St Francis Basilica [43]

A very dark church with groups of worshippers praying and many waiting in line for confession. This church had many side chapels and all had people in them. Seemed like a very popular church. The walls were covered with fresco work and the doors were very elaborately decorated. This was the closest church to my hotel.

Mozart's Requiem [42]

To celebrate All Hallow's Eve, not Hallowe'en, Marek Mos conducted the Krakow Philharmonic in Mozart's Requiem. I was able to get a SRO ticket for 10zl [$3.33]. The next day being All Saints' Day was a very important holiday in Poland. Many families attended the concert and the audience was full of students. It was a very inspiring night with a magnificent orchestra, choral group and soloists. The concert hall was just across the street from my hotel.

St Adalbert's Church [41]

The smallest church, now a concert venue, sits 'not unlike a lost orphan at the southeast corner of the Cloth Hall in Market Square in Krakow. St Adalbert's Church is a mad mix of architectural styles dating from at least the 11th century. I stepped down into the chapel and found a charming place to pray.

St Mary's Basilica [40]

St Kasimir

St Mary's Basilica takes over one whole corner of the Market Square in Krakow. It is the main tourist attraction of the city center with two entries, one with ticket to take pictures of the famous Veit Stoss altar one one free to pray. I chose to pray. 

The larger of the two bell towers houses a trumpeter who plays on the hour in each of the four windows. This commemorates the fireman who warned the city of an oncoming Tartar attack on the horizon. The trumpeter was pierced in the neck with a Tartar arrow and stopped playing. The reenactment each hour has the musician playing the call up to that point.

Holy Trinity Basilica [39]

Confessional Door

The Holy Trinity Basilica on Stolarska was built in 1250 by Dominican Friars and was one of my marathon prayer visits while alone for a day in Krakow. I was not able to light a candle but did leave my card.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul [38]

There was a lot of drilling going on in the vicinity of the private chapel so it was difficult to concentrate on praying as the floor waxer was also attacking you. Concert tickets for sale and this would be an ideal place for music so maybe they were getting ready for a concert. Very confusing but managed to light a candle.

Rail Depot Tracks at Birkenau [37]

The train stopped here at Birkenau, an extermination center twenty times larger than Auschwitz, at the unloading platform. If you were young and healthy you were processed to the camp, if not you were sent to the gas chambers to be murdered.

I lit not candle, I left no card but I prayed and I cried alone in the silent yard where so many others have cried before me.

Wall of Death at Auschwitz [36]

Visited the barracks in Auschwitz, row upon row of innocent looking brick buildings. Each one is now a museum, each one displayed more horrors than the one before. Leftovers of shoes, baby shoes, luggage, clothing, cooking implements and human hair.

I was able to leave my card in a hole in the Wall of Death where political prisoners were shot. To preserve the dignity of this place, there are no other pictures of this concentration camp.

Salt Mines Holy Cross Chapel [35]

A trip to the salt mines is not just a trip to the salt mines; it's a trip to another world. The Wieliczka Salt Mines have become quite the tourist attraction as they now do not produce salt. You go down so many feet, metres [felt like miles] on a factory elevator. Then you walk for more feet, metres [feels like miles] and see lots of salt.

The beauty here are the carvings, carvings produced by the workers on their own time. There are many religious statues and they are crude and beautiful, most made from salt. In the Holy Cross Chapel stands a wooden cross inspiring in its simplicity. There is the underground church where everything is carved from salt.

Wawel Cathedral [34]

Wawel Cathedral is the church were Karol Wojtyla served as a priest and bishop before becoming Pope    John Paul II. It is considered the Polish Westminster Abbey. I lit a candle in the church but was very frustrated as it is more a museum or meeting house than a church let alone a cathedral. Tickets to enter, long lines with guards in long black capes directing traffic, very large groups of tourists with their group leaders making the experience not very prayerful. No cameras were allowed so the picture above is one of the banners lining the walkway to the church. The picture below is a stock image.

Schindler's Factory [33]

Drove by Schindler's Factory but, unfortunately, did not have time to visit the site which is now a museum. The front of the building has framed pictures of all the people he saved. A truly inspiring story. 

Heroes of the Ghetto [32]

The Podgorze Memorial, or Heroes of the Ghetto, was one of the most striking reminders of the terror of the war that I saw. There are 33 large chairs and 37 smaller ones, all empty. The simplicity of this remembrance in the town square is an everyday reminder of what we need to pray for.

Jasna Gorda Black Virgin [31]

On a snowy day and a long ride from Warsaw to Krakow we stopped at Czestochowa in the Silesian region to view the Black Virgin. Like Fatima and Lourdes this is one of the main pilgrimage stops in the world. The picture of the Virgin, blackened by smoke and age, has survived from the 900s. The face of the Virgin is slashed and the marks from someone trying to destroy the painting have not been covered over. It is a beautiful piece of work. I was able to pray here and light a candle.

Auschwitz Survivor [30]

 

Jerzy Kowalewski, Auschwitz survivor, spoke to us for an enlightening hour at the hotel. He had been a political prisoner and spent time in Auschwitz. He was now ninety years old and rejoiced in telling us of his struggles, his life in the Kazimierz ghetto and his escape and new life.

Warsaw Uprising Memorial [29]

details to follow...

St Anna's Church [28]

Opulence and gilt in Warsaw, enhanced decor, crystal chandeliers, carved wooden pews, a magnificent altar but no candles to light. Built in 1381 and then restored in 1705 after a fire. Prayed at a side altar.

Warsaw Cathedral [27]

Expecting this to be the highpoint of my places to pray in Warsaw I was so disappointed upon entering the Warsaw Cathedral and seeing such planned disrepair. Plastic wrapped the altar and every statue. They were trying to keep the dust off the seats while open pails of water and rags in all the aisles prevented anyone from praying.

Holocaust Memorial [26]

details to follow...

Chapel of Reconciliation [25]

The old and first reconciliation church built in 1894 was blown up by the GDR border troops in 1985. It was rebuilt after the fall of the Wall in 1989. I visited here on a dreamy misty day and found the beautiful chapel in the midst of the old Death Strip. Simplicity in its circular shape, strength of its loam walls and asceticism of its wood lamella outer strips make for an attitude of complete solitude. I lit a taper and placed it in the sand in its simple box container. The old returns and becomes the new.

Kaiser Wilhelm Church [24]

Saw this Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church last night lit from within during the last night of the Berlin Light Festival. During the day you would not know it was there until you entered and the same blue light is now illuminated from outside. Gorgeous and modern built from rough blocks. Lit a candle here.

This church stands where the old one was before it was damaged in an air raid. The structure of the old church is being kept and will become a museum.

St Marienkirche Church [23]

St. Mary's Church, known in German as the Marienkirche, is a church in Berlin, Germany. The church is located on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße  in central Berlin, near Alexanderplatz. Its exact age is not known, but it was first mentioned in German chronicles in 1292. It is presumed to date from earlier in the 13th century. It was originally a Roman Catholic church, but has been a Lutheran Protestant church since the Protestant Reformation. I lit a candle here in this old brick, angular church. The candles are all becoming the same: plastic cups and €1 apiece.

Victims of Wall Memorial [22]

I had passed this memorial several time but did not have the chance to visit it until today. Each cross listed a person who had died because of the activities concerning the Berlin Wall and its later falling. This is a well visited and easy to get to memorial being situated right at a major bus stop. I left my card in the info box on the cross.

Berliner Dom [21]

Overcast day and cool, perfect for walking around the city.There was an entry fee here at the Berliner Dom, the Berlin Cathedral, but I managed to get a senior discount of €4. The cathedral, a Protestant church, was filled with very contemporary music with a prayer program starting at Noon. I was just in time to hear the magnificent organ. I added my lit candle to one of the many candle trees.

My entry ticket included access to the dome. I was somehow able to climb up to the top of the church. It held a spectacular view and having achieved this physical strength test made me feel wonderful.

Buddha @Tasty Restaurant [20]

Had dinner at the Vietnamese Restaurant on Prager Strasse across the square, Prager Platz, from the hotel. And interesting meal for a change from German food. As I was getting ready to leave, the waiter was cleaning up the Buddha statue at the front of the restaurant. He rearranged the flowers and candles and lit incense. Before leaving I did the same.

Kollwitz Memorial Statue [19]

This statue by Käthe Kollwitz statue is often referred to as the Berlin Pieta. It stands on the Unter der Linden between Potsdam University and the History Museum. The mother in this case is holding an infant child.

I left a card here hidden among the several flower arrangements that had been left. Even though it is on a very busy avenue, it is a quiet peaceful site.