolls, cheese and drinks. After some food we both felt a little bit better.

Zachęta – National Gallery of Art viewed from the hotel lift lobby.

I wasn't sure if I was well enough to go out, but Peter said: "Go out for a short while, or you will just regret it. Just don't overdo it." So I headed out for a short wander around. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if I had seen nothing, because we were in Warsaw just a few years ago and had a very thorough look around. But I'm glad I made the effort to have another look.

Like Krakow, Warsaw is located on the banks of the River Vistula. The city takes its name from an old legend. Long ago there was a fisherman called Wars who lived in a small house on the banks of the Vistula River. Wars was a good man and always worked very hard. One warm summer's evening Wars was relaxing on the banks of the river when he heard someone singing. The sound was magical and it seemed to be coming from the water. Wars got into his boat and sailed off to have a look. Eventually he found a beautiful mermaid called Sawa. She was sitting on a rock singing, but when she became aware of Wars she dived into the water and swam away. Wars couldn't get the beautiful mermaid out of his mind and he listened for her singing again and again. Each time he heard it, he sought her out. Gradually Sawa lost her fear of Wars and the two fell in love. Sawa was able to exchange her fish tail for legs and the two married and set up home by the river.

There's a mermaid statue in the centre of Warsaw's Old Town, there's another on the banks of the Vistula and the mermaid image features on the city's coat of arms. Warsaw really is the City of Mermaids.

I had intended just to look at the square in front of the hotel and the park next to it, but as usual I got distracted and then carried away. First of all, I noticed a church in the opposite direction from the park, so I went there. It turned out to be The Roman Catholic Church of the Visitants. To my surprise, there was a service going on in English there. Apparently this is one of the most notable rococo churches in Warsaw and dates from 1765.

Roman Catholic Church of the Visitants.

Inside the Roman Catholic Church of the Visitants.

There was a little park outside the church and it had several statues. I remembered some of these from our previous visit. One of the statues was of Stefan Wyszynski. At one time he was the Archbishop of Warsaw. Many Polish people consider him to be a national hero, as he spoke out against the Communist authorities. This led to him being imprisoned for three years. Wyszynski is credited with keeping the Catholic Church alive in Poland when it was threatened by the Communist State. He was beatified in 2021.

Monument to Stefan Wyszynski.

There's also a bench dedicated to Father Jan Twardowski. I have a picture of Peter sitting on this when we visited in 2018. Father Jan Twardowski was a Polish poet and a Catholic priest.

Bench for Father Jan Twardowski.

There was also a monument to Boleslaw Prus. Boleslaw Prus was the pen name of Aleksander Głowacki a famous Polish novelist.

Boleslaw Prus Monument.

At the end of the park I saw a sign saying Warsaw Old Town 600m. I thought to myself: "Well that's not very far. I might as well go." To be honest it was a much more pleasant temperature than it had been in Krakow, so I wasn't suffering much walking around even if I didn't feel one hundred percent fit.

I soon came to The Presidential Palace. This is the official residence of the Polish head of state. It was originally built as a mansion for a wealthy aristocrat in 1643. Outside it there's an equestrian statue of Józef Poniatowski, a Polish general.

The Presidential Palace.

The Presidential Palace.

Next I came to The Carmelite Church with its impressive neoclassical facade. I found this church very beautiful inside. Apparently this church was the site of Frédéric Chopin's first employment when he was invited to give a recital on the church's organ.

The Carmelite Church.

The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

In The Carmelite Church.

Outside the church there's a statue of Adam Mickiewicz, the Polish poet.

Church and statue.

Church and statue.

Close up of statue.

I also passed The Tyszkiewicz Palace and St Anne's Church. Tyszkiewicz Palace used to be owned by a noble Polish family called the Potockis. It was destroyed in the war, but rebuilt and is now part of Warsaw University. St Anne's is a beautiful baroque church dating back to the fifteenth century. It's possible to climb up the adjacent bell tower for views over Castle Square. Polonia House is another impressive building here and so is The Bristol Hotel.

Tyszkiewicz Palace.

St Anne's Church.

St Anne's Church.

Polonia House.

Hotel Bristol.

I had now reached Castle Square and Warsaw's impressive castle. Nowadays The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a state museum and national historic monument, but at one time it was the official royal residence of several Polish monarchs. Castle Square in front of the former royal residence is a large open roughly triangular square surrounded by townhouses. In the centre of it is Sigismund's Column and statue which commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who moved Poland's capital from Kraków to Warsaw in 1596.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Castle Square.

Sigismund's Column.

Sigismund's Column.

Stall on Castle Square.

Near the castle is the Tin Roofed Palace. Its English name is inaccurate as its roof is actually made of copper. It dates back to the seventeenth century and offers two exhibitions. On the ground floor there's the carpets and woven-arts collection of the Teresa Sahakian Foundation and on the first floor there's the apartments of Prince Józef Poniatowski.

The Tin Roofed Palace.

There were several people dressed as bears collecting money for charity and posing for photos in Castle Square.

Who let the bears out?

Who let the bears out?

I could remember many of the things there were to see. I decided to walk up the centre of the Old Town in one direction and come back along the Old Town Walls in the other.

I soon came to more churches. I decided to visit The Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. This Catholic Church dates from the fourteenth century. It is one of three cathedrals in Warsaw. At one time The Archcathedral was connected to the Royal Castle by an eighty metre long elevated corridor. This was the idea of Queen Anna Jagiellonka following an attempt on the life of her nephew King Sigismund III in front of the cathedral.

Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Warsaw Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Warsaw's Cathedral, The Chapel of St. John the Baptist.

Stained glass.

Next door to The Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist is The Church of Our Lady of Grace. I didn't go inside, but I stopped to take a photo of the stone bear outside it. His name is Mieszko and there's a legend about him.

One day Prince Janusz I was out hunting. He entered a bear's den and, to his astonishment, found a human boy there being raised by the she bear as one of her cubs. When the human child saw that Prince Janusz was going to kill the bear and her cubs, he stepped between them and tried to protect them. The prince was so impressed by the boy's bravery that he adopted him and took him back to his palace. The boy was given the title Prince Mieszko.

Prince Mieszko was raised with love and care, but he felt more comfortable in the forest surrounded with animals than he did with people. He was especially tongue tied with women. That is until he met Jadwizka, a beautiful and kind woman that he fell madly in love with. Prince Mieszko planned to marry Jadwizka, but before he could propose, he was summoned away on an errand. He was gone for several months. On his return to Warsaw, Prince Mieszko walked into a church in the Old Town, wondering if it would be a suitable place to hold his wedding, but to his horror, inside the church he found Jadwizka being forced to marry another man. Prince Mieszko's heart was broken and he wanted to die. Fortunately a kindly old witch understood his pain and took pity on him. She turned him into a stone bear on the church steps, where he remains until the present day. Only a kiss from his true love can reawaken him and turn him back into a prince once more.

Mieszko the Stone Bear outside Our Lady of Grace Church.

I also had a look in St Martin's Church. This is located on the oldest street in the Old Town, Ul Piwna or Beer Street. This church was founded in 1356 by the Duke of Mazovia, Ziemowit and his wife Euphemia. It's quite spectacular on the outside, but simple on the inside, as the original Baroque interior was not restored when it was rebuilt after its destruction in 1944.

St Martin's Church.

St. Martin's Church.

St Martin's Church.

Inside St Martin's Church.

The Old Town has some beautiful buildings, lots of restaurants and shops.

House in the Old Town.

Polish restaurant.

Restaurant.

Restaurant.

Restaurant.

Restaurant by the walls.

Souvenir shop.

Souvenir shop.

Souvenir shop.

World of Amber shop.

Toy musicians.

Horse and carriage.

I soon reached the Market Square with its famous mermaid fountain. This square has always been the centre of the Old Town and used to be the site of the town hall. Like almost all of Warsaw, the Market Square was reduced to a pile of rubble by the Nazi Army as they fled from Warsaw, allowing the Soviet army to move in. All the current buildings here were built between 1948 and 1953 to look like they did in the seventeenth century.

There's a fountain with a mermaid in the middle of the square. She is one of several mermaid statues in the city.

Market Square.

Market Square.

Mermaid Fountain.

Mermaid Fountain.

Mermaid Fountain.

Street musician on Market Square.

Soon I reached The Warsaw Barbican and some remains of the Old Town Walls. The Barbican is a fortification that marks the end of The Old Town.

The Barbican.

The Barbican.

The Barbican.

The Barbican.

Walls of The Old Town.

Walls of The Old Town.

Looking down from the city walls.

I remembered that a bit further on there was a monument to The Warsaw Uprising and decided to go there. On route I had a look in St Hyacinth's Church. This Baroque church was built by the Dominicans between 1603 and 1639. During the Warsaw Uprising this church was used as a hospital. There were floral tributes outside the church for all those who died in that hospital during the war.

St. Hyacinth's Church, Warsaw.

Flower tributes.

Nearby there was a building with lots of mermaid pictures around it. Apparently a dragon like creature was the original symbol of Warsaw and it later evolved into the mermaid. Both images were on display.

Dragon like creature on the left and mermaid on the right.

Mermaid.

Mermaid.

Mermaid.

The Warsaw Uprising was an attempt by the Polish Resistance Home Army to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, as the German army was retreating and the Soviet Red Army was advancing. The Red Army halted their advance and allowed the Germans to kill thousands of Poles then marched in and took over the city when it was at its weakest.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Warsaw Uprising Monument.

Next to the monument there was a free entry museum with photo displays and some memorabilia from the uprising. I had a look inside.

The Warsaw Uprising Museum.

Model of a devastated Warsaw.

In the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

Photos of the devastation during the uprising.

Photo of The Polish Resistance Home Army.

Photo of The Polish Resistance Home Army.

Across the road from the Warsaw Uprising Monument is the beautiful Field Cathedral of the Polish Army. I didn't look inside. Also nearby is The Raczyński Palace

Field Cathedral of the Polish Army.

Raczyński Palace.

I wandered back along the Old Town walls to the Monument to The Little Insurrectionist.This commemorates the children who fought and died during the Warsaw Uprising.

The Little Insurrectionist.

The Little Insurrectionist.

The Little Insurrectionist.

Further on is the Jan Kiliński Monument. Kiliński was a cobbler who led a troop of peasants in the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising. Although he was wounded twice, he managed to capture the Russian Ambassador's Warsaw residence. Later he was imprisoned in St. Petersburg for his role in the uprising. Poles regard Kiliński as the embodiment of bravery and patriotism. During the Nazi Occupation, Nazi troops hid the Kiliński statue in the vaults of The National Museum. Within days some Polish boy scouts had daubed the walls of the museum with graffiti saying: 'People of Warsaw! I am here, Jan Kiliński.’

Jan Kiliński Monument.

Jan Kiliński Monument.

Further on is The Jan Zachwatowicz Monument. Zachwatowicz was the architect responsible for the perfect reconstruction of the Warsaw Old Town

Jan Zachwatowicz Monument.

I was getting tired so I wandered back home having a very quick look at Pilsudskiego Square where our hotel was located. I saw the eternal flame, but was too tired to wander around the park. I visited it before on our last trip.

Sofitel.

Pilsudskiego Square.

Piłsudskiego Square.

Eternal flame.

That evening we went for a meal and our free drinks downstairs in the hotel bar. I had club sandwich, which was lovely but I had to take half of it away as I couldn't eat it all. Peter had cheese croquettes.

Peter in the restaurant.

Next day we had a late checkout till two. We still weren't a hundred percent, but we went for a swim in the hotel pool, because it was part of the reason we had decided to stay there.

Peter in the pool.

Peter in the pool.

We took a Bolt to the airport and received excellent help from the mobility assistance people. Our first flight was about five and a half hours. We sat next to a Chinese man and talked to him a little bit. I watched 'After the Flood ' which I had watched on the journey over. I realised I hadn't seen the last episode. I also watched a remade, very politically correct version of Agatha Christie's 'Murder is Easy.' We had eight hours in the Silver Lounge in Doha. Neither of us were drinking alcohol. We still didn't feel well. I had some excellent Moroccan vegetable soup and Peter had chicken soup. On our next eight and a half hour flight, we were on different seats, but we were next to the same Chinese man as the previous flight. We all found that very funny. We arrived home exhausted and have been taking it very easy ever since to recover.

Yesterday I ate a lot for breakfast and very little for dinner. Peter ate almost no breakfast and no dinner. Today he was willing to eat a bit and I was eating a little because I felt I should be hungry, but actually I wasn't. When we got back to the room, Peter wasn't feeling too bad, but I was in agony. My stomach was sooooo painful!! I even drank salt water in an attempt to throw up, because I was in so much pain, but it didn't work. I needed to go back to sleep for a couple of hours in the hope that I might start feeling better. When I woke up, the pain had eased. I hated to waste a day when we were only in Krakow for a short time. I offered to take Peter out. He said he didn't want to go and needed more rest. I said I'd just go for a short walk.

Of course my short walk didn't stay a short walk, and we both knew it wouldn't. I so hate to waste holiday time due to illness. I had intended to visit Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Krakow, today and that was just what I was going to do.

When I reached Planty Park, I knew I should go left, but I hadn't explored the park off to the right, so that was what I decided to do. I was glad I did, because there were lots of statues, monuments, flowers, ponds and all of it was shaded, which was brilliant as there was another intense heat warning in force.

One of the first things I saw was a statue of a man inside a rectangular frame. This was very close to The Barbican, but I had missed it the previous day. It turned out that this was a monument to Jan Matejko, who is considered to be one of Poland's greatest painters. Among other things he painted some of the interior of St Mary's Basilica.

Monument to Jan Matejko.

Next I found a statue of Bohdan Zaleskiego, Poland's most famous romantic poet sitting with a child. This statue was created by sculptor P.Welonski.

Bohdan Zaleskiego.

I noticed an interesting building on the edge of the park. This turned out to be The House under the Globe, which was built between 1904 and 1906 as the seat of The Krakow Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński and Franciszek Mączyński.

The House under the Globe.

Next I saw The Monument of Queen Jadwiga and King Ladislaus Jogaila. This monument was made in Rome by Oskar Sosnowski in 1886. It celebrates the quincentenary of the Union of Krevo between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The Monument of Queen Jadwiga and King Ladislaus Jogaila.

There was an attractive pond with a fountain and some pretty flowers.

Pond with fountain.

Flowers.

Then I came to another statue. This one was Lila Weneda, a character in a play by Juliusz Slowacki. This statue was created by sculptor Alfred Daun in 1885.

Lila Weneda.

I came to an area with colourful flowers.

Colourful flowers.

Next I came across a statue to Artur Grottger, a renowned Polish painter, who tragically died of TB at the age of thirty.

Statue to Artur Grottger.

I passed another monument surrounded by roses, but I'm not sure what it was and some impressive buildings belonging to Jagiellonian University.

Monument and roses.

Monuments and roses.

Jagiellonian University.

There was a statue of Nicholaus Copernicus, who theorised that the sun, rather than the Earth, was the centre of the universe.

Nicholaus Copernicus.

Eventually I came out of Planty Park next to Wawel Castle. I didn't want to visit the castle again, so I just passed by the bottom of it to the church I had walked by yesterday. This was St. Bernard's Church and it was founded by St. John of Capistrano, a Franciscan priest who lived from 1386 to 1456. Mass was taking place when I went inside, so I just sat quietly at the back.

St. Bernard's Church.

Entrance to the church.

Inside the church.

Statue outside the church.

I knew that Kazimierz was off to my left, but I wanted to walk by the river a bit, too, so after leaving the church I went straight, then off to the right. There was a large church called The Church of the Conversion of St Paul across the road from me.

Church of the Conversion of St Paul.

I knew I must be nearing the Jewish area of Kazimierz, as I saw a shop selling little models of Jewish musicians. There were also some old black and white photos of the Jewish community of Kazimierz.

Jewish musicians.

Old photos of Jewish Krakow.

When I turned right, I noticed some street art. I thought I was looking at the lead singer of Dire Straits, but I was wrong. The image showed Andrzej Bieniasz, a Polish musician, guitarist, composer and songwriter who was co-founder of the bands Düpą and Püdelsi. I had never heard of him, because I know nothing about Polish rock music. There was other street art, too.

Andrzej Bieniasz.

Street art.

I passed some rather attractive apartment buildings, then I was at the river. There were great views back towards the castle. If I had approached it, I think I would have seen the dragon statue, but I didn't. We saw it on our earlier visit. There were some attractive apartment buildings near here.

Angel Wawel. Apartments in Krakow with a view of Wawel.

Wawel Castle from the banks of the Vistula.

Many people were walking or cycling along the banks of the Vistula. There were a lot of boats and some were restaurants or bars. It was possible to walk across the river via a bridge, but it was just too hot and would have led me away from Kazimierz.

On the banks of the Vistula River.

Restaurant boats on the banks of the Vistula River.

Restaurant boats on the banks of the Vistula River.

On the other side of the river though, there's Ghetto Heroes Square and Oskar Schindler's Factory. Ghetto Heroes Square with its sculptures of empty chairs was where thousands of Jews were herded before being deported to concentration camps. Oskar Schindler's Factory, of course, featured in the film 'Schindler's List.' Maybe I will visit these on a future trip.

I found a statue of a dog enclosed in a giant pair of hands. Although I hadn't been looking for this, I had come across it when looking up unusual things to see in Krakow. The statue shows Dżok, a black mongrel, whose owner died of a heart attack at a nearby roundabout. For about a year afterwards Dżok waited every day at the roundabout for his master's return. Locals fed him snacks and then eventually one took him in, but she also died and Dżok was left to fend for himself once again. A few days later he died under the wheels of a train. Such a depressing story!

Dżok The Dog monument.

Dżok The Dog monument.

At this point I headed away from the river to Kazimierz. I passed the rather pretty Church of St Agnes.

St Agnes's Church.

At one time Jewish people thrived in Krakow. They had been granted freedom of worship, trade and travel by Bolesław the Pious in his General Charter of Jewish Liberties in 1264. Later in the fourteenth century, King Casimir III, who was also very pro-Jewish, founded a new town on an island in the Vistula River. This new town was called Kazimierz after the king. Many Jews were resettled here in 1495 when King John I Albert ordered them out of Krakow. Although there were Christians living in Kazimierz, too, it became predominantly Jewish in the north eastern part of the island. At one point there were even walls around the Jewish area. This area was separate from Krakow until the nineteenth century. Nowadays Kazimierz is a suburb of Krakow and it's no longer an island, as the northern branch of the Old Vistula River has been filled in.

In 1941 during the Nazi Occupation the Jewish population of Kazimierz were forcibly relocated to the Krakow ghetto just across the river in Podgórze (where Heroes Square and Oskar Schindler's Factory are located.) Most ended up being deported to concentration camps where they were killed. After the war, in Communist times Kazimierz was largely left to crumble. The Communist regime ended in 1990. Then in 1993, Steven Spielberg shot his film 'Schindler's List' in Kazimierz, even though most of the events in the film actually took place in Podgórze on the other side of the river. This sparked renewed interest in the area and many restoration projects of important historical sites were carried out. An important Jewish cultural festival was held here. Also at this time many restaurants, bars and hotels moved into the area. Some Jewish people of Polish origin,who had been living in Israel or the USA, even came back and settled here, though the number of Jews living here is way less than before the war. Now Kazimierz is an interesting place to visit with lots of history and many places to eat and drink.

As I walked into Kazimierz, I could see the tower of Corpus Christi Church in front of me.

Corpus Christi Church.

I didn't really know what to expect in Kazimierz. To be honest I hadn't researched it much before my visit, so it would just be a case of wander around and hope I find things to see. The first site I came to was The Tempel Synagogue. It cost 15 zloty to go in and I decided not to go in.

The Tempel Synagogue was designed by Ignacy Hercok in Moorish Revival and Rundbogenstil Style. It was completed in 1862. During World War II this synagogue was desecrated and used for storing ammunition. It was restored between 1995 and 2000. Nowadays it plays an active part during The Krakow Jewish Culture Festival.

Tempel Synagogue.

Tempel Synagogue.

Near the Temple Synagogue there was a little vintage gallery called Galerie LueLue and some brightly coloured street art.

Galerie LueLue.

Street art.

I continued onwards and found the wall of the Remuh Jewish Cemetery. Again there was some street art in this area. I decided to follow the wall around to find the cemetery entrance.

Looking into the Jewish cemetery.

Street art.

Street art.

I was glad I had followed the cemetery wall because I ended up in the heart of Kazimierz on Szeroka Street. Here I found synagogues, restaurants and shops. I decided since I had walked around the Jewish Cemetery, I may as well pay the 15 zloty to go in. This cemetery is called Remuh Cemetery and it is all around Remuh Synagogue, which is also covered by the entry fee.

The Remuh Synagogue is Krakow's smallest but most active synagogue. It was built in 1558. It was called after Rabbi Moses Isserles who wrote important commentaries on the Code of Jewish Law. Some people believe Rabbi Moses Isserles' father founded the synagogue in honour of his son. Others believe it was built in memory of Isserles’ mother, Malka.

Entrance to Remuh Synagogue.

Remuh Synagogue sign.

Remuh Synagogue exterior.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

The cemetery around the synagogue was in use until 1800. It was allowed to get overgrown and ruined during the Nazi Occupation. One of the few graves to survive completely intact was that of Rabbi Moses Isserles. In fact there's a legend that a Nazi soldier tried to damage the grave and was struck dead by lightning. During restoration work after the war, many graves were repaired. Fragments of those that couldn't be repaired were made into a wailing wall. Some of the cemetery was quite overgrown with nettles. I saw one grave covered with pieces of paper. I wonder if that was the grave of Rabbi Moses Isserles, as I read people often leave written requests there.

The Remuh Cemetery.

The Remuh Cemetery.

The Remuh Cemetery.

Nettles in the Remuh Cemetery.

Fragments of graves in the wailing wall in the Remuh Cemetery.

Doorway in Remuh Cemetery.

Walls in the Remuh Cemetery.

Back outside on Szeroka Street I found a memorial to the Jews who died in the Holocaust.

Memorial to Jews murdered in the war.

Memorial to Jews murdered in the war.

There were also several Jewish restaurants.

Ariel Restaurant.

Ariel Restaurant.

I didn't know it at the time but one of the houses here used to be the home of Helena Rubenstein, who founded a huge cosmetics empire.

Szeroka, the green house was the childhood home of Helena Rubenstein.

Szeroka, home of Helena Rubenstein.

The Hotel Rubenstein nearby is named after her.

I noticed a book shop and subsequently found out that this was contained within an old synagogue called the Wolf Popper Synagogue. This was founded by Wolf Popper in 1620, but it went into decline after his death. Nowadays it is a book store and an art gallery. There was some lovely artwork outside it. The art gallery on the upper floor was closed during my visit.

The Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue..

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue .

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Artwork outside Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Artwork outside Wolf Popper Synagogue.

At the end of Szeroka Street was The Old Synagogue. I suffered a case of deja vu when I got here, because I recognised it from our first visit here in the nineteen nineties. It cost eighteen zloty to go in, but I didn't go in. I remembered it. This was a synagogue, now it's a museum. It had a display of all the usual disturbing images associated with the Holocaust like Jews being herded into trains and taken off to the concentration camps, but what had disturbed me most when we visited was a school photo. I had originally found it cheerful amongst all the depressing images of war and death. I had looked at all the smiling, hopeful faces of the children in it then read the caption that said it was taken in 1937 and a few years later all these children were dead. I had started to cry at that point and I had no intention of revisiting. It's an experience etched into my brain.

The Old Synagogue.

Old Synagogue.

Wandering around more I passed The Kupa Synagogue, which is now a museum, the market place and many restaurants.

The Kupa Synagogue.

Market, Kazimierz.

Jewish man.

Sababa Jewish Restaurant.

Szara Kazimierz.

Typical house in the Jewish quarter.

I passed an interesting looking Polish restaurant/beer garden called Wrega and a restaurant with a Singer sewing machine on each table.

Wręga on Ul Josefa.

Wręga on Ul Josefa.

I had had too much sun again, so I walked back to Planty Park but after cooling down a bit I had one last look at the Old Town. I passed Holy Trinity Church, Larischa Palace, St Francis Church, sculptures and a house called Under the Bells.

Holy Trinity Church.

Larischa Palace.

Church of St Francis.

St Francis.

Sculpture in the Old Town.

Under the Bells' House.

Back home, after a rest, I managed to get Peter to agree to a meal out. We ended up eating in the hotel. He had soup and I had a burger. The food was very good.

Meal out.

Meal out.

When Peter woke up next day, he wasn't feeling well. I think the heat and all the problems of the day before had made him quite ill. This was the only hotel on our stay where we had breakfast included and Peter couldn't eat anything. He was just incredibly thirsty and had glass after glass of water and apple juice. I had bread, cheese, scrambled eggs and pancakes. After breakfast, Peter said he just wanted to lie in a cool, darkened room and he was still thirsty. I went out and bought lots of soft drinks, as he was obviously dehydrated. Then I went out again to have a look around Krakow. It was a roasting hot day with an intensive heat warning in place.

Krakow, located on the banks of the Vistula River, is the second largest city in Poland. It's also one of the oldest cities here, and can trace its origins back to the seventh century. It was the capital of Poland until 1596. The name Krakow is likely to mean City of the Crows or Ravens.

We have been to Krakow once before many years ago, but that was in the depths of winter. It was really quite different in summer.

Krakow has several areas of interest. It basically consists of an Old Town with a huge market square in its centre. There's a basilica and an indoor market here. There are many interesting side streets off this main square and the whole of the old town is encircled by Planty Park. This park is located where the walls of the old town once stood. The side of the old town nearest to the Vistula River is dominated by an old castle, known as Wawel Castle.

In addition to the old town there's an old Jewish area which I also visited.

Across the river there are some interesting burial mounds and Heroes Square. I wanted to see these, but the intense heat during our stay really slowed me down, so I didn't get there.

We were staying in the Ibis Stare Miasto Hotel, which means Ibis Old Town Hotel. It was an easy five to ten minutes walk from there into the Old Town.

Our hotel.

The first sight I came to was St Florian's Church. Legend has it that an ox cart carrying the remains of St Florian from Rome stopped here and refused to travel any further. This was taken as a sign to build a church here to house the remains. Nowadays St Florian is the Patron Saint of Poland. He is revered as the patron saint of firefighters and chimney sweeps and is usually depicted holding a pitcher of water. St Florian's Church was built between 1185 and 1216. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.

St Florian's Church.

St Florian's Church.

Inside St Florian's Church.

Inside St Florian's Church.

A bit further on from the church there was an equestrian statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło, fighting at the Battle of Grunwald in which the Poles and Lithuanians defeated The Teutonic Knights. The statue was created to mark the five hundredth anniversary of this battle.

Statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło.

Statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło.

Statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło.

King Władysław II Jagiełło.

The leader of The Teutonic Knights lies dead at the king's feet.

Next I reached The Barbican. This fortified gateway was once part of the city walls and led into the Old Town of Krakow. Nowadays it is a museum. There was a lot going on here. First of all there were lots of horse drawn carriages waiting to take tourists on a city tour around Krakow. Then there was the bubble man, a sort of modern day Pied Piper, surrounded by children laughing and chasing the huge soapy bubbles he produced. It was fun to watch.

The Barbican.

The Barbican.

The bubble man outside The Barbican.

Children chasing bubbles.

The bubble man.

The bubble man.

Happy child.

Horse and carriage.

Horse and carriage.

I then headed through St Florian's Gate into the Old Town proper. This tower used to be joined on to the Barbican. It was built in the fourteenth century and is considered to be the starting point of The Royal Road which leads through the Old Town to Wawel Castle.

The Barbican and St Florian's Tower taken from outside the city walls.

At Florian's Tower taken from inside the Old Town.

On St Florian's Street.

Krakow's city walls were built in the thirteenth century. At one time there were eight gates, thirty-nine towers and a six metre wide moat. Almost everything got demolished though and was replaced by the beautiful Planty Park. However, a two hundred metre stretch of wall still remains between St Florian's Gate and Carpenter's Tower. There were several stalls along the city walls in one direction and several cafes in the other

Stalls along the city walls.

Cafes along the city walls.

I could see that the main square lay straight ahead from St Florian's Gate, but I got sidetracked, as always, because I saw a delightful statue of Mercury, messenger of the gods and god of commerce and an interesting looking building which turned out to be The Czartoryski Museum.

Mercury.

Czartoryski Museum.

Czartoryski Museum.

I also saw some churches. One was the Church of the Transfiguration, which I could look into from the doorway, but it was closed and being cleaned. The other was The Church of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist. I was able to go inside this one. There were several nuns praying inside.

The Church of the Transfiguration.

The Church of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist.

Inside the church.

Inside the church.

Of course, I ended up on Rynek Główny, Krakow's main square, eventually. This square dates back to the thirteenth century. On it stands St Mary's Basilica, The Church of St Adalbert, the Cloth Hall, the Adam Mickiewicz Monument and the Town Hall Tower. There's also a statue of a giant head.

Saint Mary's Basilica wasn't quite looking its best as it was undergoing some renovation. The foundations of this church date back to the thirteenth century, but most of it was erected during the fourteenth century. Its towers are eighty metres tall. It's beautiful inside with ceilings that look like starry skies, but I went in during a mass so could not wander around.

Saint Mary's Basilica.

Saint Mary's Basilica.

Saint Mary's Basilica.

Inside Saint Mary's Basilica.

Inside Saint Mary's Basilica.

The Church of St. Adalbert, dates from the eleventh century, making it the oldest church in Krakow. I didn't go inside.

The Church of St. Adalbert.

The Church of St. Adalbert.

The Cloth Hall, known in Polish as the, Sukiennice, was rebuilt in 1555. It divided the main square in half. It has always been an important place for trade. Nowadays it attracts lots of tourists. It sells arts and crafts and souvenirs.

The Cloth Hall.

The Cloth Hall.

The Cloth Hall.

Cloth Hall.

Icons.

T-shirts and baseball caps.

Bags.

Souvenir shop.

Amber and glass.

Wooden goods.

Souvenir shop.

Cafe next to the Cloth Hall.

There's a statue of Adam Mickiewicz, the greatest Polish Romantic poet of the nineteenth century, outside the Cloth Hall. This was unveiled in 1898 on the hundredth anniversary of Mickiewicz's birth. There was a Ukrainian anti war demonstration taking place here.

Adam Mickiewicz Statue.

There was an old postal carriage on display on the Main Square, apparently it belongs to one of Krakow's museums. There were also several stalls.

Post carriage.

Stalls.

On the other side of the Cloth Hall all that remains of the old Krakow Town Hall is a single tower, the rest was demolished in 1820 in an attempt to open up the square. At the bottom of the tower there are two stone lions guarding the entrance. Below ground the tower's dungeons were once a prison and torture chamber. It's possible to climb up the tower for views, but I didn't. Nowadays the tower tilts 55 cm as the result of a terrible storm that occurred in 1703.

Krakow Town Hall Tower.

Krakow Town Hall Tower.

There's a statue of a giant head outside the Town Hall Tower. This is called Eros Bound and is the work of Polish artist Igor Mitoraj.

Eros Bound.

All around the edges of the square there are restaurants and shops.

Krakow's Main Square.

Krakow's Main Square.

When I was finished looking around the Main Square, I headed into Planty Park and walked towards Wawel Castle. Planty Park became my lifesaver in Krakow, because while everywhere else seemed to be in constant bright sunlight, Planty Park always had lots of shade. I passed a couple of interesting sculptures here, too. One showed characters from Adam Mickiewicz's work entitled 'Grażyna'. This sculpture was made by Alfred Daun in 1884. The other showed Stefan Banach and Otto Nikodym, famous mathematicians from the University of Krakow who met in 1916 to discuss higher mathematics.

Flowers in Planty Park.

Flowers in Planty Park.

Lots of shade in Planty Park.

Lots of shade in Planty Park.

Planty Park.

Grażyna and Litawora.

Stefan Banach and Otto Nikodym and a cute little girl.

Just before I reached the castle I came to a beautiful building which turned out to be The Higher Theological Seminary of the Archdiocese of Krakow. Next to it was Długosz House, which dates from the fourteenth century and once housed the royal bathhouse. Nowadays it is the seat of the rectorate of the Pontifical University of John Paul II.

Higher Theological Seminary of the Archdiocese of Krakow

Higher Theological Seminary of the Archdiocese of Krakow and Długosz House.

Długosz House.

Wawel Castle is situated on Wawel Hill, overlooking the Vistula River. It was originally established by King Casimir III, but has been enlarged over the centuries. Most of the castle dates from the fourteenth century, but the oldest parts date back to 970AD. Nowadays it is considered to be the most culturally and historically significant site in Poland. It consists of several different buildings such as: Wawel Cathedral where many Polish monarchs were crowned and where many lie buried, royal apartment buildings, the treasury and several towers. There's also a cave known as the Dragon's Den leading to a dragon statue on the Vistula River. We saw that last time, but I didn't go this time. There are also beautiful gardens and views over the river.

I began climbing up to the castle after leaving Planty Park.

The road up to Wawel Castle.

When I entered into the castle courtyard next to the cathedral, I saw a statue of Pope John Paul II. He was born in Wadowice, thirty-one miles south of Krakow. The statue was designed by Gustaw Zemła and unveiled in 2008. Pope John Paul II opened the nearby Cathedral Museum in 1978.

Statue of Pope John Paul II.

Saint Joseph and Jesus outside the cathedral.

Wawel Cathedral used to be called The Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus. There have been religious buildings on this site since the eleventh century. The current cathedral dates back to the fourteenth century. From the outside one of the most noticeable features is the golden dome of Sigismund's Chapel.

Entrance to the cathedral.

Wawel Cathedral.

Wawel Cathedral.

The castle was very busy and there were long queues for tickets for everything. If you want to go in, it's probably better to get tickets online if possible. I didn't want to go in and I had no intention of queuing. I just wandered. There was quite a bit of renovation going on, so the castle wasn't looking its best.

Wawel Castle.

Wawel Castle.

Wawel Castle.

At one point I saw a small queue of people, so I joined them. I ended up in a strange video about the Wawel dragon.

I joined this queue.

And ended up in this video.

My favourite parts were the flower filled gardens.

Flower filled gardens.

Flower filled gardens.

Flower filled gardens.

I walked down to the end of the castle where the entrance to the dragon's den is. I had considered going in here, but it was too busy. Instead I walked around the side of the castle overlooking the River Vistula. It was difficult to photograph the view due to the sun. There were lots of towers in this area.

Heading towards the river.

Heading round the castle.

Towers.

Towers.

Views over the River Vistula.

Views over the River Vistula.

Through a gateway.

Passing the castle.

Towers.

Towers.

Right round the castle.

There was a church at the far end of the castle. I visited it the next day. I was so overheated by this time I could take no more. Thank you God for Planty Park. I went in there to cool down and passed some interesting things on the way home.

Church.

I passed the Juliusz Slowacki Theater, the Holy Cross Church and a monument to Florian Straszewski who helped create Planty Park.

Juliusz Slowacki Theater.

Juliusz Slowacki Theater

Holy Cross Church.

Monument to Florian Straszewski.

The Polonia Hotel.

Restaurant overlooking Planty Park.

I picked up some snacks and drinks on my way home. Peter still didn't feel well. He didn't want to go out and wouldn't eat anything. I bought myself a sandwich for dinner. It wasn't very nice. I think we are both dehydrated and run down.

Next day we woke up reasonably early and I went out and bought us breakfast. We would be flying out of Berlin and heading to Krakow later that evening, but we had managed to get a late checkout at the hotel until two pm. In the morning I decided to go to The East Side Gallery. Peter didn't want to come with me, so I went alone.

At 1.3km long, The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of The Berlin Wall and the biggest outdoor art gallery in the world.

The Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was built very rapidly (it took less than two weeks) because the number of East Germans crossing from Communist East Berlin to Capitalist West Berlin was a major source of embarrassment to the Soviet Authorities. Once it was complete, there was a no man's land on the East side of the wall. Anyone approaching or touching the wall would be shot. In total one hundred and seventy-one people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall. The east side of the wall was originally painted entirely white to give East German snipers a better view of anyone trying to illegally cross it.

Both sides of The Berlin Wall are painted at The East Side Gallery. The side that was on the west is next to an area of green grass and the Spree River. It is mainly covered with tags and street graffiti and scribbles. The side that was on the east, however, is covered with works of art, many of them political in nature.

Sitting on the banks of the Spree River facing west.

The Spree River behind The East Side Gallery.

East Side Gallery, Berlin. This is the west side of the wall.

Berlin Wall.

Cafe by the wall.

'We the Inhabitants.Claim Human Rights. Inside the cafe.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Dog walker passing graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Spray painter.

'Get human'.

Batman.

Superheroes.

'The Sky Above Berlin.'

Dragon.

To get to The East Side Gallery I took a train to The Ostbahnhof Station. I didn't know at the time, but this was going to be a day when everything went wrong. First of all, I left the station by the wrong exit and headed the wrong way. The gallery was supposed to be just six minutes away, but I ended up over twenty minutes walk away. Using Google maps live, I did eventually get there, but I had wasted so much time that I couldn't see the whole of the gallery. I was very angry with myself. If I had gone to the gallery the day before, I could have stayed there for as long as I liked, but I now had to get back to finish packing, check out and go to the airport.

The most famous image on the east side of the wall is Dmitri Vrubel’s 'Fraternal Kiss' also known as 'My God, help me to survive this fraternal love.' It shows Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker in a mouth to mouth embrace in East Berlin on the 7th of October 1979. Apparently this was a perfectly normal greeting used between Communist leaders at the time, but this encounter became immortalised after being captured by photographer Régis Bossu. Later Russian graffiti artist, Dmitri Vrubel, depicted the image on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall. I managed not to get to see this painting due to my time wasting, but I have taken a picture of it from the internet.

'Fraternal Kiss' taken from the internet.

To be honest I wasn't that bothered about missing this famous painting, as I enjoyed the paintings I did see and I was just so relieved to have managed to see anything at all.

Another painting by Dmitri Vrubel, which I did see was an image of Russian dissident, Andrej Sacharow. Andrej Sacharow lived from May 1921 to December 1989. He was an important phycisist working on nuclear energy, but he also spoke out for human rights around the world and criticised the Communist regime. In 1975 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

'Danke, Andrej Sacharow' Thank you to the Russian dissident by Russian artist Dmitri Vrúbel.

Probably the second most famous painting here is of a Trabant, or Trabi, car bursting through the Berlin Wall. This painting is called 'Test the Rest' by Brigit Kinder. The Trabi's registration number is the date the wall came down. Trabants were a series of small cars manufactured in East Germany by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau between 1957 and 1991. They became a well-known symbol of East Germany.

'Test the Rest' by East Germanu artist, Birgit Kinder.

Of course many of the images on the Berlin Wall are actually about the wall itself. After all it divided East and West Berlin for twenty-eight years.

One of these is 'Niemandsland' or 'No man's land' by German artist Carmen Leidner-Heidrich. Her image shows the sun rising behind a barrier of barbed wire. The barbed wire represents a wall or barrier and the sunrise may represent hope for the future. Carmen Leidner-Heidrich sued The State of Berlin when her work was copied and changed without her permission during restoration work.

'No man's land' by Carmen Leidner-Heidrich.

Another painting about the wall is' Mauerspringer' or 'Wall Jumper' by Gabriel Heimler. This shows someone trying to escape by jumping over the Berlin Wall. Surprisingly the jumper was jumping from West to East Berlin, but the artist claimed the direction wasn't significant and it was the idea of overcoming obstacles that was important. The artist himself was a mixture of French and Hungarian. He had lived in both Capitalist France and Communist Hungary. He had also lived in both East and West Berlin when the city was divided, so he saw himself as being about breaking down barriers.

'The Wall Jumper ' by Gabriel Heimler.

'Es gilt viele Mauern abzubauen' or 'Many walls need tearing down' by Ines Bayer and Raik Hönemann appeals to people to abandon their personal prejudices which are a form of inner wall.

'Many walls need tearing down' by Ines Bayer and Raik Hönemann.

'It happened in November' was painted by Iranian artist Kani Alavi. He lived in a fourth floor flat next to Checkpoint Charlie. On the day the wall came down he saw thousands of East Germans pouring through into the west. He wanted to depict the emotions he observed on their faces as they tried to come to terms with their new situation. He saw joy, confusion, trepidation, fear, liberation among other things. Kani Alavi was one of the people who strove to preserve part of the Berlin Wall as the East Side Gallery.

'It Happened in November' by German–Iranian painter Kani Alavi.

'It happened in November' by German–Iranian painter Kani Alavi.

Another political painting is 'Amnesty International in der DDR' by Slovakian artist Andrej Smolák. Smolák wanted to pay tribute to the courageous work Amnesty International does in the world. His painting is full of symbolism. There are objects of oppression such as a chain and a barred window, but there are also symbols of hope such as the dove and the ball at the end of the chain which is turning into a rose.

'Amnesty International in der DDR' by Slovakian artist, Andrej Smolák.

Some paintings on the wall are very cheerful and optimistic such as Salvadore de Fazio's 'Dawn of Peace' which celebrates the beginning of détente between the Western powers and the Eastern bloc states.

'Dawn of Peace.' by Salvadore de Fazio.

Also optimistic is Dieter Wien's 'Der Morgan' or 'The Morning' which depicts a joyful scene in which a man and a woman drift across a peaceful blue sky looking down on a pleasant landscape.

'Der Morgan's by German artist, Dieter Wien.

Herve Morley and Andreas Paulun also created a cheerful work of art showing many famous people.

'Paix, Amour-Sagesse' or'Peace, Love-Wisdom' by Hervé Morlay and Andreas Paulun.

'Paix, Amour-Sagesse' or'Peace, Love-Wisdom' by Hervé Morlay and Andreas Paulun.

Thomas Klingenstein was an East German born in Berlin who wanted to see the world, in particular Japan, but the circumstances of his birth meant he had no opportunity to travel. His painting 'Umleitung in den japanischen Sektor' or 'Detour to the Japanese sector' depicts his childhood dream of travel to the Far East. Maybe when the wall came down, this became achievable.

'Detour to the Japanese Sector' by German artist Thomas Klingenstein.

However, not all the paintings on the wall are optimistic. Some contain an element of caution.

'Stay Free' by German artist Christoph Frank reminds many people of the image of Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying: 'We want you for the US Army.' Is it a comment on the US role in reunification or is it just reminding people to appreciate their freedom?

'Stay Free' by German artist, Christoph Frank.

Sabine Kunz from Zwickau in East Germany created the painting 'Die Tanzenden' ot 'The Dancers'. The dancers in the painting are peacefully dismantling the Berlin Wall, allowing yellow sunlight to shine through, symbolising hope for the future. However, one figure on the far right of the painting (unfortunately I didn't get her in my photo) has a blue flag in place of a head. She stands for the kind of opportunist who uses other people's distress and suffering to get herself ahead in life and is there to warn that the future will not all be rosy.

'The Dancers' by German artist, Sabine Kunz.

Another painting that may be a bit cautious about the future is 'Waiting for a new Prometheus' by Hungarian artist Sándor Rácmolnár. His painting shows a figure covered in thorns. Three smaller figures are climbing up his back. One holds the sun, another a lightbulb, the third some flames. In Ancient Greek mythology Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For this he received eternal punishment. Is the painting warning against placing too much faith in a liberator or having too much hope for the future?

'Waiting for a new Prometheus ' by Hungarian artist, Sándor Rácmolnár.

One painting depicts figures being thrown off a raft. This is called ' Who's screwing who?' and is by German artist Kiddy Citney. It represents the fear that the East may lose a lot when it joins with the west.

'Who's screwing who?' by Kiddy Citney.

German artist, Karsten Wenzel's 'Die Beständigkeit der Ignoranz' or 'The Persistence of Ignorance' shows a man resembling Erich Honecker, the one time East German head of state wearing royal robes. He stands pompous and proud while behind him there's a black brick wall and smoking chimneys. This indicates that the wall may be down but not everything is perfect.

'The persistence of ignorance' by Karsten Wenzel.

'Der müde Tod' or 'A Weary Death' is an odd painting by Hans-Peter Dürhager and Ralf Jesse. A man is caught in a giant spider's web Scrooge McDuck is on his right and stormtroopers from Star Wars are on his left. Is it trying to say the west isn't perfect?

'Der müde Tod' by Peter Dürhager and Ralph Jesse.

'Der müde Tod' by Peter Dürhager and Ralph Jesse.

Karin Velmanns is a German artist. Her untitled work shows one figure attacking another with a sword, while others pass by indifferently. Did people stick together more in the east?

Untitled work by Karin Velmanns.

Henry Schmidt’s 'Vergesst mir die Liebe nicht' or 'Don’t go and forget love' depicts a group of naked children playing in the sand while a naked couple reminiscent of Adam and Eve wander away. Were things lost as well as gained when the wall came down?

'Dont forget the love' by Henry Schmidt.

'Dont forget the love' by Henry Schmidt.

Then there are paintings about other political issues such as 'Flora geht' or 'Flora is leaving' by German artist Brigida Böttcher. Brigida Böttcher was born in Zwickau, East Germany. Living in this grey industrial city made her long for nature. In her painting there is a beautiful green paradise fenced in by red and white railings. Flora, the Roman goddess of spring is just leaving the green area. This image is meant to show how human behaviour is destroying our planet.

'Flora is leaving' by Brigida Boettcher.

'Die Geburt des Kachinas' or ' The Birth of Kachina' by Jürgen Grosse appeals to people to care for The Earth and all its people.

'The Birth of Kachina' by Juergen Grosse.

Catalonian artist, Ignasi Blanch Gisbert wanted to show that we all have the right to choose who we love in his painting 'Parlo d‘amor' or 'I'm talking about love.'

'Im talking about love's by Catalonian artist, Ignasi Blanch Gisbert.

Some paintings were executed by visiting artists who came to Berlin when the wall came down. American artist Mary Mackey was one of these. As she wandered around she sensed the feelings of unease between east and west Berliners. After all there had been years of indoctrination aimed at preventing East Berliners from going to the west. Her painting 'Tolerance' is aimed at encouraging people to accept each other.

'Tolerance' by American artist, Mary Mackey.

Scottish artist, Margaret Hunter, was another visitor. She was also interested in the division between the culture of the east and the west. Her painting 'Joint Venture' shows two large heads, one representing the east; the other the west, lying next to each other. The lines crossing from one head to the other shows the need for both sides to communicate.

'Joint Venture' by Scottish artist, Margaret Hunter.

In 2009 the art on the Berlin Wall was not looking its best. Some people had spray painted over it. Some of it had faded or been damaged by the climate. A large scale renovation was needed. Artists were invited back to the wall to repaint the images they had depicted there twenty years earlier. Eighty-seven artists came and repainted the paintings they had done previously, but some insisted on changing their work stating that it was no longer representative of Berlin. One artist who insisted on changing his work was Jim Avignon who completely altered his painting 'Doing it cool for the East Side.'

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

East German artist Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek painted her painting 'Curriculum Vitae' three times with slight changes. Her image shows each year that the wall existed and was meant as a comment on East Germany's rigid bureaucracy. For the first painting she wanted to show joy that the wall had come down. Her second painting was less optimistic as walls still remained inside people's heads. In her third and current painting she has added a rose for everyone who died crossing the wall.

'Curriculum Vitae' by Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek.

Christine Kuehn's work 'Touching the Wall' invited passing people who would at one time have been shot for going too near the Berlin Wall to dip their hand in paint and place their mark against the wall. Of course when she restored the work noone wanted to put their hands on the wall and all the new hand prints are hers.

Christine Kuehn's work 'Touching the Wall.'

Other paintings I saw and liked included 'Justitia' by German artist Klaus Niethardt. This shows great German thinkers such as Schiller, Goethe and Einstein sitting next to the Roman goddess, Justice. Justice is normally depicted blindfolded, but here her eyes are open. She normally holds a sword but here she holds a dove.

'Justitia' by German artist Klaus Niethardt.

One of my favourite paintings was 'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev. This is the longest painting in The East Side' Gallery and portrays fory years of recent history. It consists of abstract faces mixed in with famous buildings and phrases.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

Some paintings aren't well understood like 'Apollo' ' by Petra Suntinger and Roland Gützlaff. This shows a figure with an outstretched arm merging with a globe. There's water in the globe and in the background there's beams from a rising sun. Apollo was the Greek god of sun, light and healing. Is that what the painting is about?

'Apollo' by Petra Suntinger and Roland Gützlaff.

German artist, Lutz Pottien , wanted to move away from the political when he created his untitled painting of smokers in fezes

'Smokers' by East German artist, Lutz Pottien.

'Smokers' by East German artist, Lutz Pottien.

Some paintings contain a written message like 'He who wants the world to remain as it is, does not want it to remain at all.' by Erich Fried, or like ' Dancing to Freedom, no more wars, no more walls.'

'He who wants the world to remain as it is does not want it to remain at all.' by Erich Fried.

'Dancing to Freedom. No more wars, no more walls.'

I saw what I could, then went home. The station was so close it was embarrassing that I had gone wrong originally. I bought food and coffees on the way back. We ate, drank, packed and checked out. One more hour in the hotel would have been perfect. It was roasting hot outside. I had to go and get some Polish złoty just to make sure we had enough to get to the hotel when we arrived. I put Peter on a seat and went to the bank. They couldn't help me. I tried another bank. They sent me to the money exchange at the station. Eventually I got Polish money. When I got back for Peter, he was melting and asked me where I had been. I hadn't expected to be away for so long. I offered to take him to a cafe, but he didn't want anything, so I took him to the station and put him on the right platform for the train to the airport. Then I went and got tickets, then I walked all the way back to the hotel and got the luggage we had left there.

It was mobbed at the station, the train was late and it was heaving with people. I remember when German Rail used to be good. That was a long time ago. There was no air conditioning in the carriage. We had to stand and I thought Peter was going to pass out. I had to hold him up. When someone got off, I hurled myself at the seat and got Peter onto it. Even sitting down it was awful. We were drenched in sweat, as was everyone else.

At the airport I found an information point and asked for mobility assistance. There was a not great condition wheelchair there which I was told I could borrow and I was given directions to mobility assistance, but we were in the wrong terminal. I had to push Peter in a faulty wheelchair while carrying two rucksacks and dragging a trolley bag for what felt like forever. At one point I actually thought I was going to die. I asked for information in the tourist office but the guy there was just unpleasant and rude. Eventually I got to the mobility point in Terminal One. I thought : "Thank God, I can have a rest." Not a bit of it. The guy I was assigned told me to push the chair, then gave us vague directions where to go and abandoned us. We were travelling Ryan Air to Krakow. I took Peter to the gate I had been told to go to, but there was a flight departing to Porto from there. I tried to check with the Ryan Air assistant to see if I was in the right place, but she turned out to be a stuck up bitch who refused to answer me because she was dealing with the flight to Porto.

When our flight was leaving, the same bitch would not let us in, as we hadn't paid extra to be priority and we didn't just get it because of the wheelchair. At this point Peter lost his temper and told her off for her attitude and the lack of assistance we had received for this flight. She let us in very reluctantly.

As I was pushing Peter to the plane, other passengers helped me when there was a hump to push him over and when he dropped his glasses. Other passengers helped him up the steps. The Ryan Air and airport staff did absolutely nothing.

I helped Peter half way down the plane to our seats where a dozy air hostess put our bags up then noticed Peter's walking stick and said:" Wait a minute. Do you have mobility issues?" I felt like saying:" Well spotted, Sherlock, why do you think I practically carried him to his seat?"

Then she told us: "This is the emergency exit. You can't sit here." We hadn't booked an emergency exit. The fact that we had booked mobility assistance may have been a clue that it wasn't a great idea to put us there. We got moved. I was past caring about anything by this stage. I don't think I have ever been so tired and Peter was really struggling.

I made sure that I told every steward and air hostess I could see that we needed a wheelchair when we landed. I was told: " Exit at the back. We will make sure there's one there for you."

Of course, there wasn't. When we finally got one. The guy said the Ryan Air staff had told him to wait by the front exit. Then told him he wasn't needed and he should go away. He said he hadn't believed them and that there are communication problems between that airline and the airport all the time, so he had hidden further away and waited to see if he was needed. We were very grateful he had done so. Shame on you, Ryan Air! easyJet is also a budget airline, but it was a million times better than you. And as for Qatar, I now realise it's brilliant.

The young Polish boy helping us took us to the taxi stand where we intended to book a Bolt. A taxi driver came over and told us our Bolt driver would rob and murder us and we should go with him. What a day!!! We booked a Bolt, it cancelled last minute, so did the next one, saying it couldn't find us.

I saw a place to type in information on the app. I wrote: " We are sitting on a bench next to the mobility point outside the airport terminal. In front of me on the building I can see a large poster advertising (I've forgotten what it was). We have a black case. I am wearing a red t-shirt and black and white trousers. My husband is wearing a baseball cap and holding a walking stick." A car pulled up right next to us and it was our Bolt. Peter said to the driver: "How did you know where to find us?" He replied: "Noone has ever sent me so much information before". Yes, I was determined to get to our new home. I had had more than enough. Our Bolt driver was lovely, very friendly and neither robbed nor murdered us. I told him he was easily the best part of our day.

We were staying in The Ibis Stare Miasto. When we checked in, we got our free drinks voucher. It was late. The receptionist said: " The bar closes in fifteen minutes." We deposited our stuff upstairs then went straight back down for a very much needed drink. What a day!

Our room.

A much needed drink.

We left Birmingham for a couple of days to head off to Buckinghamshire and stay with Peter's brother and his wife. They live in a very big house with a huge garden. I enjoyed taking some photos of their flowers.

Flowers in the garden.

Flowers in the garden.

Flowers in the garden.

The village Richard and Viv live in is in the middle of nowhere. It has no shops and little transport. It used to have a pub, but now I think that's a private residence.

This used to be the local pub.

My sister-in-law is an excellent cook, so we did rather a lot of eating. I also went for a couple of country strolls, including one along the banks of the Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

Barge on the Grand Union Canal.

Barge on The Grand Union Canal.

Barges on the Grand Union Canal.

One evening we all went out for a drink in a country pub called The 3 Locks, which is also located on The Grand Union Canal.

The 3 Locks Pub.

Barges on the Grand Union Canal, England.

Viv, Richard and Peter in the 3 Locks.

Then Peter and I travelled back up to Birmingham where we spent one night in The Ibis. Next day we flew easyJet to Berlin from Birmingham Airport. The standard of care from mobility assistance at Birmingham Airport was absolutely excellent and easyJet, despite being a budget airline, was very efficient and professional. We arrived in Berlin on time, but unfortunately, this happened to be late at night. Mobility assistance took us all the way to our train at the airport station. This was where things began to go a bit wrong. There's engineering on the fast route towards Alexanderplaz where we are staying and this means having to change trains, so we took the slow direct train. It was absolutely packed. We were lucky to get a seat. The journey felt endless and it was pitch black out of the windows. I don't like to arrive at a destination at night.

When we finally got to our stop, I thought it would be easy to find our hotel - Greet Hotel Alexanderplatz, but it was so dark and I was so tired. I went the wrong way, then came back to where I had left Peter and the luggage. Peter then looked up the hotel, then sent me off in a different wrong way. As I was coming back from that, I noticed The Premier Inn lit up in the distance. I knew our hotel was near that, so I was able to finally find it. What a relief! I collected Peter and we headed to the hotel. We were checked in by the night security woman. She was very polite, but she didn't give us a free drink or late checkout as she said she didn't actually know what we were entitled to. We accepted this and decided to sort it all out in the morning. I headed out for a couple of beers from a 24 hour shop and then we went to bed. The bed was comfortable, but there was a lot of traffic noise.

Next day I went out and bought us breakfast from the Bake Factory. It was actually quite good and they did great coffee, too. Peter told me to go out and look around by myself, then come back and take him out for a short walk later on, so I headed out for a couple of hours. This is our third trip to Berlin, but it's been a long time since we were last here, so I was happy to do the major sights again.

I started by looking around the Alexanderplatz area. At one time this was the main square in East Berlin. It's a busy place with lots of shops and restaurants and it's also a major transport hub. If you want to be central, then this is a great place to stay

Alexanderplatz is called after the Russian Tsar Alexander I who visited Berlin in 1805. It was once a military parade ground and a market place. It's also been the location of several historic events such as some of the protests that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

There are lots of things to see in and around this area including the World Clock, the Red Town Hall, the Neptune Fountain, the 365m tall TV tower and St. Mary's Church. I came across two workers statues, too. I should have gone to the Nikolaiviertel district as well. It was on my to do list, but I forgot about it. Oops!

The World Clock.

The Red Town Hall.

The Neptune Fountain.

The Neptune Fountain.

The TV tower.

St. Mary's Church.

St. Mary's Church.

Farm worker statue.

Worker statue.

I then headed past the statue of Marx and Engels in the Marx and Engels Forum, a small park across the road from the Red Town Hall.

Marx and Engels.

Marx and Engels.

I continued onwards towards the Cathedral. This is located on the famous Unter den Linden Avenue. On our last visit this was almost the only building we saw here which wasn't covered in scaffolding, but ironically this time it was one of the few that were undergoing renovation. We went into the cathedral last time, I think, but this time I didn't.

Berlin Cathedral.

Berlin Cathedral.

Berlin Cathedral.

Cathedral viewed across the River Spree.

Just past the cathedral, there's a bridge across the River Spree. The bridge is quite ornate with statues and sculptures. Many boat trips pass by on the river here.

Bridge.

Bridge detail.

Bridge detail.

Bridge detail.

Cruise on the River Spree.

Cruise on the River Spree.

There's lots to see on Unter den Linden. I walked up one side and came back down the other. I'll describe some of the things I found.

Right next to the cathedral, there's a lovely building which houses The Altes Museum.

The Altes Museum.

On the other side of the road from the cathedral, in the former Berlin Palace, there's a human history museum called The Humboldt Forum. Outside it there's a replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi in India.

Humboldt Forum.

Humboldt Forum.

TV Tower and sculpture outside Humboldt Forum.

Replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

Replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

On the other side of the river from the Humboldt Forum I saw an interesting looking ruined building. This turned out to be The Bauakademie, which was an iconic building where master builders were trained. It was completed in 1836, then destroyed in World War II. Reconstruction of the building began after the war, but in 1962 the East German government decided to demolish it again. Now there are plans to rebuild it once more.

Bauakademie.

Bauakademie.

Diagonally opposite the former Berlin Palace is the Neue Wache. This was once the palace guard house. Nowadays it is a memorial to the victims of war and tyranny. It contains a sculpture called 'Mother with Dead Son' by Käthe Kollwitz. Apparently there's an opening in the roof above the statue so it gets rained and snowed on. I think that's meant to be part of it's suffering.

The Neue Wache.

Inside The Neue Wache.

There are lots of museums on Unter den Linden, including: The German Historical Museum and The Museum of The Cold War. If I had had longer, I might have visited some.

German Historical Museum.

German Historical Museum.

Cold War Museum.

Cold War Museum.

Several buildings belonging to Humboldt University are also located on Unter den Linden. This university is named after Wilhelm Von Humboldt, the philosopher, and his younger brother, Alexander Von Humboldt, a naturalist. There's a statue of Wilhelm Von Humboldt outside one of the university buildings and in the gardens there's a statue of Max Planck, the famous physicist, who studied here. He's just one of many famous people who graduated from this university. Others include: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Otto Von Bismarck, George Wilhelm Frederick Hegel, Max Weber, Heinrich Heine and the Brothers Grimm. Quite impressive!!!

Statue of Wilhelm von Humboldt outside Humboldt University.

Humboldt University of Berlin.

Max Planck.

Outside the university there were stalls selling old vinyl records. Many people were browsing.

Record stalls.

Record stalls.

Nearby, down a side street, I found a statue of Heinrich Heine, the German poet and writer, and The Maxim Gorky Theatre, called after the Russian socialist thinker and writer.

Heinrich Heine.

Maxim Gorki Theatre.

Other attractive buildings I passed included: The Berlin State Library, The State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral and The Hotel Adlon.

The Berlin State Library was founded in 1661 and is one of the largest libraries in Europe. There was a statue of playwright Bertolt Brecht outside it.

Berlin State Library.

Bertolt Brecht outside the State Library.

The Berlin State Opera is a beautiful pink coloured building. It opened in 1742 with a performance of Carl Heinrich Graun's 'Cesare e Cleopatra'.

The State Opera.

Berlin State Opera.

St. Hedwig's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral dedicated to Hedwig of Silesia. It was completed in 1887, but badly damaged in World War II. It's currently undergoing restoration, which should be finished this autumn.

Saint Hedwig.

The Hotel Adlon was the first modern luxury hotel in Berlin. It was the idea of a wine merchant and restauranteur called Louis Adlon, who wanted Berlin to have the same kind of fancy hotels that were being built in London and Paris. At one time this hotel was a well-known meeting place for the rich and famous, but it was burnt down by drunken Soviet troops after the war, and mainly left as a ruin under the East German Regime. Nowadays it is part of the Kempinski group and is a luxury hotel once more.

Hotel Adlon.

Hotel Adlon.

There was an equestrian statue of King Frederick II of Prussia in the middle of the road, outside more Humboldt University buildings. Frederick II was also known as Frederick the Great and as Old Fritz. He lived from 1712 to 1786 and was King of Prussia from 1740 until his death. He was a renowned military statesman.

Frederick II of Prussia.

Frederick II of Prussia.

The Unter den Linden isn't all history there were many souvenir shops. I went in lots as I wanted to add to my German wine glass collection. I have six all from different parts of Germany, but no-one sold these in Berlin.

Souvenir shop.

Souvenir mugs.

Lots of souvenirs with the famous Berlin kiss.

Souvenir hats and bags.

I love Berlin souvenir shop.

Just like in Birmingham, there were lots of bear statues. The bear has historically long been the symbol of Berlin. These are known as Buddy Bears and they have been around for over twenty years. Each one is unique.

Berlin Bear.

Berlin bear.

Berlin bear.

Berlin bear.

Buddy Bear, Berlin.

Berlin bear.

There were fun things to see like Madame Tussaud's, tours by Volkswagen Bulli, The Bud Spencer Museum. I had never heard of Bud Spencer, apparently he was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player, known for his action-comedy and spaghetti Western roles. He died in 2016.

Madame Tussaud's and ET.

Berlin by Volkswagen Bulli.

Bud Spencer.

Puma Dune Buddy, from the Bud Spencer movie 'Watch out, we're mad'.

Aeroflot.

My personal favourite though was the Ampelmann Shop. East Germany had its own distinct green and red men at pedestrian crossings. These ampelmannchen were designed by Karl Peglau and were retained in the former eastern parts of Berlin after reunification. They are really cute with their big hats and short chubby bodies, and I'm not the only person to think so, designer Markus Heckhausen, first visited Berlin when it was still a divided city. He became fascinated by the ampelmannchen he saw in Alexanderplatz and later, after reunification, began collecting broken discarded ampelmannchen and using them to make quality products. Eventually he opened this shop, specialising in Ampelmann products.

Green Ampelmann.

Green and red Ampelmannchen.

Inside the Ampelmann shop.

Inside the Ampelmann shop .

Finally, at the end of the Unter den Linden I reached Berlin's most famous structure - the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate was commissioned by King Frederick the Great. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans the Elder and completed in 1791. The Quadriga, a chariot pulled by four horses was placed on top two years later. When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was on no man's land and could not be accessed from either the east or the west of the city. For years the Brandenburg Gate was a symbol of division, but nowadays it's a symbol of reunification.

The Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate detail.

The Brandenburg Gate from the other side.

The Brandenburg Gate.

There's a lot to see on the other side of the gate, too. I started by heading off to the right to visit The Reichstag, which is the home of the German parliament. The Reichstag was originally designed by Paul Wallot who based it on The Memorial Hall in Philadelphia and was completed in 1894. In 1933, shortly after Hitler came to power, the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire. Hitler blamed Communists and dissenters for the fire and used this as an excuse to clamp down on dissent. After the war, the German capital was moved to Bonn and the Reichstag was left abandoned. In 1995, after German Reunification, architect, Norman Foster, began restoring the Reichstag. It was completed in 1999. I couldn't really get to a good place to photograph the Reichstag, as the green space in front of it was cordoned off due to a march.

The Reichstag.

All around this area and, in the area to the left of The Brandenburg Gate, there are memorials apologizing for all the people killed during the Nazi regime. I've visited them before, but took another look. The first one I found was the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe murdered under National Socialism. I could have looked at this more thoroughly and read the information about some of the people who were murdered, but I wasn't in the mood to feel depressed, so I didn't read anything and just had a quick look here. This memorial consists of a reflective pond. In the centre of it there's a single flat triangular stone. A fresh flower is placed on that stone every day. It's a quiet and peaceful place.

Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

There were lots of white crosses all around this area for other victims of the war and, although I didn't see them, white crosses by the river for those killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall.

White crosses.

White crosses.

Next, I wandered off to the Holocaust Memorial, also known as The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which dates from 2004. This memorial is huge. It occupies 1.9 hectares and consists of 2711 stone slabs: some horizontal, some vertical.

Last time I wandered this memorial with Peter and felt I didn't really understand it. This time I walked around alone and I came nearer to getting it. When I was wandering through the vertical stones, I became a bit disorientated. I couldn't tell if there were other people around or I was completely alone. When I did glimpse another human, it was only fleetingly, then they were gone. I started to feel a bit lonely, isolated, disorientated. I think that may be how you are meant to feel. Anyway, I'd soon had quite enough of it. It's most definitely depressing and I had no wish to feel depressed.

The maze like Holocaust Memorial.

The maze like Holocaust Memorial.

Someone in the distance in The Holocaust Memorial.

Catching a glimpse of others in The Holocaust Memorial.

Apparently this monument is located where The Berlin Wall once stood and is near where Josef Goebbels's grand villa used to be. It's also close to a carpark underneath which is the bunker where Hitler committed suicide along with his new wife.

The next memorial I saw was The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism. This is like a concrete box with a single opening. When I peered into the opening before, I saw a video of two men kissing. This time it was a video of two women kissing. Apparently it changes every two years.

The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism.

After all these rather depressing memorials, I needed a nice walk in the Tiergarten to recover. Tiergarten means Animal Garden. It used to be royal hunting grounds, but Friedrich III turned them into a public park in the late seventeenth century. The Tiergarten covers a huge area, part of it is a zoo, though I have never been to that part. We spent hours in here on our first visit, but this time I just had a quick wander around the part near the Brandenburg Gate.

I saw a statue of Goethe, a statue of the composers: Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, a statue of a family of lions, a statue of an Amazonian warrior and a statue of Hercules

Goethe.

Mozart and Beethoven.

Beethoven.

Beethoven and Haydn.

Lion statue.

Lion statue.

Amazon.

Amazon.

Hercules.

There were also lots of animal statues, including deer, bears and buffalo.

Stag statue.

Stag.

Bear statue.

Moose statue.

Buffalo.

Bull.

There were also ponds and lots of wild flowers.

Lily pond.

Lilies.

Pond.

Pond.

Wild flowers.

Wild flowers.

Roses.

Forest.

I took a look at The Soviet War Memorial which is flanked by tanks and howitzer guns. Underneath the soldier statue on the colonnade it says: "Eternal glory to heroes who fell in battle with the German fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union".

Soviet memorial.

Soviet memorial.

Tank.

A parade of soldiers passed by as I was visiting, apparently they were marching in memory of lost comrades.

Parade.

Parade.

Parade.

I passed this impressive church called Friedrichswerdersche Kirche on my way back to the hotel.

Church doors.

After a rest, I took Peter around The Alexanderplatz area. We went for drinks in a cafe. We had intended to go for a meal, but ended up having takeaway currywurst instead.

Peter in front of the World Clock.

Peter by the Neptune Fountain.

Peter in front of The Red Town Hall.

Peter in the park.

Alexanderplatz.

Drinks in Alexanderplatz.

Back at the hotel we had our free drinks. I had beer, but must say Peter's wine was very good value.

Drinks in the hotel.