Greetings and welcome to another wee bit of open-threaded fluff. This week I’ll be continuing my series of diaries featuring photos from my Summer trip to Poland with part two of my tour of Castle Malbork.
Before we dim the lights, a bit of a personal update. During my running around in the snow last week, I managed to catch a bit of a chest cold. Although the snow is gone, the bronchial guck is here to stay— despite my best efforts to cough my own lungs out. Ah well, patience. If this doesn’t clear up after the traditional 10 day term allotted to the common cold, I’ll give my doctor a call. I am a tad sleep-deprived at this point. I may not be checking on the diary much until the little hours of Saturday morning in my time zone. The good news is that tonight is the night when Saint Nick visits Czech homes and puts treats in any socks or stockings left on any balconies or behind any windows folks might have handy for such a purpose. Maybe I’ll get some cough drops …
Actually, Mrs the Werelynx (the saintly one in this relationship) already gave me some peanuts and a big gingerbread with a picture of Svatý Mikuláš on it. Sounds like I’ve got breakfast for tomorrow.
Shall we start the show?
Castle Malbork
Last week it was just a short romp approaching the castle and entering the outer courtyard. This week, the audio guide directs us to step inside.
That mustache, must be a portrait of King Jan III. Oh, wait …
But no, checking the wriitng under the portrait more carefully, it’s a different Hetman— a different mustache! Who knew that writing blog posts could be so educational?
The Great Refectory
The Summer Refectory was a room with a story. That amazing vaulted ceiling held up by that one column …
A column that was almost struck during a siege in 1410 by a cannon ball (seen embedded in the wall above the smoke chamber of the fireplace.
Back out into the courtyard we see this collection of fine gentlemen
From a proposed monument to Frederick the Great. The gentlemen are the Teutonic Grand Masters
And back inside the castle for the castle’s exhibition on amber (of which this was just a tiny part)
The Armory held a bizarre collection of weapons
Heading across the bridge into the High Castle
To the right
To the left
The gateway had a diversion or two branching off from it.
Looking back through the gateway to the bridge over the moat
We went down some stairs and began a circuit, clockwise, around the High Castle
Former monastic cemetery
Entrance to the Grand Master’s Garden
Inside The Mill
And here we have the passage through the gate to the Inner Courtyard.
A good a place as any to end this diary. Next week we should manage to complete our tour of Castle Malbork.
In the meantime, I’ll thank you for stopping by, remind you that this is an open thread and perhaps add an extra little note to the effect that this is a quiet , little blue backwater of the Great Orange Swirling Cesspool. Things move at a different pace in a Marko the Werelynx diary. I don’t believe in “late” comments or even late replies.
I’ll hope to see you in the comments.