Photo Challenge # 16 - Name This Location

It's time for another Photo Challenge, can you name the city where you can see this leaning building? It's in the old town square in the centre of the city. Be the first to post the correct answer below!

Photo Challenge # 13 - Name This Location

Here is the next photo challenge for you to guess, can you name the town where this was taken? As usual, clicking on the photo to enlarge it may help provide some clues. Good luck!

Photo Challenge # 12 - Name This Location

Here's the latest photo challenge for you to try, do you know where this was taken? As usual, clicking on the photo to enlarge it may help. Good luck!

Surprising Signs # 5 - Čičmany, Slovakia

This menu qualifies as a vegetarian's worst nightmare - this is the vegetarian section, yet practically every item has some kind of meat in it. Bacon, sausage, ham... still vegetarian. It's a common sight in restaurant menus in rural parts of Slovakia, since a dish that contains meat but not as the primary ingredient is often still considered to be a 'vegetarian' option. Show this to any vegetarians you know to give them a fright... :)

Photo Challenge # 11 - Name This Location

Here is the next photo challenge for you to guess, can you name where this was taken? As before, clicking on the photo to enlarge it to look for clues may help. Good Luck!

Panoramic View # 2 - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Climbing a church tower for a panoramic view is a common part of sightseeing in central Europe, nearly every town of note has a tower which is open for visitors to climb. Scaling the hundreds of steps to the top is often a challenge, and sometimes you have to pass directly next to or under a giant bell that may begin to ring at the exact moment you are passing. The bell tower in Hradec Králové, known as the 'White Tower', is 71 metres high, and contains the country's second-largest bell.

The 16th century tower also features an unusual clock face with a long hand that tells the hour, and a shorter hand that tells the minute. Standing on the observation platform at the top gives a dramatic view over the old town square and the surrounding streets featuring many buildings with gothic, renaissance and baroque facades. Outside the old town and across the river is the new town, composed of buildings constructed between the two World Wars in the Rondo-Cubist style by such architects as Josef Gočár and Jan Kotěra. Beyond this in the distance you can see socialist-era architecture which is typical of the region's larger cities.

Hradec Králové is a worthwhile day trip from Prague or Olomouc, but the city also provides access to the Krkonoše mountains and the Ardšpach-Teplice rock cities to the north, so using it as a base for a few days is also a good option.

Photo Challenge # 10 - Name This Location

Here's the next photo location for you to guess, can you name the town which features this hilltop monument (and for bonus points what it commemorates)? As before, clicking on the image to enlarge it to look for clues may help. Good luck!

Surprising Signs # 4 - Muszynka, Poland

I found this sign outside the gate of a house in a small village in southern Poland. It translates as "Caution! BAD and HUNGRY dog!" (No pies you can eat are involved, as 'pies' means dog). It's not unusual to see a sign warning of a 'bad' (dangerous) dog, but I'm not used to being warned that the owner keeps their dogs under-fed as an extra deterrent to keep trespassers out. I kept my distance from that dog... :)

Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 7 - Frička, Slovakia

This church stands on a small hill in the centre of the village of Frička, in a remote corner of eastern Slovakia close to the Polish border. The church is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who is present in several of the icons that grace the interior. The iconostasis dates from 1830, while most of the icons are from the late nineteenth century. The ceiling of the nave is decorated with a colourful painting of St. Trinity, completed in 1933 by a local artist from the city of Prešov. The tower contains three different bells, the oldest from 1697.

The church is surrounded by a low wooden fence and contains an entrance gate which is typical of the Rusyn churches of the region. The church was fully renovated inside and out in the spring and summer of 2010, returning the structure to its original appearance. The use of a coating of protective varnish on the wood surface of the exterior has been criticised by some historians as not in keeping with the pledge to preserve the original integrity of the building, and this coating will not be used in other renovation projects of Rusyn churches in Slovakia (although it has already been used in the restoration of the church in Potoky). However, the varnish does give a very impressive appearance to the wood because of its shiny finish.

Frička is one of the most isolated villages in the region, but it can be reached by bus from the town of Bardejov with a few connections per day. It is also possible to follow a trail that leads up and over the hill into Poland, as the border is less than one kilometre from the village.

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!

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?

Quirky and Unusual Sights # 3 - The Andy Warhol Museum, Medzilaborce, Slovakia

In a remote corner of eastern Slovakia stands one of the country's stranger places of interest - the Andy Warhol Museum in the town of Medzilaborce. Andy Warhol (whose real name was Andrej Warchola) was born in Pittsburgh, USA, but his parents originally came from the small Rusyn village of Miková, 17km north-west of Medzilaborce.

After fame and fortune arrived, Warhol never publicly spoke about his Slovak/Rusyn origins, even though he could speak Rusyn fluently. He always claimed that he "came from nowhere". The museum was founded in 1991 by members of Warhol's family, despite strong criticism from the conservative local community at the time. Many neighbouring residents wanted nothing to do with a decadent American artist and his images of blatant capitalist excess.

The townsfolk were later won over by the potential of the museum to attract tourist visitors, and today the museum sits in Andy Warhol square (formerly Lenin square), and a Warhol soup tin-shaped bus stop shelter faces the road in front of it. Mural paintings of Warhol's silkscreen designs can also be seen on the sides of several buildings in the town.

Medzilaborce is best reached by train from the town of Humenné, which has transport links to most parts of the country. Local buses run between Medzilaborce and Miková a few times per day.

Photo Challenge # 7 - Name This Location

Here's the latest photo to guess, can you name this church and where it can be found?

Photo Challenge # 6 - Name this Location

Here is another picture puzzle for you to guess. Can you name this building and where it is located?

Beautiful Towns #4 - Vlkolínec, Slovakia

Vlkolínec is a traditional mountain village of rustic log cottages found a few kilometres south of the Slovak town of Ružomberok. The village of 45 homes lies in the Velka Fatra mountains beneath a peak known as Sidorovo. The name of the village is most likely taken from the Slovak word "vlk" meaning "wolf", and may refer to a place where wolves were trapped. The earliest record of the village dates from 1376, and the settlement came under the administration of the town of Ružomberok in 1882.

During the second world war the village was used as a base by Slovak partisans fighting the Nazis, and about one-third of the village was burned by the Germans during the fighting. In 1993 the village became a UNESCO heritage site on the basis of being a perfectly preserved example of a Carpathian mountain village with extensive folk architecture. Nowadays the cottages of the village remain much as they were a century ago, still without piped running water.

A stream runs down the centre of the main street where a communal well made of logs provides a water source for the inhabitants. One of the most unique features that can be seen in the settlement is a wooden belfry that dates from 1770. There are also a number of wooden folk carvings of peasants in traditional costume set up as statues near the entrance to the village.

The village is best reached from the town of Ružomberok on a walk through the hills along marked trails that takes from 70 to 90 minutes depending on the trail you choose. There is no public transport access to the village, although it can be reached by car. There is a car park 100 metres below the village, as there is no tourist vehicle access into the village itself.

Quirky and Unusual Sights #2 - The Easter Egg Museum in Kolomyya, Ukraine

The museum of Ukrainian easter eggs in Kolomyya is a dominant landmark of the town and a major tourist draw, in part thanks to the fact that the museum itself is shaped like a giant painted pysanky (Ukrainian painted Easter egg). The museum was constructed in the year 2000 and was opened during a traditional Hutsul cultural festival.

The museum contains a collection of over ten thousand uniquely painted eggs, with almost all regions of Ukraine represented with their individual patterns and styles. Many of the eggs are modern recreations of traditional styles, but there are also a good number of eggs in the collection that date from the 19th century, mostly ones collected in the surrounding region of Kolomyya and Ivano-Frankivsk. There are also eggs from many other Slavic countries, as well as some that come from Romania, Sweden, and as far away as India and Canada. There is another giant easter egg in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada, which celebrates the Ukrainian heritage of many of the town's citizens.

Kolomyya is best reached by train from Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk or Chernivtsi, and the best place to stay in the town is undoubtedly the On The Corner pension, run by a wonderful family who really make you feel at home with great home-cooked meals and lots of good advice for travellers.

Who is this? #2 - Statues and Paintings of Eastern Europe

Here's another picture puzzle to challenge you, can anyone name the person portrayed here? If you've visited this place, I'm sure you remember who created these wonderful works of art...

Photo Challenge # 5 - Name this Location

Here is another picture puzzle for you, in which city can you find this building facade?

Panoramic View #1 - Lviv, Ukraine

When I arrive in a new city or town, one of the first things I like to do is climb a tower or hill to get a bird's eye view of the place. It puts everything into perspective, so I can visualise where buildings and monuments are in relation to one another, and to understand how the town has grown and changed over time.

Many east European towns start with a medieval core that leads to concrete housing blocks which ring the centre; when viewed from above, these stages of architectural progression and the reasons for town planning decisions become clearer. You can watch as people on the street stop for a chat, an old man buys a newspaper from a kiosk, trams glide to a stop in a sidestreet, a shopkeeper sweeps the front steps - all manner of daily life going on, a grand spectacle to observe and interpret meaning from.

Viewing the city from the town hall tower in the market square or from the summit of High Castle hill provides an opportunity to see the different parts of the ancient city and the dozens of church spires from an ideal perspective.

One rooftop in the old town has been painted with the image of a horse, exclusively for the viewing benefit of visitors to the town hall tower. The highest point of Castle Hill has a large blue-and-yellow national flag flying high above this proudly Ukrainian city.

Who is this? #1 - Statues and Paintings of Eastern Europe

I'm starting a new series of questions, to name the person featured in the picture. Does anyone know who these fellows are?