When I asked the way down to Lake Pile in Borne Sulinowo, I was told to turn right past the Okrąglak (the Roundhouse). The Officers' House was built in 1934–1936 by the Germans. It served as an artillery school for the German Wehrmacht. There was also an officers' casino there. The building was used to train the officers and non-commissioned officers of the armoured units of General Heinz Wilhelm Guderian.
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Leaving Borne Sulinowo and heading towards the village of Krągi, you can come across an old civilian-military cemetery with the "PPSh". There are quite a few graves there, with Russian soldiers and their families buried after the war.
Between Borne Sulinowo and Kłomino stretches a former military training ground. On its grounds you can come across the remains of various kinds of bunkers built by the Red Army. There you'll find mostly training bunkers, where soldiers honed their skills at capturing them.
So much is said about the dead towns in Ukraine after the explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl. Deserted towns and villages stretch on for kilometres over there. You don't have to look so far for dead towns, though. You can visit Kłomino, which lies near Borne Sulinowo (about 15 km from the town). The town sits on the edge of a former military training ground. In Soviet times it was called Grodek or Gródek, and in German it was known as Westwalenhof.
Waste can be beautiful too. Many years ago, back in the days of the Polish People's Republic, a sculpture was built out of scrap on the Nowe Sady estate. The sphere "on the viaducts" stands at the junction of Maratońska Street and Waltera-Janke Avenue.
Some time ago, on 13 March to be precise, I went with MMŁódź to another Foto Dej (Photo Day). This time we headed to the POLMOS Łódź Spirits Industry Works. These are perhaps some of the last photos taken in this place.
A year ago I went with some friends to the Sulejów Reservoir for a walk along its shore. This year too we visited the place. Unfortunately the ice was too thin to walk on, so we quickly headed towards the bunkers. This time we knew where to go, and the lovely voice of Marzena from AutoMapa made the journey more pleasant.
The first thing that caught my eye in Spain was a beautiful, juicy orange hanging on a tree by the road. A wonderful fruit, a strong aroma and that heavenly colour. It hung there peacefully on a tree right by the main street. With every passing moment my mouth watered more and more. Go on, pick it and eat it! — Kaja shouted.
What I liked most in Spain was the people. To this day I'm delighted by their culture, their approach to life, their calm and good sense, and above all the absence of "track-suit thugs". Strolling through the city late at night, you weren't afraid that someone might rough you up. Well, apart from one little incident, when I brought it on myself. And even if you did come across some guy whose trousers swished as he walked, you knew he was just on his way back from training.
Yes! I ended up in jail in Seville. True, I only sat there for about 20 minutes, but it's the fact that counts. After all, not everyone gets to tour a Spanish prison for free. It all started off normally. I walked Kaja to her stop at Prado de San Sebastián so she could head off to Pablo de Olavide University. I calmly trotted off towards the centre. And that was a mistake!
One day, sitting quietly at my computer, I met Kaja. A strange chain of events led me to decide to visit her in Seville, Spain. I planned my trip so as to see London along the way — the city that has become a paradise of riches for Poles.
As tends to happen at the end of the year, a little grumbling is in order. That Łódź is a different city from all the rest, I probably no longer need to prove to anyone. Sitting in front of my computer, I realised yet another fact that sets this place apart. We have no Old Market Square!
Some time ago I went on night-time wanderings around Łódź. The city seemed to me empty, sad and gloomy then. On a certain foggy evening I wanted to set out again and capture the beauty that Łódź hides somewhere within itself.