The interior of the church from the previous image. Notice on the left one of the church's several exquisite 14th century polychromes. This church changed hands during the Reformation (and again in the Counter-Reformation), so it is fortunate that these paintings survived. One of the times we visited the organist was playing the 17th century organ, which added significantly to the atmosphere. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Toruń, Poland.

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If I had to pick one unmissable place in Poland, aside from Krakow, it would have to be Toruń. While people appear to have lived there for millenia, "modern" Toruń dates to the 1230s, when Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited the crusading order of the Teutonic Knights to the region to wage war on neighboring pagans. In the long run the Knights turned out to be more interested in ruling than in crusading, and eventually the locals and other Poles drove them out. But in the meantime, they erected city walls and an enormous castle, invited merchants and clergy, and otherwise organized the development of the city on the Vistula, which came to prosper as a member of the Hanseatic League. Much of the medieval city, including its spectacular churches, city walls, and many notable residences and public buildings survive, and while the city is well-touristed, most of the tourists are Poles and it is not by any means overrun. Above, the the 14th century gothic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary built by the Franciscans, viewed from the City Hall tower, Toruń, Poland.

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Every time we go near Neskowin I expect to see someone hawking tee shirts that say, "My boyfriend took me to Proposal Rock and all I got was this stupid T-shirt," but I've always been dissappointed. Neskowin Creek and Proposal Rock at Neskowin, Oregon.

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We're back from our annual fall trip to the Oregon Coast, where we had lots of rain intersperced with patches of beautiful weather. The view from Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon.

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Mrs. Orca is greeted by an enormous dog--I believe a Chornyi Terrier--at Ustrzyki Górne, along the Main Beskid Trail, Poland.

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