Tykocin

Tykocin is a small town in the East of Poland, founded in the fourteenth century. It is probably best known for two buildigs. The first of them is the Tykocin Castle, which first belonged to a noble family and then to Polish kings.

The castle was heavily damaged in the past, its recoonstruction has begun only ten years ago. But they are really doing a great job! To see it inside you can get a look at this nice panoramic view.

You can almost hear the ladies and the knights walking on this balcony.

The tower is a bit more scary though.

In the center of Tykocin you will find of course the market square.

The white building in the back is the baroque church of the Holy Trinity.

On the right you will see the bridge over the Narew river.

The square is surrounded by nice residential buildings.

And in the middle you will find the monument dedicated to the general Stefan Czarniecki, one of the most prominent military leaders on the seventeenth century. They say it is the second oldest non-sacral monument in Poland.

The second most famous building in Tykocin is the Great Synagogue.

It used to be one of the biggest and oldest synagogues in Poland. Unfortunately, the nazis have largely damaged it during World War II.

Today, it houses the Museum of Jewish Culture.

Botanical Garden in Powsin

A! Spring is in the air! There is no better place to feel and see it in its full splendour than a botanical garden. So today, I will take you to Powsin to a garden created by the Polish Academy of Science.

It was created in 1974 and includes 40 hectares of beauty. The main theme of the garden is the protection of biodiversity. Therefore the garden includes a couple of clearly distinct parts.

Next to the main entrance you will see an alpine garden (also called rock garden).

It mainly includes green plants but not only.

Then comes a little river (there are frogs inside!). You can even enjoy crossing it by jumping on the rocks, one  by one (or missing some if you prefer).

Be careful not to step on the ants! They are an important part of the ecosystem.

Then come the greenhouses that shelter more exotic plants.

You can see there lemons ...

... and oranges.

You can admire the coffe plants of coffea arabica ...

... and real Chinese tea.

Here comes an olive tree, typical for the Mediterranean region.

And there you can admire the Angel Trumpets (or more scientifically - Brugmansia (Datura) x candida "Grand Marnier") ...

 ... and the Brasilian beauty of Brunfelsia calicyna.

Obviously, greenhouses with exotic plants must also include cactuses (or cacti actually). There are small ones ...

... big ones ...

... and even some that bloom! I like best the Euphorbia milii. 

And finally, of course, a palm tree. 

And then we will quickly jump into the arboretum so the part devoted to trees. The arboretum in Powsin is famous mainly for its magnolia trees. And the reason why we went there today is that the magnolias are now in blossom. The smell is incredible! There are many varieties of magnolias there. The white Magnolia ×soulangeana "Alba Superba", with a touch of pink at the bottom.

The pink Magnolia ×soulangeana "Lennei".

 
The deep purple Magnolia liliiflora "Susan".

And the supreme white beauty of Magnolia "Elizabeth".

The last part of the garden is dedicated to plants that grow in Polish mountains. There are even small mountains built to make you feel a bit like in the Tatras.

This is the sign you will see on a real trail.

There are small mountain brooks embeded in the hill.

As well as the mountain pines (pinus mugo).

Some smaller plants are present as well. So my dear friends from all over the world - who will pronounce "różeniec górski"?

Allright, it is time to take some rest now. We can sit in this nice litlle Chinese arbor.

And to enjoy springtime even more let's taste this fantastic cotton floss ...

Those fantastic machines

Some time ago I have participated in an amazing event dedicated to all types of huge machines serving people in their duties. I will share with you this experience.

First there were some machines dedicated to save lives and homes. Starting of course with an ambulance.

It was possible to enter inside and look at the equipment as well.

Then come the firefighters. The best thing ever was that it was allowed to climb on top of the roof and play a bit with the firehose! It was also possible to wear the helmet, unfortunately they did not have my size.

In the second corner came the construction machines. An excavator ...

... and in the back a huge crane.

A big dumper ...

... was followed by a forklift that was by no means smaller.

In a third corner came the machines used in the cities. One for the garbage men.

Another one designed to clean the streets.

It was equipped with a huge brush.

Then a snow plow, so a special vehicle to remove snow from the streets.

You can compare it to the size of a horse - impressive, isn't it?

Last but not least, came the machines used in agriculture. A small tractor ...

... and his big brother.

One of the reasons why I liked this show so much was that it has made me realise that not so long ago, human needed horses to fulfill all these duties. The nice machines have given us horses some well deserved rest. Thanks buddies!