how do I remember scintillating Sligo? There is a song sung by the Clancy Brothers back in the 60s called “the Irish Rover”. They mentioned “the best Sligo rags. So when I saw the village on the map of course I had to stay here a night or two. It’s a cute little town where you will definitely want to visit especially if you come north of Galway.
This was on the wall in the restaurant “hooked” which had really nice food and very pleasant people working there. I highly recommend recommended it. At the hotel, Riverside Hotel, which is very pleasant by the way, right on the river. Make sure you get a Riverview room, the Reception person recommended the fish and chips at this restaurant. The fish was really excellent, not soggy and you get too decent pieces and you can order an option to “chips” such as the salad which was recommended and was very tasty.This was from my room which was of course a RiverviewThis is kind of a very interesting old post officeThe Sligo City Hall The city Plaza Below you can see one of the ancient burial sites. The entrance was closed so I took a photo from the distance. This is one of the ancient burial sites It’s a little difficult driving and taking photos at the same time but I was able to snap this one horse buggy going by deep in the countryside Looking out at the farms and some residential areaI didn’t know at the time this was the place of Yeats. He is buried in Sligo and you will see the photos belowThis is the Knocknarea mound and on top is the burial site of queen Maeve. This mound on top of this hill is almost 6000 years old.It’s a rough pathway up the hillAn explanation of the trail in the area Beautiful views from the top of the hillThis actually reminds me of Champasak in Lao which is in the Pakse areaThis is the view of the path while walking downYou can see the city of Sligo in the distance Here is the mound and on top of that you can see the top of Queen Maeve’s tombThen I went down to Strandhill beachOn my way to Donnegal I saw a sign for “Yeats grave” so I decided to stop by.A memorial to Yeats There are some very old graves here which have been neglected and fallen into disrepairThe grave of William Butler Yeats And then there is a memorial to the great disaster shipwreck the three ships of the Spanish Armada and thousands of sailors deadThe memorial to the shipwreck
there is a tale of the “black Irish” having black hair and therefore descended from the Spanish Armada sailors who landed or worship wrecked off of Ireland. Of course the Spanish did try a mass attack of Ireland in an effort to defeat the British. But it seems the term “black Irish“ was really a derogative term against the Irish. There were probably very very few survivors of the shipwreck who were able to stay hidden in Ireland. The English and the Irish rounded them up and the English executed most of them. So the term “black Irish“ does not refer to descendants of the Spanish Armada and in fact there are probably no descendants of the Spanish in Ireland.
this is very interesting fishing port and one of the very beautiful little cities with a castle of renown.
It’s interesting to see excellent Welsh ice cream started by an Italian. Actually I had a good friend from Scotland who was also named Mario. The ice cream was chocolate on the bottom and on the top was strawberry.I could have entered here to find my future. But it was closed so who knows what the future is The streets of ConwyOn the other side of the port you enter the very popular city of Llandudno
Conwy castle
Booking down on the town entrance Just behind the pigeon on the rail the something that is white is actually a bird in flight It was cold enough to snow in the hills but not quite at the port. This was looking out from the castle A cute boat man had an appealing call to the children every three or four minutes A very old bank building near the station A small but adequate town square The train station is just this little place out of the rain. You better have already purchased your ticket somewhere else. And some people there told me that if the train is full they may not stop even though you’re on the scheduleIt’s an interesting profession for the Kurds. I am sure they do a great jobYou can walk the walls of the city which go all the way around and are extremely well preservedWalking around the backstreet I saw this exclamation that the occupants are obviously Welsh. You can tell by the dragon. On the union Jack there are four crosses. The cross for whales is David who slew the dragon.This was very tasty efficient chips except I exchanged the chips for onion rings. This little restaurant, mostly take away, is very famous
Clicking on the title of the section you will get a link to the history of the castle. It’s just a shell now but the shell is very impressive Walking around inside The birds were very comfortable here with the tourists. They obviously have taken over the castle, both see pigeons and the seagulls A view of the railroad tracks and a new tunnel entrance to the bridge which sort of matches the castle concept The seagulls are at home here This black bird and his buddy I caught just in flight which it was kind of cool The whole castle remains
Hay-on-Wye
This cute little town is probably going to be a good highlight for you to walk around. It’s a very interesting town and you can look at all the bookstores which seemed to be the highlight and fame of Hay on Wye. The river this is on is the Wye riverThe clock tower The Wye riverI’m not sure what this old building in the back was used for but it looks like it might have been a general marketI like this view You can see the defense door at the entrance which is extremely old and has withstood many attacksI bought a pair of shoes here and this is the old cash register from more than 100 years ago. The fellow who sold me the shoes knew what he was doing. Actually he was retired but he decided to come in at work since his wife was working here also. She is the fourth generation of the owner of this shoe store. Now they have jackets and many other kinds of clothing. They are very proud of their profession. You might want to stop here and buy a pair of shoes. Here is the shoe store on the corner. Actually it looks like it’s been expanded to another building as well. It’s fairly largeFish and chips next to a bookstore. Why not!Another view of the river A large occupied house near the river I like this view
Llandudno
This is the town of the video recording I did which in two days got over 1000 views, something that totally blew me out of the water. It’s a very popular place. Even though it’s not tourist season you see that many of the bed-and-breakfast are fully booked. It’s a nice place to stay for a couple days. Looking over at another hotel from the promenade. It’s obvious this was a resort area for many decades In the distance you can see the many windmills and it’s obvious you need to protect yourself against the wind. It was very strong when I was there He is looking down the promenade along the beach I was recommended this beer and I had this pasta which was extremely well done. And the beer was very tangy and delicious This is their lunch menu The beer was produced not far from here
Llandaff
I stopped here to see the cathedral Interesting display in front of the altar Beautiful ceiling inside This is part of the original Norman construction so over 900 years old Some famous fellows and the first one is King ArthurThe arch and the balcony and ceiling were very impressively beautiful The Norman archway
if you’re traveling in Poland I would recommend the city and spending more time here than in Warsaw. This has a lot of history, many older sites, is a smaller city and is extremely interesting. It is also the entryway to the Auschwitz memorial.
This is what you see when you first get out of the station These kids are just playing around. I’m sure this man has had many thousands of kids pestering himScreenshot
Fryderyk Chopin
born 1.03.1810, died 17.10.1849
Composer and pianist. Born in Zelazowa Wola; when he was no more than seven years old he was already believed to be a musical genius. He is considered the greatest Polish composer and the creator of the so-called “national school” of Romantic music. He was known as the poet of the piano and a master of harmony, simplicity and moderation in music. His music drew Inspiration from Polish folk music. His works, in particular the Polonaises and Mazurkas, have become symbols of Polishness.
insoiration from Polish folk music. mis works, in parcula une polonaises ano mazuras, nave Decome symoois of rousnness.
The great majority of all Chopin’s works are piano compositions: waltzes, rondos, varlations, études, preludes, nocturnes, ballades, scherzos, sonatas and songs. Fryderyk Chopin’s premature death as an émigré in Paris marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of his artistic and spiritual presence in world culture. The ceremony of the unveiling of the Medallion of Fryderyk Chopin – a copy of the original that lies on his tombat PCre Lachaise cemetery in Paris, was held at Wawel Cathedral on
28.02.2010 – on the day of the inauguration of the Chopin Year.
People from all over crowded around during the Christmas season This is some banksy artThe history of the area The large synagogue in Kraków
The Wall of Tears During the Second World War the Remuh cemetery was utterly devastated and profaned by the Nazis. Most of the tombstones were smashed. According to some of the testimonies, the Nazis planned to pave the pavement in the Kazimierz district with the broken matzevot. There is a well known story about the group of Polish doctors and lecturers of Krakow Medical College who collected fragments of the matzevot in order to give it back to the Jews. The brave doctors were harshly punished for their heroic act and sent to the concentration camp. The broken matzevot which were not fit for reconstruction were integrated into the wall, which was later called “The Wall of Tears”. Thus the precious monuments of Jewish funeral art were protected. Many of the matzevot are of exceptional historical and artistic value. They are a testament to the memory of the Jewish community and their thriving life in Krakow’s Kazimierz. – Fragments of the tombstones from the 16th-18th centuries discovered during excavation and conservation works conducted between 1958-68.
During the Second World War the Remuh cemetery was utterly devastated and profaned by the Nazis. Most of the tombstones were smashed. According to some of the testimonies, the Nazis planned to pave the pavement in the Kazimierz district with the broken matzevot. There is a well known story about the group of Polish doctors and lecturers of Krakow Medical College who collected fragments of the matzevot in order to give it back to the Jews.
The brave doctors were harshly punished for their heroic act and sent to the concentration camp.
The Remuh (Remu) Synagogue Built centuries ago, to all the Jews this synagogue is the most sacred place in Cracow. Throughout the centuries it endured fires, wars and plagues. Its walls preserve the memory of the ages long gone. The place is inhabited by “Shekhinah” (Hebrew: Presence of God from the time it was founded up to these days.
It is at this building that the great scholars studied Torah and Talmud day and night, at this courtyard that picturesque Jewish weddings took place, it is here that Jewish life once thrived. The Hebrew inscription on the gate reads: “This is the Gate to the New Synagogue dedicated to the blessed memory of Remuh”.
It is at the time of Black Death which
plagued the Town of The Polish Kings in the second half of the 16th century that Rabbi Israel (Isserl Lasers), son of Josef erected the synagogue to commemorate his wife, Dinah Malka, the daughter of Rabbi Eleazar, who died of this disease. The synagogue was named after his son, the great scholar, Rabbi Moses Isserles, called “Remuh”. The official opening of the Synagogue took place in 1558. Thanks to the efforts of the Jewish Community and attentive care of the experts from the Civic Committee for the Restoration of Krakow Heritage, the Remuh Synagogue regained its former splendour. Presently the Remuh Synagogue is the Chief Synagogue of the Jewish Community in Krakow. It is here that everyday and holiday prayers take place. In 2016 the former women’s gallery was adapted as the so-called “Shtiebel”, the place where the local Jewish community as well as the Jews from all over the world can pray and study the works of Rabbi Remuh.
Auschwitz camp Orchestra This is the camp identification papers for one of the prisoners This is a map of Auschwitz. This was originally created as a barracks for Polish troops and was taken by the Germans and repurposed as a concentration and annihilationcampThis is the famous entrance of the camp next to the original Auschwitz camp which was built mainly for extermination. You see the train tracks for the transport directly into the camp You can see the smoke stacks of the houses that used to be there which were destroyed. They were used by the occupation army Each one of these cubicles would hold many people sleeping together
