First day abroad, which means almost at home

Tuesday, it's cold, but not freezing, cloudy and foggy, the time of year when it's harder to feel cheerful. But let's not give in to November blues!:-)

A bit embarrassing... I'd only just rolled out of bed when my offspring phoned me after four hour's hard work this morning. It's rather nice here, actually. Having survived two major morning traumas, which actually weren't traumas at all, I'm going to venture out. The first one was lack of coffee, I thought I'd looked for it everywhere. Well, except where it was, and I may have even been told last night, which means in the small hours, literally. The other, far more serious was looking for my ID, thought I 'd lost it yesterday which meant I wouldn't be able to go back to London. What made things worse, the net connection failed at that time and I was really freaking out. Then my son called as it was his lunch break by then and reminded me that I had to leave the ID at the reception on arrival! And told me where the coffee was!

Sipping the aromatic beverage I was looking forward to the rest of the day. 

 Now 'coffeed' and connected, off I go! :-)

 A few minutes walk and I'm in the most famous High Street in the country.

Another graffiti inspired by the city name:

One of less common wall art features:

Peering through an optician's window:

Good Chinese food to the right (tested), small skate park in the distance:

I had a feeling that somebody was watching me...

I am a camera, camera, camera! ;-)

I still hold it that Polish cakes are superior, but I've been trying to steer clear of any of them.

I was just about to enter the first of the two art galleries in Piotrkowska Street. It displays and sells mostly works of the artists who graduated from Lodz Academy of Fine Arts. On receiving a permission to do so, I photographed a few pictures I rather liked so by being placed here, they could be enjoyed by my dear visitors:

Of the two paintings in the snap below, the bottom one reminded me of a performance I'm going to miss at The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond this coming Sunday.

I could immediately jump into this scene. I love Polish forest...

This one I took for my dear friend who collects various eggs, because I noticed some egg shapes in it!

With love to all cat lovers:

Having been up and down the stairs, talked to both ladies in charge and expressing my delight, my hunger for art pleasing satisfied, I hurriedly walked in next door to see the recent works of Professor Fijalkowski who has been teaching at Lodz Academy of Fine Arts for decades and has recently celebrated his 90th birthday! Happy Birthday, Professor!

These are Professor's recent paintings:

I must mention another fantastic person met there, the exhibition guide, again, iA had this fantastic feeling, as if we came from the same planet! I left her my card and would love to hear from her.


Then I walked on along Pietryna. That's what the street is often affectionately called.

Floppy Ear Teddy Bear welcomes to The Tourist Information Centre. He was one of every Polish child's favourite's and I can still sing his song! Unforgettable, cult cartoons like this one, 'Bolek & Lolek' or 'Reksio' were made here, at 'Semafor'.

That one (I thin it's a drinking fountain?) reminds me of a little sculpture in in Kings Road near Sloane Square!

One whole wall of a townhouse is covered in paintings like this related to the famous 19th century novel: "The Doll" by Boleslaw Prus.

Like Leicester Square or Hollywood, the Polish film City has its 'star way'.

For the evening meal I invited my son to a Jewish restaurant:

Having made sure, there'll be a table awaiting us, I did a bit more sightseeing:

I saw a poster exhibition by a woman one of whose ambitions is to become a famous blogger!

Old cinema chairs, aren't they?

Of course, I took pictures at Anatewka, but tried to avoid the people for obvious reasons.:-)

It was a great day!