Goat Fight

Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014--Poznan

We probably should have planned 3 days here in Poznan.  It is a nice city with much to see and do.  But since we only had the latter part of yesterday and all of today, we had to make the most of today.

After buying tickets for our train trip to Warsaw tomorrow, we headed back to the Old Town and toured the City Museum which includes rooms in the Town Hall.  Then we went outdoors to wait for the 12:00 ringing of the clock on the Town Hall.  Among a huge crowd, we waited.  Afer the 12th ring of the bells, doors opened and two goats appeared above us.  Finally they turned, and 12 times they butted their heads.  It's based on an old story from here about two goats that escaped from the kitchen staff at the Town Hall.  But instead of heading for their freedom, they ended up getting in a fight with each other and being found and returned to the kitchen.  Now, every day at noon, the goats butt heads again above the assembled crowds.  As Gypsy Rose Lee said, "Ya' gotta' have a gimmick!

We immediately headed to the Jesuit church we had toured yesterday for an organ concert that was scheduled to begin at 12:15.  It was presented by a student at the local university who is completing his work for a doctorate.  He played four pieces, three of which both Wes and I knew already.  It as a good concert played before a full house.

We spent most of the remainder of the afternoon visiting two more museums--the Archeological Museum and the National Museum.  Both were interesting with major concentrations on Poland.  The Archeological Museum traced the early movement of people into Poland at the end of the ice ages and continued through the Bronze, Iron, etc., ages up to more recent times.  The National Museum has four floors of art with 75% or more of it being by Polish artists. 

Before the day closed, we headed to the Cathedral on an island to the east of town.  It was nothing special to see except for a very nice golden alter, a nice golden chapel to the side, and the crypts for two of the Polish kings.

By the time we made it back to the apartment at 18:00, we were tired.  Later in the evening, however, we went out to explore part of the nearby neighborhood we still had not seen including Woodrow Wilson Park.