Warszawa. The people and the politics.

No matter what town ,city or even village you go to the people always want to tell you a story. This evening I had in Warsaw was one of those. Ealier in the day I was walking the walk when i passed one of the main government buildings in the city there was a group of polish clad people with flags pics and candles made into the shape of a cross. There also was armed soldiers and  armed police and strangly for me I carried on walking. I was heading to see the tomb of the unknown soldier guarded by the national guard and so mind was on that. on my way i passed a very grand hotel,outside it must have been  100 tv camera men reporters and technicians, so something had happend that makes sense with the earlier sighting, but still I carried on walking. I got to the tomb and observed for a while behind the tomb the children were having a great time cooling down in the fountains from the 37c heat. I sat on the bench and watched them having a great time whileI had a lunch of  bread tuna paste and melon. I retreated later to the hostel and slept for 4 hrs in the late afternoon. I think with the heat the languages of 7 countries the politcs and of course the miles ive covered were taking its toll on my body and my mind. I wonder if travellers suffer from this, my lack of understanding the language is the biggest bind and imsure that my mind is in overload trying to make sense of it all. The rest bite it gets is when I talk to the younger generation with their great english. I felt better after a sleep and decided to go and find out what all the news was about from earlier. I ventured down to the cross of candles and approached a man holding onto a banner with pics on it. He knew no english but his companion did, as i listened a large policia precence was gathering around listening in, the companion told me of the murder of the presidant and his twin and cabinet 2 years ago in a plane crash,over Russia, the new government according to him 'was hiding the truth and calling it an accident,how could it be an accident there had been independent scientists look at the crash and he wrote a report saying it wasn't an accident but now the man who did the report was found murdered at his desk. Its a plot to hide the truth just like your princess diana'  All I needed to do was to listen and with the help of doccuments and photos he explained why when and how. So for every month on same day the 'murder' happend they come to here and protest and the policia come to freighten them, but they wont have it and will still continue their fight and that is a good thing at least for the last 2 years they have been allowed to do this 30 years ago or even less they would have been carted away!  Later on I bumped into  canadian from the hostel and he invited me to see the other Warsaw on a pub crawl, it sounded a good idea, it was an organised event if ever pub crawl are. We met up at the fountain with the leader  and 2 sweedish lads and 20 american graduates, and we visited some great underground  pubs, here i found out what all the cameras were up to outside the hotel, very important Poland has a new football manager, funny how that attracts the cameras and not the demonstraters, looking for answers for their dead presidant. I guess it all becomes old news after a while!

Mr Lions Holiday pics

I do let the fellow out and so to show  him in his full glory I have put together  a collection of him in the last 4 weeks

zoom in

Some of the pictures here need you to zoom in to see what I found interesting. the bike pic reminds me of Mr k and France, I tried to help to mend the bike but the bloke wouldn't have it. I saw them continue this ride for some 4 miles. The other bike look at the front wheel. This power sub station reminds me of student days. The house in the woods is somewhere I would not visit in the late of the night.

Talinn, Estonia pictures

dont mention the war

I said to myself a few days ago to keep to villages and towns stay clear of cities. The trouble with the adventure is that the  venturing into the unknown makes it more alluring. So i came to Warsaw to be alured and in this city there is so much hisrory so much love and boy is there some hatred still. Ive booked into a hostel in the old town.old town is strange as  Hitler orderd the destuction of it  with 85% left in ruins and approx 850000 dead.even today the city is being rebuilt to try to reconstruct this area in a back at you response, and their doing a good job at it, what is strange is that life goes on the town is filled with locals and tourists of all war countries all taking photos of  a town and people that was hurt with so much evil, its dificult not to be neutral. But the image portrayed is a town that is alive and happy and welcoming. Until of course you dig deeper.
I ventured into a local bar for a cool beer and some talk. At the door i was asked my nationality 'welsh' come in,i asked for some beer to quench the 37 c heat and was given a pretty average tasting beer the beer started talking and so did the Poles i talked of my travel and this was relayed through a lad of about25 english is taught at school no choice and their ok with that. History is history and soon the conversation got around to the war and the ongoing war in Europe ! Germany may have lost the war but slowly their controlling Europe financially they said with a good mixture of spitting. and the russians just look on just like the war when they waited and watched and only 'liberated' the city when it was on its knees. You can only just listen while they talk this was and is their city i am just a visitor. I left that bar and ventured back to the hostel the old town  is still busy money is changing hands and there is laughter im not sure what nationality the laughter belongs to, i pass an old man playing a violin the music is so sad and i start to cry, i give him some money and he looks right into my eyes and nods and continues to play.

Grajewo

32c Poland that doesn't make sense but it is what it is. Cycling into the heart of poland and im happier to a point.The point being im in a new country and the landscape is rolling and much more open and thats a nice change from the last three countries. unfortunatly thousands of truckers have decided to follow my route and because of the layout of the borders between russia and belarus this small visa free gateway to the north and south is a road of hell, there are no other roads and it drove me nuts.It was a case of head down forget about the heat,difficult to do when your dripping with sweat and your throat is craving for liqiud. after a couple of hours sanctuary the road diverts and i and my truckers part ways. Poland has one of the highest death rates on the roads  and you can see that by all the shrines by the sides of the road. Still alive keep pedalling
 I stop in a small vilage next to a lake for some refuelling. My mind is craving a beeeeeeeer my body needs shade. I find shade in the form of an outside bar that serves pizza too, i order a veggie one and drink my beer this will do until the sun retreats. my pizza turns up excellent but its dizzled in tomatoe ketchup, i guess they think the veggie choice needs flavour,it tastes foul but its food and the beer washes the taste away the whole meal costs me 2pounds!
After a few hours the sun has decided to continue to keep me company and with my sun hat i continue to a town full of tower blocks,it seems to have more towers than houses is this poland!

 I find a cheap room 4 pounds clean and tidy,i shower away the dust and sweat,eat and venture into the town.There are a few locals who have given into the effects of alcohol and find the benches a good place to rest. I head for a bar and find only run down flea pits.I literally bump into this young bloke and say sorry, you english,no welsh,i go welsh,wrexham you know,yes,smiling,we talk his english is good,he learnt no welsh except swear words,which is normal for travelers. we talk and he points out that the town is celebrating 500 years of township and the mayor has put on a concert for the people. so hey why not. I loose him in the crowd of aprox 3000 locals buy a ber and settle on a bench. Im later joined with a soldier in full battle tradìtional battle dress we talk my international language for an hour.Im at the bar geting a drink when i bump into my welsh friend,here i buy many beers later im with his friends,celebrating life,listening to a singer doing his best in very bad english doing a bon jovi impression,it doesn't matter the beer softens the tone.