DAY OF THE DEAD AGAIN
Forgetting how long it takes to compose a handwritten letter, I’ve had an unexpected day off work today as morning has turned into early evening! Add the fact that the fingers of my right hand feel like they’ve suffered being crushed by stampeding, skating nuns (that is if you can stampede and skate at the same time – well, who was it painted that great painting of Skating Nuns – they certainly looked as terrifying as stampeding bulls anyway), then I’m glad the pen has more or less been scripted off to the great writing pad in the sky!
It’s also yet another one of those public holidays here tomorrow when the workforce gets yet another one of those many religious days off work to pay respect to their departed on ‘The Day of the Dead’, followed on Thursday by ‘All Saints Day’, or is it the other way round?
Anyway, you may remember my failed attempts last year, when I was strongly prompted to take a shufti down at a cemetery, (any cemetery I was told), to take in the breathtaking sight, when at dusk and well into the night, every living soul gathers on mass at every necropolis in Poland, their candles ablaze in enough numbers to be seen from outer-space and God alike.
My mistake last year unfortunately was to toddle off on my own when I really didn’t know my way around the place, deciding to walk, not to the famous easy to find and huge Zydowski and Powazkowski cemeteries to the north of Warsaw, but an equally large one on the map to the south of the city which appeared to be just a wee bit closer – perhaps a three quarter hour walk..? After an hour and a half I was totally lost in the pitch black of course, and perhaps it was just as well that I never found the place as I later found out I was heading for the cemetery dedicated to Soviet Soldiers – Traditionally just about barren, save for the odd bear or two rummaging around preparing for hibernation, at this time of year.Feeling a bit in hibernation mode myself today, I guess I’ll give it a miss this year in favour of catching up on a lost days work!
It’s also yet another one of those public holidays here tomorrow when the workforce gets yet another one of those many religious days off work to pay respect to their departed on ‘The Day of the Dead’, followed on Thursday by ‘All Saints Day’, or is it the other way round?
Anyway, you may remember my failed attempts last year, when I was strongly prompted to take a shufti down at a cemetery, (any cemetery I was told), to take in the breathtaking sight, when at dusk and well into the night, every living soul gathers on mass at every necropolis in Poland, their candles ablaze in enough numbers to be seen from outer-space and God alike.
My mistake last year unfortunately was to toddle off on my own when I really didn’t know my way around the place, deciding to walk, not to the famous easy to find and huge Zydowski and Powazkowski cemeteries to the north of Warsaw, but an equally large one on the map to the south of the city which appeared to be just a wee bit closer – perhaps a three quarter hour walk..? After an hour and a half I was totally lost in the pitch black of course, and perhaps it was just as well that I never found the place as I later found out I was heading for the cemetery dedicated to Soviet Soldiers – Traditionally just about barren, save for the odd bear or two rummaging around preparing for hibernation, at this time of year.Feeling a bit in hibernation mode myself today, I guess I’ll give it a miss this year in favour of catching up on a lost days work!
posted by The Slide at 10:40 am
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