Knights Tournament

Today I will share with you an unusual moment - a real knights' tournament. If you believe that all knights are dead and gone you are wrong my friends. Fortunately.

The tournaments are often held in old medieval castles. Unfortunately we do not have in Warsaw a nice medieval castle to enjoy such events. Therefore it was organised in one of the old forts of the Warsaw fortress - the so-called Fort Bema, named after Józef Bem, one of the most prominent generals of the first half of the nineteenth century, a national hero of Poland and Hungary.

The  remainings of the fortress are hidden in the hills. A bit like in the Museum of the Polish Army that I have shown you some time ago.

The tournament was of course held on a flat, beaten earth.

The knights were dressing original armours. Or almost original.

Believe it or not but they were truely fighting for real! The one with the blue shield has on its helmet a veil of his beloved lady.

The one with the red shield seems really upset.

Luckily they did not involve horses ...

The other knight was not making it easy either.

Besides the fights themselves, the tournament was accompanied by a market of medieval craftsmen. The visitors could buy themselves some weapons ...

... or some old-fahioned baskets.

I loved this journey back in time. I hope that you have enjoyed it as well.

Wild West

When we were in Kołobrzeg, my human family insisted that we visit the Wild West. I was trying to explain them it is quite far away but it turned out that they meant an entertainement park near the city. From the very beggining you can see who the most welcomed guests are.

The park is divided into zones. First, the native American zone. Easy to recongnize by their houses. And no my friends, these are not wigwams. These are tipis.

 If you want to become a tribesman, you need to practice with the bow and arrows. Everyday and no excuses will be accepted.

 

 The chief himself is watching the area.

The tall structure in the back is a totem. It is meant to protect the tribe against evil minds and other ennemies.

As you have surely guessed these ennemies meant in most cases the settlers from Europe. They came in with their big charriots, showing no respect to humans and horses.

Others came on horses. The small one looks just like my niece.

Then they started to build towns with banks ...

... and saloons.

Let's have a look inside.

  

The food must be very disappointing because it is completely empty.

Of course, I was exaggerating. Many of the settlers were nice people looking for a nice place where they could raise their children in peace. Unfortunately this town was not the best place for it.

Finally the sheriff came in. Then the bad guys landed where their place was. They were not very happy of course.

But I guess prison is still a better place than this one (the second note says "he thought that my horses were his ...")

Next to the village there is also a mini-zoo. You can spot there peacocks ...

... rabbits (many rabbits) ....

 ... and emus. Yes, emus come from Australia not from America. I have no clue how and why they have landed here.

***

So are you tired my frends? Jump onboard. Rick will take you back home today.

Kołobrzeg

The third lighthouse I will show you will be in the biggest city on the coast that I have visited this year - Kołobrzeg. To reach the seaside, we will walk through a nice park.

On the parking lot, I noticed a real beauty - it is an original Wartburg. They were very popular in Poland in communist times. The production ended in April 1991 but a few of them still drive on Polish roads. My human family told me that this has always been the most popular colour. Yes, they are really old if they can rememebr it.

Here you can see the office of the Harbour Master. The building is quite similar to the one that we have seen in Ustka.

Finally, we arrive to the lighthouse. It was built in 1946 - the one that used to stand here before was blown up by Germans in 1945. It is 26 meters high. If you want to see what it looks like at night, I encourage you to take this virtual tour.

The lighthouse includes a monument dedicated to those who perished at sea. Next to it there is a monument of Stanisław Mieszkowski, a Polish captain who was commanding warships during World War II.

It is of course possible to climb up the lighthouse. From the top you can see the entry to the harbour.

The little white building is the seat of the Technical Master of the Harbour.

In the harbour there are of course many ships.

As in Ustka, you can spot some military vessels. But don't be fooled, this one is in fact a civil ship, offering commercial cruises to tourists.

 As you surely guessed, the tall building on the other side of the river is a radar.

The surroundings of the harbour are populated with nice, colourful residential buildings.

On the other side of the lighthouse we can spot the beach.

Let's get down to feel the breeze better.

Like in Ustka, the weather has scared most of the bathers, leaving the beach to seagulls.

You may think "yet another post with same views, what is so much different about Kołobrzeg?". Well the amazing thing is that it is really a pretty big city. A few hundreds meters from the beach you can almost forget you are in a seaside town.

 * * *

Alright, this was the last lighthouse I wanted to show you. But I still have a little surprise for you. But I keep it for next time.

Jarosławiec

The second village on our lighthouse trail is Jarosławiec. It is really small, just a couple of streets but it is very charming. Let's start with the lighthouse itself. It was built in 1829.

The lighthouse is over 33 meters high so from the top you can see the entire village. To see more you can also try this virtual tour.

When you look in the direction of the see you will notice a strange tall, greenish structure. It is a radar. I will take you closer later.

And on the hills you cannot miss the windmills. And yes, the wind is quite strong in this part of the country.

The lighthouse uses 6 strong lamps.

And here - the steering box. Doesn't look very complicated, does it?

Now let's get down and take this nice little street in the direction of the see. On the way we need to taste the icecream. And the waffers.

Take a look at this house. This way of building is called timber framing. It was popular in the region for centuries.

 On the left side of the lighthouse we will find an area administered by the Polish Navy.

It houses one of the radars protecting the Polish coast line. We have seen it already from the top of the lighthouse.

Further to the West you will find the fishing harbour.

 It is pretty small - one pier ...

... and a few ships.

This device is caled windlass. It is used to help ships approach the shore.

And this is an enforced part of the shore. I have no clue why they did it like this. Any thoughts?

Now let's turn back and start walking to the East. First we will find a nice beach. The day is sunny so it is full of people. These structures made of fabric are a typical feature of Polish beaches - they are meant to protect the sunbathers from the cold wind.

Let's move further until the little river.

It goes up to the village.

Finally we arive to another military area. It is marked by a grid and bright yellow signs.

As you may imagine, the beach in this part is empty.

I think that I have already told you that the Baltic Sea is cold. Very cold. So for all those of you who are not ready to put their feet into the sea Jarosławiec offers another option. An aquapark. First you need to take a shower. A dino-shower I mean.

Then we can run to the slides.

Or just swim a little.

I am chosing the nice jaccuzies with friendly bubbles. Let's enjoy and relax.