Listed in Marta’s Favorites as well as in the top ten on a free Wroclaw city map, are Centennial Hall and the Japanese Gardens.
The Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia) is a large domed sports and entertainment complex originally built in 1913; it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage registry in 2006.
For my purposes, I was excited to see they were going to do a Star Wars Live in Concert presentation… unfortunately it wasn’t until October. I suspect I would have been able to follow along even if it was all dubbed into Polish.
In ambling through the adjacent walkways, I came across this little church… which like the Centennial Hall wasn’t open while I was there. This place which would’ve seemed at home in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, especially with a few more gumdrop and candy decorations on its walls, struck me as oddly beautiful… and creepy all at once.
I had some difficulties finding my way into the Japanese Gardens (Ogrod Japonski). A lot of construction and tree trimming was going on in the surrounding parks and passageways were blocked or re-routed in such a way that in my first circuit of the garden’s perimeter I completely missed the fenced entryway as I assumed it was only leading to the construction site.
But I’m glad I persevered as inside was a lovely tranquil place… albeit any contemplation or appreciation of the sounds of nature were cut through by chainsaws, poundings, and trucks beep-beeping as they backed to and fro just outside the fence.
Nonetheless, and this is REALLY reductive and no doubt incredibly insensitive, it was almost as if I were walking in a life-sized zen rock garden thing that business executives would have on their desks in 1980s high finance highrises. Indeed, while in an office one might use a tiny fork like rake to draw lines in the miniature rectangle, staff at the Ogrod Japonski used actual rakes to comb the sand on walkways. I couldn’t capture it via a photo but trust me — it was what it was.
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And because yesterday was all marathoning, all the blogging, I thought I’d toss in a few more out and about Wroclaw images here. I regrettably didn’t get the busker rocking out on “Aqualung” as by the time I fumbled my iPhone to video he was crescendoing to the big finish. Plus, he was just a guitarist and without a pan flautist accompanying, it really didn’t have that Jethro Tull vibe. But I did snap a few photos of the square and a magic for humans bit that won’t exactly keep Justin Willman up at night.
Nonetheless, since I don’t have any plans in the next 36 hours given once again the tour operators are saying solo travelers aren’t financially viable for going out to Auschwitz, I may save all of the photos and details for tomorrow.
Consider this a teaser then for coming attractions.
