Bratislava old town hall from the quadrangle, a lovely and cool respite from the warmth of the city.
This is the church belonging to the wonderful convent where we stayed. I was not expecting to stay at a convent, but the apartment was lovely, and the sister that looked after us was delightful.
Bratislava market square and old town hall.
This little church was built entirely of wood in 1847. Not much information is available about this church (well not that I can find), but it is dedicated to Saint Klemens, and is often known as the “old church”. It is a lovely place to spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation, and to get away from the business of the shops and markets in Zakopane.
This church is easy to miss. You have to walk up the road towards the Acropolis and pass directly past the entrance and walk into the woods of Filopappou Hill. Just on your right you’ll find this wonderful church.
And if you are energetic, walk to the top of the hill. You’ll find the best view of the Acropolis in Athens, and you’ll be completely alone (so maybe take somebody with you – just in case).
The Church Of Saint Nectarios in Aegina is a surprisingly modern building. It was built in the 1970’s, but its history goes further back than that – the ministry dates back from the early 1900’s.
It is a lovely quiet and peaceful place to wonder around, or to sit and contemplate in the shaded walkways. The monastery was built in 1904, you can easily visit the ministry by climbing the stairs at the back of the main building, and that is where you can find the relics of Saint Nectarios. Saint Nectarios is a well-known Greek saint, and when you visit the much smaller ministry it can get a little more crowded with many people visiting the relics.
I love the pastel terracotta colours of the buildings, they feel so much cooler in the hot Greek weather.
St Peter’s Church is in the middle of Vienna’s old town. I went to visit because every day they put on a free organ recital, and when I went to visit I was delighted to hear Bach’s Toccata and Fugue, which is my favourite piece organ music.
The recital is usually at 3pm, but best to check the full programme on their website.
Get their early (or linger a little after), because the inside is magnificent, and you can easily spend an hour wondering around inside.
I hope I was allowed to make a recording, because here it is.
This church, which is found in the ancient Agora in Athens, dates to the 10th century. It is one of only 2 buildings from the Agora to survive intact.
Some of the original wall paintings still survive, and almost nobody goes into it. So if you want a few cool and quiet minutes in the busy Athens it is the perfect spot to spend a few solitary minutes.
This church is in the middle of the Central Cemetery in Vienna. Its really quiet, not many tourists visit graveyards, but I find them really interesting. In particular I was there to visit Beethoven. But I’m really glad I popped into the church. In German it is called “Katholische Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Gedächtniskirche”, which means the “Karl Lueger Memorial Catholic Church”. Karl Lueger is a somewhat controversial figure, in that he is credited with transforming Vienna into a modern city, but he was a strong Antisemitic, to the point that Hitler credited him as an inspiration for his own Jewish views. I am somewhat baffled to see that this church would be named after him – it is a very sensitive topic in Vienna.
The dome is surprisingly modern, just a simple pattern. No biblical scenes like you see all over the other churches in Vienna. Incidently this is the second dome, the first was destroyed in World War 2.
A view from outside.
This little stone chapel is in the middle of Zakopane. IT’s called Kaplica Gasieniców. It was the first sacred building in Zakopane; it was build around 1800.
Legend has it that the funds raised to build the church come from the booty of robbers atoning for their sins!
This is the chapel of the cathedral in the Wieliczka Saltmine, Krakow. The mine is so deep that the workers built homes in the mines (the mine is just over 300m deep; by modern standards it is not deep at all, but at the time that was a long way down), and being religious people they needed places to pray. So they build a cathedral under the ground. This is the front of the cathedral, the “choir” from where the services were conducted.
The Chapel on the Water is on the site of ancient spa-baths in the little village of Ojcow, in the middle of the Ojcow National Park, about 20km outside of Krakow. Dating back to 1901 it is just over 100 years old.
The story goes that the landowner wouldn’t let anybody build a church on his land, but since he doesn’t own the river he could not prevent the church from being built there.
If you want to visit the church, it is on the road that goes through Ojcow, but its about 500m to the north (the far side of the village if you are coming from the Krakow side).
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