july #1
Bydgoszcz-Gruczno. Right. My Strykowie are in a group that organises different community parties and such, and 30kms from Bydgoszcz is a village called Gruczno. This place has a huge history - parts of the town have existed since the 7th century. The last time I came to Bydgoszcz I met a fair few people from the area, and all of them were very lovely and invited me back anytime.
Gruczno is tiny and everybody knows everybody else. This year was the 25th anniversary of the priest’s arrival in the Gruczno parish, and it was also the regional festival. Stryjenka spent months upon months collecting photos from the locals, fixing them in Photoshop, and arranging them for a gallery showing at the festival, which was to be held in the church basement. So! Two days, the 30th June and the 1st of July, were spent in Gruczno. It rained the first day and the weather was terrible, but on the second day, everything was perfect.
The town was literally built by the Czajkowski family - brothers who each had a building company. This is the one that built in town, and the photo is one of the best group shots I’ve ever seen. It’s not a great photo of a photo, though.
Oh, and this woman looks like Nicole Kidman.
Local jazz band, who were awesome.
The school put on a random presentation, which was also lovely.
Priests and friends, just hanging out.
And then there was a guy, who they called a mime, but who talked, so… ultimately a clown.
Oh, and then someone thought it would be funny to volunteer me for the next joke. Great.
That’s the culprit on the left, a director from Krakow (his grandfather was one of the building-company Czajkowskis) called Jerzy Ridan.
Yep.
The performances were mostly over, so all the kids went crazy in the yard near the church.
Not-Mime! Who apologised for getting me onstage. Don’t know why; I had fun.
These kids were brilliant. They saw me walking around with a camera and were all, “Hello. Would you like to take our picture?” The whole village is full of characters, though.
The church; kids playing games where they hit each other with sticks. Don’t ask me, I’m not their parents.
Ridan, his wife Halina and Stryjek; then Stryjek, Pani Halina and Pani Helena.
A lady who teaches at the local Sunday school brought out “the sheet” and the kids all started to play a game where someone yells, “Whoever has…. blue eyes!” or something similar, and all the kids with blue eyes run under the sheet and then try to get out before it comes down again. Cute. And hours of endless fun.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this boy’s sausage was on fire.
Ridan, Jarek, Stryjenka and Stryjek.
Priests tidy up the photography exhibition; Priest Kamecki.
The clean-up process outside.
Jarek’s mother, Stryjenka and Pani Halina.
Jarek standing around; sunset.
Jarek’s stepfather with a truly fantastic moustache, Jarek, and Ridan.
Post-clean-up celebrations.
That cake on the left is made ENTIRELY FROM PANCAKES.
Then I went back to Warszawa, where there was an Alfons Mucha exhibition at the National Museum.
Ciocia Lusia and the mother of her son-in-law, Ala. Is there a name for that family connection?
There was also an exhibition of posters from the Soviet era right after World War II. The first says, “What have YOU done to realise the plan?” The second one advertises Warszawa “building month” in 1953 - “the whole nation builds its capital” - as the city was destroyed in WWII.
“No!” - and the rooms in which the permanent exhibition of “Communist art” is displayed.
Pastels by Stanisław Wyspiański.
Bitwa pod Grunwaldem ( The Battle of Grunwald) by Jan Matejko, an absolute mammoth of a painting.
Installation art near the museum, shoes on a ladder. View towards the city centre.
Little ray of sunshine… and Charles de Gaulle roundabout with its fake palm tree. Why is there a fake palm tree? Because. Oh well, at least everyone knows where it is.
Continued!