Photo Challenge # 9 - Name This Location

Here's another photo location for you to guess, can you name this town? The picture shows the main square. As before, clicking on the image to enlarge it to look for clues may help. Good luck!

A Polish Top 30 - The Best Places to Visit in Poland

Poland is a country with an amazing variety of sights to see and experience, from mountain heights to seafront views, big city culture to village folk festivals, the ancient to the ultra-modern. Here are 30 destinations in Poland that I would strongly recommend to any traveller.

1. Krakow - Without question the finest historical city in the country, and the only large urban centre to escape significant damage in WW2. The old town, central square, Wawel castle and Jewish quarter of Kazimierz rank as some of the nation's greatest sights.

2. The High Tatra Mountains - An alpine range with peaks up to 2500 metres (Mt. Rysy), the Polish piece of the Tatras has an extensive network of trails and overnight huts suitable for hikers and climbers of all experience levels. Zakopane is the service hub for most visitors, while the trail to Morskie Oko is probably the most popular route to take. There are also many wonderful routes further afield to escape from the crowds.

3. Gdansk and the Tri-City Area - The historical importance of Gdansk can't be overestimated - this is where the Second World War began (Westerplatte), and the home of the Gdansk shipyards and Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement. But the city also happens to have one of the nation's most beautiful old town quarters, carefully restored following its destruction in the war.

4. Wroclaw - A wonderful old town square with a cluster of massive brick churches set on islands in the river Oder, this is a city with a special character. It actually contains the soul of two cities - at the end of World War Two, the city was resettled mainly by Poles from the city of Lviv, which had been granted to the Soviet Union.

5. Wieliczka Salt Mine - A trip down into the depths of the mine is like walking into a fairytale, with the highlight being St. Kinga's chapel, an entire church carved out of salt by the miners.

6. Torun - A beautiful old town of towers and church spires, with the added attraction of being the birthplace of the astronomer Copernicus.

7. Oswiecim (Auschwitz) - A place of deep emotions which leaves an impression on all who come to pay their respects. The hall full of thousands of suitcases, eyeglasses and other belongings confiscated from prisoners is shocking in the extreme.

8. Warsaw - The capital of the modern Poland, yet simultaneously a city with a complex historical past. The reconstructed old town and castle are must-sees, but the modern city dazzles with its galleries, shopping and buzzing nightlife.

9. Malbork Castle - A massive brick castle built by the Teutonic Knights. It is considered to be the largest Gothic castle in Europe.

10. Bialowieza National Park - A forest park along the eastern border with Belarus. The highlight for most visitors is the chance to see the European bison in the wild.

11. Poznan - One of the economic centres of the new Poland, Poznan also has a gorgeous old quarter with a main square that just begs to be photographed.

12. Bieszczady National Park - A range of mountains in the far south-east of the country, this is a great place to experience the relaxed pace of village life. Scenic hiking trails lead right up to the borders with Slovakia and Ukraine.

13. Czestochowa - Home of the Jasna Gora monastery, an important place of Pilgrimage for all Polish Catholics. They come to see the Black Madonna icon, credited with protecting the Polish nation through centuries of conflict. The painting was crowned queen of Poland in 1717.

14. Zamosc - A UNESCO-listed small town in the east of the country with renaissance-style architecture.

15. The Wooden Churches of Malopolska - Dozens of impressive wooden temples dot the countryside villages in the south-eastern region of the country. A few still hold Orthodox services, while most have been converted for Catholic use.

16. Dunajec Gorge - Jump on a wooden raft and hang on as oarsmen in traditional costume steer you down the river.

17. Lublin - A historic city of Gothic and Renaissance buildings with an old town that rewards strolling along every cobbled laneway.

18. The Masurian Lakes District - A region of outdoor pursuits such as hiking and cycling with a number of key historic sights. The city of Olsztyn is the base for most visitors, while the Wolf's Lair (Hitler's Bunker) is the main historical attraction.

19. Kazimierz Dolny - One of the most beautiful small towns in the country, drawing weekend crowds from the capital to its galleries and restaurants.

20. The Skansen in Sanok - The country's finest collection of traditional wooden folk architecture, featuring four wooden churches and dozens of folk cottages.

21. Lodz - A large city in the very centre of the country, Lodz has a modern sense of style based along Piotrkowska street, its main artery. Modern galleries and museums feature alongside some of the best pubs and nightlife in Poland.

22. Hel - An old fishing port at the tip of a long peninsula, Hel draws crowds in the summer who come to enjoy the Baltic beaches.

23. Frombork - A quiet town of rustic charms in the north of the country. It features a museum dedicated to Copernicus, who completed some of his most important theories here.

24. The Karkonosze Mountains - A low range of mountains in the south-west along the Czech border. Hiking and cycling opportunities abound in this region of forests and bizarre rock formations.

25. Lancut Castle - A large 17th-century palace in the south-east of the country.

26. The Churches of Peace in Swidnica and Jawor - Evangelical Churches constructed of wood in the 17th century. The one in Swidnica is the most impressive, with capacity for over 5000 people.

27. The Socialist-Realist Art Gallery in Kozlowka - A small but impressive collection of communist art housed in the former stables of a baroque palace.

28. Przemysl - A town of historical significance near the Ukrainian border. It also makes a good base to explore many of the wooden churches in the villages of the surrounding region.

29. Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - A mannerist architectural and landscape park with a pilgrimage Kalvaria.

30. Ksiaz Castle - A large castle south of Wroclaw which was intended to be one of Hitler's bases of operations in WW2.

Surprising Signs # 3 - Bratislava, Slovakia

This sign can be seen in Bratislava in Mlynske Nivy street, which is close to the central bus station. I can't be certain exactly why they've chosen "Witch Style" as the name of their beauty salon, but it certainly made me look twice. With Halloween coming soon, perhaps they'll get some extra business... :)

Classic Cars of Socialism # 1 - The Škoda MBX 1000, Czechoslovakia

Škoda is now the largest car manufacturer in the Czech Republic, but during the socialist era they produced the people's car of Czechoslovakia. The word 'Škoda' literally means 'pity', which appears to be a highly poor choice by the marketing department until you consider that the company founder was one Emil Škoda. Based in the city of Mlada Boleslav, Škoda auto began producing cars in the early 1900's and by the time of the Second World War it was a major international player with a strong reputation. The socialist years forced the company to focus more on production quotas than innovative new designs, but the company still produced many vehicles that were well-regarded throughout Europe. The model shown in the picture here is a Škoda MBX 1000, produced in 1966 (The MBX stands for Mlada Boleslav Deluxe). This was one of the most successful models of the communist era, and many can still be seen on the road today. It had a rear-engine and rear-wheel drive design, which was still quite common among other European manufacturers of the time. It featured a 988cc four-cylinder engine, and had 44 bhp. Its top speed was 120km/h (75mph). These models were produced for domestic consumption as well as for export abroad, and many were sold in Britain.

Photo Challenge # 8 - Name This Location

Okay, this one is a little more challenging! Can you name the town that I took this photo in? This view shows part of the main square (click on it to enlarge the picture, it might give you some clues), but those are the only hints I'm going to give!

Beautiful Towns # 6 - Gyor, Hungary

Gyor is a small city in the north-west of Hungary which is known mostly for its production of industrial goods rather than as a tourist hotspot. It receives few foreign visitors apart from Austrian day-trippers, which is surprising given what the historic centre of the city has to offer. Baroque churches, a fortified castle and a broad web of cobbled streets to wander through provide ample surroundings for an enjoyable daytrip from Budapest.

The neo-classical town hall opposite the train station offers an imposing introduction to the city for visitors, and from there it is a short walk to Baross Gabor street, which leads into the heart of the old town. The lovely yellow Carmelite church stands near the river Raba (this body of water was in the news this autumn when the red sludge spill in the village of Kolontar reached as far as Gyor). A short distance along the riverfront is the Bishop's castle, featuring extensive fortifications built in the 16th century to stop the advancing Ottoman Turkish armies. An interesting sight near the town market is the Frigylada statue, which is topped by The Ark of the Covenant (I suppose Indiana Jones wasn't aware that the Ark is in Hungary). :)

Many fine restaurants serving spicy Hungarian specialties can be found around Szechenyi Ter, and a number of trendy pensions have recently opened in the old town to provide scenically-located accommodation.
Gyor is 90 minutes by train from Budapest, making it a suitable full-day trip from the capital. Trains run frequently to Vienna, also 90 minutes away by train, which makes Gyor a suitable stopover while travelling between the two capitals.

Surprising Signs # 2 - Suceava, Romania

This sign stands in the main square of the city of Suceava, Romania. It shows the distances to a number of major European cities, but the distance given at the bottom is certainly the most interesting one. It declares for all locals and visitors to see that the distance to the European Union is 0 kilometres. Apparently the city council of Suceava feels the need to assure people that their city really is within the boundaries of the EU. It also expresses a certain element of local pride in celebrating the accomplishment of Romania joining the EU, but I haven't seen a similar sign elsewhere in the newly expanded EU states. What do you think of this?