Meyricke Serjeantson

Dec 27
Wroclaw

There's no need for an alarm clock here. The trams start running at about 6 am, so the building starts to shake violently every few minutes from then on.  I managed a reasonable amount of sleep, although still not a full night. Given the early hour of going to bed, this wasn't too much of a problem. The shower here is a major improvement on the one in Olesnica, with both hot water and a reasonable amount of pressure. There is even a plug in the basin!
My morning alarm call
Wroclaw municipal moat

The nice man at reception suggested a couple of places for breakfast. We walked alongside the old city moat, taking lots of photos of interesting buildings, including the puppet theatre, before finding that the restaurant was closed. We walked back into the centre, passing a baby sized snow plough parked by the side of the road, and Valerie spotted a likely looking bistro. Inside, it was dull and dark but two pretty girls soon provided us with tea, excellent coffee and two plates of sausages - just for a change.

Teatr Lalek - Wroclaw Puppet Theatre

Snow plough for small folk
More sausages	Bistro Przemyslowe

The HSBC had a very smart building with an exhibition of excellent paintings in the foyer. Even more importantly, the machine gave Valerie some money and didn't eat her card.

Across the square, we found the row of art shops which we had seen yesterday, complete with bronze animals outside. Most were still not open as it was too early in the morning but one lady was selling beautiful glass earrings, necklaces etc which she made herself. Valerie bought a bracelet. We will have to return to the other shops later in the day.

Crossing the river again, we found the Church where Luke and Aga are to be married. At the moment, it is very closed and the builders are in occupation. We can only hope that the project doesn't overrun and that the church is up and running again by August.

Following the wedding, they plan to cross the river again on a bridge which is lined with engraved padlocks. The custom is for the couples to have their names engraved on the locks and then to affix them to the bridge as a token of something or other. They will then enter onto Cathedral Island (no more an island than the Isle of Dogs) for their reception.
Padlocks - symbol of a wedding?	Major construction work in progress
All along the bridge	Most-Tumski - the Island Bridge

The Cathedral of St John the Baptist is a magnificent edifice. Everything about it is big. We found our way inside, where all was dark and quiet. The Good Book says that it was seriously damaged during the war but this wasn't obvious to the casual observer.

Outside is a rather fine metal tree, which almost passes for the real thing, particularly when covered with frost. The Cathedral Close contains many fine buildings which were offset against the trees in their stark winter wardrobes. There were also a few buildings which appeared to be in need of some major maintenance.

We decided to ignore the Botanical Gardens, on the basis that one plant looks much like another when it is buried in a foot of snow, and found an area of park or garden containing many statues. One of them must have been a memorial to St Bird, the Patron Saint of Custard Pie Throwers.

The patron saint of custard pie throwers?	Lots of snow in the park

From there, another short walk brought us into one of the big shopping malls, the target for much of the day's entertainment. This was on about four floors and contained the usual mix of shops, including a large supermarket - part of the Carrefour group - on the bottom floor. We had a coffee at a shop which appeared to have a link to a kitchen toy website. I bought a very good microplane for about half what I would have had to pay in New Zealand.

The shopping mall - rear view	A welcome coffee

After that, Valerie led and I followed. There was a fountain, similar to ones that I have seen in Singapore, although at a much smaller scale. It performed a sort of water ballet but whenever I produced a camera it went into one of its quiet modes. No fun at all. I was delighted to find a functioning branch of C & A, long a favourite of mine in the UK but, sadly long gone broke over there. I bought a very cheap fleece jacket which would be useful for the duration of the stay in the snow. Valerie found lots of shops to look at but, in the end, bought very little.

With lunch approaching, we spotted a Turkish shop in a food court. This had lots of salads on display and we ordered large plates of "Greek" salad.

They contained lots of shredded cabbage as well as tomatoes, peppers and onions but, after a few days of vegetable deprivation, this was very welcome. As well as being healthy, it tasted good.

Vegetables - at last	Lots more sausages

Outside, it had warmed up slightly, with the big thermometer on a building opposite recording -3.5 which then rose to -3 while we were watching. We found a couple of stalls selling cheap gloves which made for an interesting photo but which didn't result in a purchase.

Warming up?	Anyone need a hand?

The row of arty type shops which had been closed in the morning had now opened. We visited them all but failed to buy anything. The glassware was amazing but, as I have previously reported, logistical problems prevented any purchases. Just around the corner, we did find a jewellers, where I bought a silver chain to replace the one I had bought in Olesnica which closer examination had revealed to be much too short.

With the shopping being just about completed, I found an underground bar which advertised something which turned out to be the mulled wine that Valerie had been seeking. I had a beer and she had a couple of mulled wines.

A few more small arty shops crossed our path, mainly in small alleyways. These all contained interesting things and did result in a few purchases.

With darkness descending but with it seeming too early to return to the hotel, we determined on another drink at a home brew bar beneath the Town Hall. This was huge, dark and doing a roaring trade. We both had dark beers accompanied by smalec - dripping on toast. The beer was good and the smalec was wonderful.

Beer and smalec	Wonderful bar beneath the Town Hall

The only problem was that we had left the bar and were admiring the magnificent collection of beer and wine glasses on display in the foyer when the waitress rushed out and reminded us that we hadn't paid. I was mortified and paid our very small bill and apologised profusely. We walked back to the hotel for a rest.

After an hour or so of diary writing and resting aching limbs, we reconvened and walked to a restaurant we had spotted in the morning. This was quite rustic in feel, similar to many places that I have visited in French ski resorts. The food was good and the portions were large. We shared a plate of dumplings - fried rather than the usual boiled - after which Valerie had potato pancakes covered in a spicy goulash sauce and I had a pork schnitzel with some salads and lots of beautiful potatoes. Best of all, it was washed down with a bottle of Polish Riesling. It was from the Winnice Jaworek estate but I haven't been able to identify where that is situated. It was crisp and clean tasting, not with a huge amount of varietal characteristics but very good to drink. The total bill was under £30. Not bad for a large meal with an expensive bottle of wine. We walked back to the hotel and retired for the night.