Brief Tour of Wrocław, Poland - Part 1

I am quite awful at sharing my experiences with my family and friends via photos and videos.

The 2017 football season is over for my team, Outlaws Wrocław, which is now a defunct club. This leaves me as a homeless athlete for the time being.

After our last match, I was left with our club's video camera. I decided to take advantage of it.

On Sunday, 28 May, after a fine Sunday service at the International Church of Wrocław, I went for a stroll. I retraced my daily steps to my office in Opera Software, and I then continued onward towards the Market Square, or Rynek, in Polish. I finished at Ostrów Tumski, Cathedral Island.

Below are snippets of my walk - yet tinier morsels of this beautiful, diverse, and growing European city.

(The author of this entry would like to apologise for the poor quality of the films.)

1. The first landmark of my walk starts from the backside of the National Forum of Music (NFM), its completion done in the same year of my arrival to Poland - 2015. An arm of the Odra River runs by.

2. Now I stand in front of the NFM, where many outdoor concerts and exhibitions take place in the summer.

3. Continuing on towards my place of work, we pass by Hotel Monopol. Built in 1892 in was then Breslau, Germany, this luxurious hotel once housed Pablo Picasso.

4. You can now see the front door of Opera Software, my wonderful working station for the last six months. From where I sit, I have a wonderful view of the Opera House (coincidence is likely). It was built in 1841 and, up until 1945, was called Breslau Opera.

5. Around the corner is Świdnicka St. which leads to the Rynek. Massive churches tower of the popular street with a delicious donut bakery, kebab restaurant, and, of course, pubs.

6. After crossing Kazimierza Wielkiego Street, named after one of the greatest kings you have never heard of, we come closer to Rynek. This is the end of Świdnicka Street, and the summer market has just opened. Here, I point out where Ashleigh and I's new flat will be when we return as a married couple, and you will see a bit of summer life in the market square of Wrocław.

7. And now, Rynek. Sit back and enjoy the sites, smells, and tastes (you can imagine the smoked Polish sausages and the beer which flows freely) of Rynek. Ratusz, or Town Hall, was built in the 13th century. Below it lies, so they say, the oldest restaurant in Europe.

8. We have moved on past the Rynek, heading northeast toward Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), the oldest area of Wrocław. Here is a quick view of the Odra River with Ostrów Tumski in the background.

9. A placard shows how Ostrów Tumski and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist of Wrocław, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław, looked then, and now.

10. Finally, we are on Ostrów Tumski and under St. John the Baptist's Cathedral. Many other churches are planted on this island, as well as housing for the bishops, seminary and religious schools, and restaurants.

This has been but a glimpse of Wrocław, "The Meeting Place." This summer it will be the home of the World Games. Last year, it was co-European Capital of Culture.

A cliche, but, Wrocław really is a hidden gem.

Evil manifested in bombers and bloggers

This week, my blood was chilled, my soul ached, and my heart pained from two separate acts of evil.

The first evil act is known by everyone: the bombing in Manchester at an Ariana Grande concert. Scores of innocent concert goers looking for a good time with their favourite artist instead found fear and death. Twenty-two people are dead, with many, many more injured.

The suspected bomber is a 22-year old UK native of Libyan descent who, according to a family friend, distanced himself from others and was "lonely."

There is tragedy on both sides, for the victims and the perpetrator. Innocent lives were taken by a once innocent life perhaps warped with lies and hate. Evil corrupted a young man, who then enacted evil on others.

The second act of evil is less-known. On 22 May, 2017, it was reported that a South African hunter was crushed to death by a shot elephant. The killed elephant was unseen by the hunter when it fell on top of him.

There is tragedy on both sides, for the victim and the hunter. For me, the second act of evil was not the hunt, but the reaction to the hunter.

Putting aside the debate on the morals of hunting, I was appalled by social media's reaction to the death of a father of five children.

In a single glance, I was able to gauge the reaction of the readers:

12,000 likes, smiles, and hearts for a killed father.

I then read on:

Human families don't forget tragedies, either. 

And:

If in the moment, would you have helped? Or laughed?

Once more, of many:

ISIS has had bad news as they lose grips on Mosul. They're thankful for 22-less Westerners in the world.

It seems to me that in both instances of a bomber and some bloggers, the same cloth of evil and hatred is stitched into all of us.

Lost in the wastes of heartlessness was at least one message of decency:

A bomber wanted to inflict terror and death on innocent life. Meanwhile, some Facebookers wanted the most severe pain and agony inflicted on a man.

We all have a tinge of hate and bloodlust in us.

Proverbs 24:17-18: Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. 

Ezekiel 18:23: Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?