Szczecin

 21* was the magic number that inspired me to leave my second skin, aka big green coat , behind on a peg in Bydgoszcz and set off on Maundy Thursday for Szczecin to meet my cousin and see the city. 

                                                   

Lucy was traveling from Berlin and had the shorter journey by far, although it was plagued by replacement bus services. My journey was via Poznan and by the time arrived there, only 2 hrs from home,  I was regretting my recklessness in going coat-free. 

 Szczecin is a really beautiful city, although there's a lot of road works and building renovation. It really feels European with old 1920's buildings, Bydgoszcz outside of the old town feels very soviet. They have been pouring money into the city to rebuild it to its former beauty and its a major port so I guess the funds are there. 

Its on a delta leading from the Oder, via some enormous lakes and the  Szczecin Lagoon into the Baltic sea,  another time I'd like to go further north to Swinoujscie which sits between the lagoon and the sea.

I had thought the lakes and marshland would be nice to visit but they are very industrial and also seem to only be accessible by boat.

On the first night we had a wander through town and met Flora; a statue to spring (very appropriate) , visited  the Cathedral where there was an exhibition about canonisation of Fr Jerzy Popiełuszko* and a statue to St Maximilian Colby,  the Pomeranian Dukes' castle and had a delicious Polish meal in the square where our Air BnB was situated. 

Our square

Flora is in white Eagle Square which is behind us

The Cathedral of St James has these funny little houses in front of it (or rather to the back) Despite the fact they are 3 stories they are completely dwarfed by the cathedral

  Chapel of St Maximilian Colby.

this building has strange parallelogram windows which  correlate to the staircase inside and make your eyes go funny!!!

*I had heard of Fr Jerzy Popiełuszko from Fr Artur. 

He reminds me in some ways of St Cardinal Romero. He was a priest in the 1980's who was very active in the Solidarity trade union and movement, which drew the attention of the soviet authorities. He preached up and down the country and his last Mass was at the sanctuary of the Polish Martyrs in Bydgoszcz before he was captured, tortured and killed by the soviets. There were millions at his funeral in Krakow and a vigil of prayer and protection (initially) has been kept since his internment.