East Polska

Recently I took a trip to the eastern part of Poland near Białowieża National Park. This area of Poland is known for Eastern Orthodox Churches and the European Bison (in Polish “żubr”). I learned that there are few żubr left in Europe and they are related American bison. While I was able to see churches in their natural habitat, it proved more difficult to see żubr. In the end I had to pay to see captive bison.

This Orthodox church was striking to me because of its blue color and strong relationship with the sky.

Metal Cross in the yard around the church.

Much of the remainder of my time in this area was spent walking through small villages. It seems that many old wooden houses are being renovated and there are at times striking signs of new architecture.

While I do not completely understand this, there are nests set up to aid storks in most areas of the countryside it Poland.

I also often see a kind of folk sculpture that is carved in wood. I particularly enjoyed this carving of an old man. He seems a bit stiff and strait like the beam of wood. It felt like the wood was made for him or he was made perfect for the wood.

For three nights I stayed in a wooden building built for guests. The owner explained that it was build from the materials of two barns. The food was vegetarian and very good and the other guests were great to be with. Here is a view of the front and back of the house.

Pets were are also allowed at the guesthouse. I counted four dogs and a cat. Humans and animals all had a good time.

A Trip to Bydgoszcz, Poland

It took a long time, but I finally was able to update this website and migrate posts from blogspot. After a year of slowly revising the design, I am pleased to start blogging at kipdeeds.com.

Beyond changes to the website, 2018 provided many new events. I got married, inherited a dog, and have been living in the countryside outside Warsaw, Poland. There has been little time for art making, traveling, or making blog posts. However, this past week a two day trip was taken to Bydgoszcz, Poland. Turoń is a nearby sister city (included as one of the Seven Wonders of Poland). Bydgoszcz is about a three and a half hours drive from Warsaw. While there I walked around old town and went to the Modern Art Gallery (focused on Polish artists in the modern era). I did not take pictures in the gallery and unfortunately the website does not seem to show much. However, I did take pictures on my walk. Included here are some samples.

Hotel Chopin
One night was spent at Hotel Chopin. It was clean and newly renovated. The Architecture was said to be in the Art Nouveau style.
Old town center
The old town square is being renovated.
Sculpture dedicated to martyrs
A sculpture dedicated to martyrs is found at the end of the town square.
Canal
Around the old town is a canal that looks newly renovated.
Architecture
Outside of the old town there was a variety of Architectural styles.
Park
There are many signs of improvement in Poland. Here a park is being developed with the help of the European Union.
Public Sculpture
I enjoyed these sculptures. Everyone is wearing a slightly different shaped hat.
Public Sculpture
A tree carved into a sculpture.
Beverage
A very good supper was had at Restaurant No. 1. I had a non-alcoholic drink there. It was not quite beer and not quite soda but something in-between. It was tasty.