The Ideal Palace of the French postman

Posted by Bogdan on February 9, 2010 | 3 Comments

The Ideal Palace (Le Palais Idéal), is a impressive construction, built by a French postman, Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924). Cheval began the building in April 1879, using stones that he was collecting while delivering mails. He did this for 33 years, and most of the time he was working at night, helped by the light from oil lamps.

First he was carrying stones in his pockets, later he used a basket and finally a wheelbarrow. He used lime, mortar and cement to bound the stones together.

After finishing his Ideal Palace, Cheval spent another 8 years to build a mausoleum for him in the cemetery of Hauterives, the same town where the palace is built.

The palace is considered the only example of naive architecture.

If you ever want to visit Le Palais Ideal, is located in Hauterives, near Lyon, in France.

Travel advice: Poland – Podwale restaurant in Warsaw

Posted by Bogdan on January 5, 2010 | No Comments

Located in Warsaw, Poland, on the Podwale Street, in the Old Town, the Podwale – Kompania Piwna is a wonderful restaurant you can visit if you go in the capital of Poland, which appealing motto is: a lot of god food for a reasonable price. With it’s design characteristic most to Bavaria or Czech Republic, it’s cuisine, atmosphere and interior, this place it’s unique among other restaurants in Warsaw.

You can sit either outside, surrounded by flowers and specific pavement, or inside, where you can choose the old part which is designed as an Czech Inn or the new part that looks like a modern Bavarian beer house.

The most popular food are the roasted pork knuckles with its delicious crackling like in Bavaria, or the Polish-style duck or trout. You can also choose to eat a soup served in enamelled pots or if you get lucky you might get a temporary seasonal dish, broth to you by charming waitresses, that will happily answer all your questions.