A fading clockface

Another evening view of the city centre showing the clock tower fading as the mist descends over the city, bringing with it a winter chill and thoughts of staying indoors with a good film and homemade broth. Winter has its attractions…

Hanging Christmas decorations on the Palace of Culture

Every year we see Christmas decorations on huge buildings, but we rarely think about how they get there and who puts them up. They started hanging them today on the Palace of Culture as it was the first dry day for over a week. If you enjoy climbing high-rise buildings, this is definately the job for you!

(click on the picture for a closer view)

Independence Day (Święto Niepodległości)

There have been celebrations ongoing today around Warsaw with the President of Poland speaking in Plac Piłsudskiego surrounded by dignitaries and members of the governmental elite.

However, the weather is wet and miserable and the televised events showed umbrellas bending in the wind and plenty of grim expressions. So here’s a much more cheerful image I took on the same day last year; the Polish flag flying in the wind attached to a crane at the Złote 44 construction site (there are now no more cranes here or construction works!).

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

This is where the Independence Day celebrations will occur tomorrow – Plac Piłsudskiego near the Old Town. At the eastern end of Saski Gardens is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which has its own eternal flame and 24-hour honor guard. It is one of many monuments erected after World War 1 to commemorate the unidentified soldiers who died fighting for their country.

Marriott Hotel at night

This is the view from the car park where I leave my car everyday. It was slightly damp and there was a light mist hanging in the air but it was a quite nice view of the Marriott Hotel. The lights on the building flash up and down the building and the top few rows repeat the time and date of any upcoming events that are being held in the hotel – certainly a colourful edition to the city.

Łazienki Autumn

A surprisingly temperate day today making it perfect for a morning walk in the park with the boys. Most of the trees have shed their leaves by now and the lakes and woodland floor are scattered with wet, rotting foliage. There are numerous stone bridges throughout the park spanning the interconnecting waterways between the lakes. All are inhabited by large carp and ducks, and red squirrels forage in the undergrowth around them. No matter the time of year, the park is alive with wildlife.

Co-ordinated cleaning

The weather has been atrocious lately – misty, dull days with the sort of drizzle which gets your clothes soaked without you realising it. However, there was a break in the clouds on Friday which gave the chance for these chaps to hang off the side of the Intercontinental Hotel for a while. I know I’ve shown this before, but I haven’t seen this many window cleaners on a building at the same time. Are they moving up or down? I wonder if they sing as they work?

Chinese gazebo

Buried in the depths of the woods behind Wilanów Palace is this rather splendid Chinese gazebo. Mostly the home of pigeons now, it still provides an interesting focal point for a walk through the woods and beyond to the bridge.

Autumn Rose

This could be one of the last roses of 2009. There were very few left on this particular bush in Wilanów Rose Garden and most had been trimmed off in preparation for a new batch next Spring. Still, it was nice to see some bright colour in the gardens amongst all the bare trees.

Another hidden building

This is in the same place as the Era advert I posted sometime ago, taken whilst waiting in traffic at the junction of Jerozolimskie and Marszałkowska. You have to admit it’s prominent, but sad to see them covering buildings this way instead of renovating the facade of the building itself.