Hey y’all, the last time I did an update was on Monday when I was on my way to Wroclaw and stopped off at a roadside gas station halfway there to finish the last blog post.
After I uploaded the blog, I got back on the road and I arrived in to Wroclaw at about 7pm Monday evening. Before heading to my room just outside the old town, I stopped at the Wroclaw Centennial Hall to check it out and see the multimedia fountain they have there. Here are some pics from the drive to Wroclaw. By the way Wroclaw is pronounced VORT-SLAF in case you were wondering (like I was 🤣):
Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.This is the exact same fuel truck I used to drive in my army days. An M978 HMMT. Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Poznan – Wroclaw scenery.Getting my first glimpse of Wroclaw in the distance. Hitting the outskirts of Wroclaw. A tree-lined boulevard approaching Wroclaw Centennial Hall. The multimedia fountain at Centennial Hall.
After spending about 20 minutes at Centennial Hall, I still had a little daylight left so I headed to the area of the Wroclaw Cathedral about 10 minutes away and found a parking spot. From there I checked out the cathedral and some other points of interest in that immediate area.
Some Soviet style apartment blocks on the way to the Cathedral.A typical look in downtown Wroclaw area. I just thought this was funny when I saw it because of the band Green Day. The Wroclaw Cathedral. A closer look at the cathedral. The back side of the cathedral complex. A big historic looking building next to the cathedral. A religious monument near the cathedral. A cool looking gate near the cathedral. St. Giles Church, right beside the cathedral. A monument in front of the St. Giles Church. It says “we give and ask of forgiveness”The Tumski pedestrian bridge to Piasek Island. It’s an island in the middle of the Oder river separating the area of the cathedral with old town Wroclaw. For some reason, the love locks aren’t allowed on this bridge. View of the Oder River from the bridge. View of the Oder River from the bridge. Notice the people sitting on the bank in the distance…Which is where this pic was taken. A view of the cathedral and St Giles Church from the other side of the river. An inlet of the river where they are renting boats and other water equipment. The national museum of Wroclaw. A statue in front of the National Museum. Sundown over the Oder. As I got back to the car, I saw a guy in full garb walking around and lighting the gaslamps by the cathedral. That was pretty neat to see.
After seeing the Cathedral area stuff, I was basically out of daylight and pretty much out of gas for sightseeing anyways. I went and found my apartment after a little hassle getting to it and then got myself checked in. The place was nice but the internet was frustratingly down. I was looking forward to chilling and surfing the net, so that was annoying. But otherwise all was ok – first world problems – and I took it easy and rested up for some more sightseeing and busking on Tuesday.
My apartment Monday and Tuesday nights. Pretty nice place for 40 bucks a night and 5 minutes walk to the heart of old town. The best part was probably the underground parking garage I could use for only about 7 bucks a night. Parking is tight in old town Wroclaw, so this was clutch. But the internet situation there was infuriating – I have found Poland to have the least reliable internet of any country I’ve been to on a general basis.
On Tuesday late afternoon, I set out to take a look at the rest of the sights I was interested in seeing in Wroclaw, mostly within the old town proper. It was extremely hot and my room had air conditioning, so I wasn’t in too big of a hurry to hit the pavement. But it has cooled down by about 5 pm, so I left around then. I found it central Wroclaw be a really beautiful and historic looking place.
A monument to slaughtered farm animals in the old town of Wroclaw. First time I’ve ever seen anything like that. The Hansel and Gretel house. A church just outside of the main market square. Wroclaw main market square. Wroclaw main market square. Wroclaw main market square.Wroclaw main market square.Wroclaw old town hall in the market square.Wroclaw old town hall in the market square.The city apparently has dozens of these gnomes scattered around for people to find like a scavenger hunt. Something from the tourism department in recent years. Not my thing, but here’s one I saw in the main market square. And another one a few streets away. A pizza for breakfast/lunch/dinner on Tuesday afternoon. And some spaghetti to go with it. I pigged out, but it wound up being my only meal of the day. Another cool building in old town Wroclaw. A random building but I liked the carving on the top of it. The detail in this caught my eye, although this type of work is pretty common on buildings all over Europe. To think of the time, money, and craftsmanship that went in to these buildings compared to the crap that gets built today is kind of astonishing. A very tall church in old town Wroclaw. A statue in front of another historic church in the old town. A cool looking building on the edge of the old town and near the University of Wroclaw.
After I did my sightseeing walk, I headed back to the room to chill for a few minutes and then grab my gear and head back in to town to try some busking. I’d seen plenty of people out and about so I figured that I might as well. I wound up having a nice outing with a lot of spectators and guest musicians keeping me company.
My rig set on the edge of Wroclaw market square. A girl from Ukraine who wound up singing about 5 songs kareoke style.
One of the Ukrainian songs she sang. Some of the people hanging by my busking spot. An old Polish guy that had been hanging out wanted to play one. More guests Tuesday night. A shot of me from Tuesday night taken by a local guy whose Facebook was full of documentation of Wroclaw street musicians. He was a true patron of the arts. I don’t normally sit while playing on the street but my feet kind of hurt from walking around so much so I tried it. It didn’t seem to hurt the tips I received any to be seated, so I may do that more often going forward. My thought was always that it looked more like I was “working” if I was standing, thus it would be more likely that someone might feel compelled to give me money if I stood and played. Lol
Cleaning up a little on “Hallelujah”. This song is a guaranteed money maker in Europe and probably the most requested song I do.
Playing an old Bobby Darin song – Dream Lover.
Busting out some Beatles – I’ve Just Seen A Face.
After playing about 2 1/2 hours, the police finally showed up to my location at about midnight telling me there’d been a noise complaint and that it was time to hang it up for the evening. No problem for me – I was just about ready to quit for the night anyways. There were a couple of guys and a couple girls hanging around me when that happened, so we all decided to go to a pub nearby to have a couple of beers before heading home. I enjoyed hanging with them for the nightcap!
Me and Brad – he was an American guy from New York and he’d been sent over to work on military radios for the Polish army. He was a heck of a nice guy and he enjoyed some country music. This guy was a semi-famous Polish actor and he recorded a video with me and shared to all his followers promoting my music. Cool guy. Brad with a couple of Polish girls who’d been listening to me play and joined us for a drink after. They were very nice gals.Counting up the busking spoils before trading it in for some bigger bills. 319 zloty plus a 20 dollar bill that Brad insisted on me taking. Altogether about 88 euros worth of currency on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, I checked out of my room in Wroclaw at about 11am and walked into the old town to get some lunch at a traditional Polish place I’d read good things about. After lunch, I went back and picked up the Fiesta from the garage and got on my way to the next destination of Lodz – about 2 1/2 hours to the east.
A chicken soup for lunch on Wednesday. Pretty good. Along with some traditional Polish beef dish. It was interesting but not great. Goodbye to Wroclaw. A beautiful city! Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz. Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz. Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Grabbing some gas station Subway for an after lunch snack on the way to Lodz. The Polish food wore off pretty quick. Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.Scenery from Wroclaw to Lodz.A bunch of windmills approaching Lodz. A windmill near Lodz. Final approach to Lodz. Hitting the Lodz city limits.
Upon entering Lodz (pronounced like WOODGE) on Wednesday afternoon, I stopped at their main cathedral to have a look around as it was on my route and then went to find my hotel and get checked in before my 8pm show that evening at the M-3 pub.
A cool looking church I passed in southern Lodz. City street in southern Lodz. Getting closer to central Lodz. The Lodz cathedral. Interior of the cathedral. A statue outside the Cathedral. Another statue outside the cathedral. Final approach to downtown Lodz. Some tall buildings in central Lodz. My room in Lodz. Perfect location to the main pedestrian strip, parking included, and the only place I’ve stayed in Europe with central air conditioning. Def worth the 40ish euros a night.
After I got checked in to the room, I went out to get some food and do a little sightseeing as I still had a couple of hours to kill before my gig that evening. Almost everything of interest was on the main pedestrian promenade, Piotrkowska, right behind my hotel.
A cool looking building near my hotel. The main pedestrian strip of Lodz, Piotrkowska. It is 4.2km long and is the longest commercial street in Europe. A monument to Arthur Rubenstein – considered to be the best pianist to ever live – in front of the house he was born in. A little statue of a bear. I think it is from a Polish cartoon. One of the many street musicians I saw in Lodz. There was some stiff competition in this city. These guys were in incredible reggae band that I heard and met on my way to my gig. I wound up getting to know them well, but more on that later.
They really had an awesome vibe. A pulled pork sandwich for dinner on Wednesday. It was actually pretty terrible, but I scarfed down about half of it anyways. A Facebook post from the M-3 pub advertising my performance that evening.
The show wound up being so – so. The owners were from India and were enthusiastic about having me and were very nice and generous, but we just didn’t have many people show up. There were a few and the ones that were there had a lot of fun, but I think we only saw about 12-15 people the whole night. I hated the thought that I was going to be taking their money when I know they didn’t even make enough to pay me and also the fact that I could have been playing on Piotrkowska street and had a lot more exposure than playing to a mostly empty bar. But what was done was done, and we made the best of it. They told me that they had a great night and loved my music, so I figure that’s about the best I could do in that situation.
The M-3 pub where I played on Wednesday evening. With the two owners. They were very friendly guys, originally from India. My set up in the M-3. It was never much busier than this on Wednesday. One of the owners doing some Indian kareoke on my rig while I took a break. My speaker is cool in that it has Bluetooth connectivity. So we can connect a phone, pull the kareoke version of a song on YouTube, and then basically do kareoke at any time. A guest musician I had towards the end of the night on Wednesday. Another 300 zloty (65 euros) for my performance at the M-3 pub on Wednesday.
After the gig Wednesday night, I was a little tired so I went back to my room and relaxed and worked on the blog some. On Thursday, I kind of slept in and eventually got up and wandered out to look around some more and get some food. I ran in to the guys I had met the day before playing the reggae and wound up hanging out with them pretty much the rest of the evening. They were awesome guys!
I decided to run back the Pizza/Pasta combo for lunch on Thursday. The pizza was very good. But the spaghetti carbonara was very salty. Either way, I got full and didn’t wind up eating any other food on Thursday. The Lodz walk of fame on Piotrkowska. A Polish band playing on the street. They were excellent. I have a soft spot for accordions and their accordion player was legit.
Here they are playing some “Sweet Georgia Brown”Another street musician out and about on Thursday. I must have seen at least 10 different performers or groups. By far the most buskers I’ve seen in any one street anywhere in Europe. The reggae group I’d met on Wednesday. They are called Botanic Project and they are originally from Belarus. Talking to them, I found out they have a pretty incredible story. At one time they were a major touring band in Belarus and Russia, playing all the major reggae festivals there. Due to persecution from the Belarusian government, they became political refugees in Ukraine before the war started and then shortly after they arrived they were in Kiev when the bombs started falling there. So they became war refugees in Poland (nearly getting killed by Ukranians on the way for being Belarussians/suspected of being Russian supporters) and are now playing on the street to support themselves. They were very great guys and we decided to kick it that evening after they got done playing.
I wasn’t much in the mood to busk on Thursday, so I decided to walk the length of Piotrkowska and check everything out while my Belarusian friends did their thing and then plan on meeting up with them later to hang out. Here are some pics of that little excursion:
Made it from one end to the other. The hotel’s proper lot was full when I’d arrived, so they agreed to let me stick the car here on the side of the building. The benefits of driving a tiny car I guess. The coolest part was the since I didn’t enter their actual car park, I didn’t get a ticket – so I parked for two days for free. Meeting back up with Botanic Project at their quitting time after my walk up and down Piotrkowska. That’s Alex on the drums, Kesha on the piano, and Klim playing guitar. I liked them all, but me and Klim really connected the most.
Here they are playing “No woman, no cry” as their finale on Thursday night.
After I met back up with the Botanic Garden boys, Klim invited me to come back to their apartment and kick it. I was happy to accept the offer. I hung out with them while they loaded up their equipment in Alex’s car and then went and grabbed some beers and made my way to their place about 20 minutes away by foot.
They somehow manage to fit all of their equipment in Alex’s classic VW Golf. Watching them load felt like watching someone play Tetris. Hanging with Klim and Alex. We had a good time checking out some tunes and getting to know each other. I’ve really had a good time with the Belarusians that I’ve met on this trip. I hope someday the political situation there is different so I can eventually visit Belarus itself.
Here Klim gives me his feedback on my song “Mountain Soul” 🤣A little taste of Kentucky and of Poland.
On Friday, I got up and decided to check out the last two points of interest that I wanted to see in Lodz – the Manufaktua shopping mall and the memorial at the former Lodz ghetto.
The Manufaktua shopping complex. This was once one of the largest textile mills in the world, but has since been redeveloped into a shopping and entertainment complex. The size of the buildings was impressive. Some of the modern day tenants of Manufaktua. Inside one of the Manufaktua buildings. Here you can get some sense of the scale of the place, but there was no way to get a pic of the entire complex. It’s just too sprawling. I found a buffet style place in the food court where you pay by the overall weight of your plate. So I had a nice variety of Polish food for lunch on Friday.
After checking out Manufaktua for about a half hour and eating some lunch, I made my way to the area of the former Lodz (then known temporarily at Litzmannstadt) Jewish Ghetto. This is where Jews were forced to live and perform slave labor for the Nazis during WW2 and from where they were ultimately shipped to the extermination camps from. The Litzmannstadt ghetto was one of the largest in Europe. See the link below for further reading about the ghetto if you are interested:
Driving by some communist style apartment buildings on the way to Lodz ghetto. A monument at the former ghetto train station. A monument to a specific family deported from the Lodz ghetto. The station was called Radegast and was the place where Jews were shipped into the ghetto and where manufactured goods from the ghetto and Jews themselves were shipped out. An actual restored freight car in which Jews were transported. This would be packed full of people and there would be hay on the floor of the boxcar. The Jews were treated like animals.
Below are some photos from the various information panels at Radegast station:
Various camps Jews would be shipped to from the Lodz ghetto. A genuine German steam engine used on the Holocaust transports. Info about the station.
After my short visit to the ghetto, I headed back to the hotel to get my gear and try my hand at some busking on Piotrkowska. There were once again a bunch of other musicians out, but there were also a lot of people walking the strip, so I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring.
A square of some kind I passed on my way back to the hotel from the ghetto. A city park with an Orthodox cathedral I stopped at on my way back. A statue in the park. The Alexander Nevsky cathedralStopping by to shake howdy with my boys from Botanic Project on the way to find my own busking spot. Found a spot on the corner that seemed as good as any. Unfortunately, there was a pickup truck riding up and down the strip on Friday absolutely blaring techno music and they seemed to like to pull over and chill at my location. They stopped about 6 times for 10-15 minutes at a time, drowning me out. Extremely annoying. But I made the best of it and even got a few guests that popped by and hopped on the rig. Stopping back by to see Botanic Garden one more time before retiring to my room. They had a nice crowd gathered around at about 10pm. Helping them load up and then bidding them a fond farewell. A late night snack of nuggets and fries from the nearby kebab shop. Did the job. Counting up the busking spoils in the room on Friday night. 139 zloty (29 euros). Certainly not my best haul – actually one of my worst of the trip. But considering the techno truck constantly interrupting me and the amount of competition on the street I didn’t stress about it too much. It was still nearly enough to pay for my room after only two hours on the street.
On Saturday, I checked out of my room at about 12:30 and then got on the road to my next destination of Czestochowa (pronounced CHEST-A-HOVA). Czestochowa is a very holy city to the Poles, with a lot of churches and a very famous monastery called Jasna Gora. Inside is a very treasured and legendary painting called the Black Madonna. It was at this monastery that the Swedish invasion of Poland was effectively stopped in the late 1600’s, so it’s a huge part of Polish history. After the 90 minute drive from Lodz, I made this monastery my first stop in Czestochowa.
So long Lodz!Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Windmills between Lodz and Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Scenery from Lodz to Czestochowa.Got hit with a little rain approaching Czestochowa. Stopping for some gas station food in Czestochowa before hitting the monastery. Some communist style housing blocks on the outskirts of Czestochowa. Catching my first view of the monastery at a traffic light.
Here are some impressions from within the monastery with selected commentary:
Entrance boulevard to the monastery. Reminding monastery visitors to behave. A woman praying to an outdoor replica of the Black Madonna. A friar praying in one of the monastery chapels. A service was being held in the main chapel where the Black Madonna is housed when I arrived, so I went to look at other things until it was finished. A screen broadcasting the live service outside the main chapel. My buddy Grant would refer to this as “scripture in picture” 🤣The service seemed to go on forever, so I slowly and respectfully inched my way forward to try to get a shot of the Black Madonna and then get out of there. The Black Madonna of Czestochowa. In my twisted mind, the song “Lady Madonna” by the Beatles was playing on repeat. 😜
After I checked out the monastery as much as I cared to, I loaded back up into the Fiesta and headed over to Lucky’s Saloon where I was to play later on that evening. I wanted to introduce myself and drop off my equipment, since I wanted to be able to park at my hotel and walk over closer to show time. When I saw the place, I know immediately it was going to be a great night. Everybody there was friendly as could be and excited for me to play. I stayed for a few minutes, stashed my stuff in their closet, and then went over to check in to the hotel and get the car parked for the night.
The Lucky Saloon – my Saturday night venue. Lucky’s was ready for my arrival, although I’m still not sure what made them think I was bringing the Hotheads with me. 🤣My room in Czestochowa. Air conditioning, parking, and 5 minutes walk from the saloon. Not bad for about 45 euros a night. And it had a cool second floor patio right outside my door. With a view down to the parking lot. And a parrot in the lobby.
After chilling in my room for a couple of hours, I made the short walk back over to the saloon at about 630 to hang out for a couple of beers before getting everything set up for my show. I was pleased to meet several people that had come specifically to hear me play and I got pretty excited to put on the show. It turned out to be an amazing night – easily one of the top gigs I’ve had on this entire tour.
Walking over to Lucky’s Saloon from my hotel. Lucky’s is on the literal wrong side of the tracks – my kinda place!Another flyer up advertising my show. It’s so appreciated when a venue actually gives a shit about promoting the artists that they have performing. It’s so simple, but you’d be surprised how few of these places go to the effort to do it. And it’s to their own detriment if they don’t. Getting a welcome shot from the owner of Lucky’s, Maciek. He was one hell of a nice guy – and runs the only 24 hour bar in Czestochowa. The only day they are closed is Easter. A vast selection of bourbons (by euro standards) including my perennial favorite – Bulleit. I may or may not have had a couple of Bulleit on the rocks before the show to get my blood pumping 😎Meeting Pete. He’d been sent to help me set up the bar’s sound system and he turned out to be one heck of a nice and funny guy! Me and Pete got her done. Ready to rock the patio about a half hour later. Bonding with Pete before the show. Doing the thing on a Saturday night in Czestochowa! Taking a break after a couple of sets and having a shot with a group of young fellas who were digging my tunes!
Busting out a Kenny Rogers request at Lucky’s Saloon. I think ole Kenny would have liked a place like Lucky’s. A guest singer takes the stage. He was from Bolivia and pretty drunk. This is the first time I’d truly regret letting somebody be a guest performer though…Because he not only broke my guitar cable – he broke the jack in the actual guitar! I was legit pissed off. But Maciek and one of the bartenders, Carlos, went to work right away fixing the guitar. Trying a zip tie to hold the jack in place. That didn’t work. Alas – when all else fails, get the duct tape out. This did the job as a temporary fix. Back in business thanks to some Polish ingenuity!Another much more sober (and talented) guest musician showed up and did some Polish songs. He was actually very good!
This was at about 6am. I was quite impressed but definitely just about ready to go home. But I didn’t wanna take my gear and leave and ruin the party!One of the bartenders coming out to take a turn on the guitar. The danger of a 24 hour bar and unlimited booze – I didn’t wind up leaving there until close to 7am 🤦. But it had been an absolute night for the ages!Walking by a random statue of Louis Armstrong on my way back to the hotel early Sunday morning. I still don’t know what Louis Armstrong has to do with Czestochowa, Poland. 🤷
At first I thought I was drunkenly hallucinating – but no, this statue was actually moving 🤣. First I’ve ever seen anything like that. A case of false advertising. Between pay from the bar, tips, and a few CD sales – 380 zloty (80 euros) on Saturday night. Paid for both nights of my hotel room. Goodnight, don’t disturb! A flyer the American Pub in Czestochowa posted on Tuesday night advertising my show on Sunday.
I was down until about 3pm on Sunday after the big night and morning at Lucky’s Saloon. But I actually did not feel bad at all when I woke up, which I was pleasantly surprised about. It was a good thing because I had another show lined up on Sunday evening at the American Pub Czestochowa. I got myself cleaned up and made my way over there in the Fiesta, not particularly thrilled about having to play for another three hours, but ready to stick to my commitment to give them a show.
Making my way to the American Pub down the main strip of Czestochowa. An advertisement from the pub for my show on Sunday. It didn’t do much good – only a handful of people wound up coming. The owners blamed the nice weather and the fact that it was Sunday, but they didn’t seem particularly bothered by the low turnout. The entrance to the American pub. Everything there was USA themed. A cheese steak and macaroni and cheese at the American pub for my only meal on Sunday. The cheese steak was pretty good, but the Mac and cheese was extremely salty. I suggested playing on their small patio to try and draw in some foot traffic, but they insisted on me playing inside… At first. After playing an hour to about four people inside, they then suggested I move my stuff outside and try the patio. It was an “I told you so” moment, but I just did as I was asked. Eventually I had a few people drop in and join me on the patio. But it was overall a painfully slow gig. Another situation where I’d have rather been busking at the nearby square so I wasn’t taking money from an establishment that wasn’t earning hardly any from my performance and where I’d have had more exposure for myself. But what’s done was done. I left out of there after doing my 3 hours and was another 300 zlotys (70 euros) in the black.
A video the owner took of American Pub took of me playing “Small Town Saturday Night” by Hal Ketchum. My fingers were absolutely shredded from playing 8 hours Saturday night and 3 hours on Sunday. But at least my new buddy Pete and his girlfriend Patty stopped by to see me at the American Pub. Once my show at the American Pub was over, we went back to Lucky’s to say hi to everybody and have a beer there. I really enjoyed Pete’s company and humor. Patty is a very nice lady! Kicking it at Lucky’s Saloon on Sunday evening.
On Monday, I checked out of my room and then my first order of business was to find a music store to try and get my guitar jack properly fixed. Luckily, the owner of American Pub was nice enough to donate a new guitar cable to me, but the jack was being held together with tape and that definitely needed to be addressed. I went to a couple of shops that were closed before eventually finding a place called Omega Music that was able to help me out.
Omega Music – where I’d get my guitar fixed on Monday afternoon. It was a cool shop and I had lots of time to look around as it took them every bit of 90 minutes to fix the guitar. But I didn’t mind waiting because normally I would have had to make an appointment for the next day to bring it in and they had made an exception for me to work on it immediately. Neither the owner nor the technician at Omega spoke English, but lucky for me the owner’s daughter, Wiktoria (Victoria), was there and was able to act as my translator. She also made me a coffee and kept me company while the guitar was getting worked on, and was a really nice girl. So I gave her a signed CD as a thanks for her assistance.
After getting the guitar up and running again at about 2pm, I went back into town to finally get some food in my stomach. Pete and his buddy had highly recommended that I try a type of regional soup called Zurek and Wiktoria had given me the name of a restaurant where I could find some, so that’s where I went.
Trying the Zurek – it was incredible. Mashed potatoes, a soft boiled egg, sausage, and wild mushrooms with a very flavorful broth. Some gnocchi Bolognese off the kids menu to go with the soup. It was ok.
After lunch, I got on the road for my next destination of Katowice – only about 40 minutes to the south. Here are some pics from that short stretch of road:
Saying goodbye to Czestochowa – temporarily – I’ve agreed to come back on Friday and put on another show at Lucky’s Saloon 😎Scenery from Czestochowa to Katowice.Scenery from Czestochowa to Katowice.Scenery from Czestochowa to Katowice.Scenery from Czestochowa to Katowice.Welcome to Katowice. Hitting Katowice and it’s minor traffic on Monday evening. A view of downtown Katowice.
Upon arriving in Katowice, I had some daylight left so I started checking out some of the outlying attractions I was interested in before heading in to the heart of the city where my room was located. The first stop was Grunwaldzki park, followed by the monument to the Silesian Uprising monument downtown.
Grunwaldzki parkA row of statues in Grunwaldzki park.A statue of some sort in Grunwaldzki park.The monument to the Silesian Uprising – the heaviest statue in Poland. Another view of the Silesian Uprising monument. Spodek – a multi-use arena across from the uprising monument. A statue of somebody near the uprising monument. I noticed a Pizza Hut right by the park where the Uprising monument was and since I was already parked and was a little peckish, I decided to do a pizza for dinner. I crushed the whole thing.
After eating the Pizza – there was still just a bit of daylight left, so I cruised over to the Kosciuszki park to see two more attractions that I was interested in. First was the Church of St Michael the Archangel and second was the Katowice Parachute Tower, both located within the park.
Kosciuszki park. Kosciuszki park. A statue in Kosciuszki park.Church of St Michael the Archangel. The oldest church in Katowice. A view inside the church. A German grave outside the church. Back in the day there were a lot of Germans living in the area that is now Poland. Kosciuszki park.The parachute tower in Kosciuszki park. It’s the only one in Poland. The historical significance is that during the invasion of Poland in WW2, the Polish government decided that it could not defend Katowice and pulled it’s military forces east to more defensible positions. But local citizens climbed this tower and used it as a sniping position against the Wehrmacht. Needless to say they didn’t last long. Those that survived were executed the the next day by the Germans. A true David vs. Goliath story. Another view of the parachute tower. A memorial at the tower to the defenders of Katowice.
After hitting the park, it was time to go find my hostel in the city center. I’d booked a private room and the place was called Good Times House. After a small hassle finding it and getting into the parking, I got checked in and went to my room.
I was a little suspect about the place walking down this blacklit hallway. But my room turned out to be very nice. Way too big for just me, but I didn’t mind the extra pillows. Great location with air conditioning and parking for only 35 bucks a night.
After getting checked in the room, I stepped out to explore central Katowice with the few minutes of daylight that I had left on Monday evening.
The central street of downtown Katowice, 3 May Street. Some musicians I met playing at a community piano. Nice folks, but I was out of gas musically and didn’t hang around too long. The Katowice city hall, decked out in Ukranian colors. A mix of new old and new again. A fountain on a square in downtown Katowice. Katowice is a very new city by Polish standards, so there is no “old town” there. I think I saw more trams in Katowice than any other city I’ve been too. Every few seconds another one would be coming. One last stop by the piano to say hi to my new friends before retiring for the night. The new event for my return to Czestochowa on Friday went live on Monday night. Pickleback is referring to these awful vodka/pickle juice shots that I was given at my first show there 🤣The event description in Polish, written by my buddy Pete. The English translation 😜
I spent the rest of Monday night working hard on this blog post (4 hours) and taking advantage of the in room washing machine to get two loads of dirty clothes washed and get myself back to 100 percent clean clothes inventory.
So you guys, that brings me to today – Tuesday. I’ve had the epitome of a lazy day. I slept in and finished up my clothes and got them put away in the Fiesta. I went out to get some food and got my mullet trimmed up and that’s about it besides working on finishing up this post for y’all. I thought about some busking – but my heart’s just not in it today. There’s something much more important on my mind – the arrival of my wife Anna-Maria tomorrow in Krakow! I’ll be checking out of the room in the morning and making the 30 minute drive to the airport in Krakow to pick her up in the afternoon and I’m super pumped to see her and spend the next 11 days traveling with her. We’ll be in Krakow for two days and then back to Czestochowa for my show on Friday and Patty’s birthday party on Saturday and then we’ll be making our way to the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia – where Anna-Maria will fly home from.
Finishing up the laundry on Tuesday. Out and about to find some breakfast/lunch/dinner at about 4pm. It had rained all morning Tuesday and didn’t let up till around 3. I was content to just chill in my room after having seen all I planned to see in Katowice on Monday already. Another dose of Zurek soup. The stuff is amazing. A Polish beef roulade meal as the main course.The inside of the roulade. Pretty good stuff! Walking through one of the main pedestrian zones on my way back to the room Tuesday evening. A freshly trimmed mullet. I walked by a barber shop that was open for business late and was lucky to be able to get a walk-in appointment. I think he did a pretty good job on it 💈The love of my life. She really is the best – holding down the fort back home so I can go live out my music and travel dreams halfway across the world. Not once, but twice. I’m a lucky guy – and I’m looking very much forward to showing her a good time while she’s here with me!
So you guys – that is the latest and greatest for me. I’m going to relax the rest of the day and do some more research about the next destinations. I’ll try to get another post out, but it may be a while as my routine will be a little different now that I’m going to have a co-traveler with me. But I’ll get one out eventually and I’ll check in with you then. As always, thanks for keeping up with me!
Incredible! The photos never get old and I am constantly amazed at the beauty you are capturing along the way. The churches in particular are so stunning. I love all the statues and art as well. This is as close as I’ll ever get to these things and I’m loving every minute of it. Great to see you meeting so many cool people along the way. Glad you’re getting a little rest and that Mary Anne is joining you. You guys have a wonderful time! Stay safe.
Zeb South
Thank you Nancy! I really appreciate your feedback on my posts and glad you enjoy them!!
William Schwab
Once again great picks. Lots of great poeple and music. Such luck you got the guitar fixed. Tell AM I said hi. You guys take care.
Zeb South
I told her! She says hi bank. Thanks for the comment 🤘
linda South
This was a very Indepth blog for sure, can tell you spent much time on it. Loved all the pics,I have a soft spot for all the churches ,statues, and parks. I love the pics of the scenery you post from point A to your destination and your hostels/rooms you stay and all the interesting foods you are eating .Like the pics of the people you meet along your way and the stories that go along with your interactions with those folks. Was so relieved at the end of the post to see the pic of our girl and to know she had arrived safely. I hope the two of you have a wonderful time and enjoy all the si,ghts, stay safe as you guys travel around!
Zeb South
Thanks mom! All is going well from here with Anna-Maria. I’ll get another post out soon!
Very professional story-telling Zeb; so many things to like about your adventures. So much to write about and photograph. Cool that you’re meeting so many ppl too
Nancy
Incredible! The photos never get old and I am constantly amazed at the beauty you are capturing along the way. The churches in particular are so stunning. I love all the statues and art as well. This is as close as I’ll ever get to these things and I’m loving every minute of it. Great to see you meeting so many cool people along the way. Glad you’re getting a little rest and that Mary Anne is joining you. You guys have a wonderful time! Stay safe.
Zeb South
Thank you Nancy! I really appreciate your feedback on my posts and glad you enjoy them!!
William Schwab
Once again great picks. Lots of great poeple and music. Such luck you got the guitar fixed. Tell AM I said hi. You guys take care.
Zeb South
I told her! She says hi bank. Thanks for the comment 🤘
linda South
This was a very Indepth blog for sure, can tell you spent much time on it. Loved all the pics,I have a soft spot for all the churches ,statues, and parks. I love the pics of the scenery you post from point A to your destination and your hostels/rooms you stay and all the interesting foods you are eating .Like the pics of the people you meet along your way and the stories that go along with your interactions with those folks. Was so relieved at the end of the post to see the pic of our girl and to know she had arrived safely. I hope the two of you have a wonderful time and enjoy all the si,ghts, stay safe as you guys travel around!
Zeb South
Thanks mom! All is going well from here with Anna-Maria. I’ll get another post out soon!
jeff campbell
Very professional story-telling Zeb; so many things to like about your adventures. So much to write about and photograph. Cool that you’re meeting so many ppl too
Zeb South
Thanks Jeff! Yes it’s been amazing.