The day after my concert in Szczecin, I took the train down to Wrocław. Being a Sunday, it went at a leisurely pace and the trip that passed near several places that I would have liked to visit if there had been time and a very small magic carpet.

The first was Bad Muskau which is a little way north of Görlitz, a town that time forgot which David and I visited about five years ago and was where Grand Hotel Budapest was filmed. Bad Muskau boasts one of the most remarkable gardens in Europe which now straddles the German/Polish border. It was laid out by Prince Hermann Ludwig Heinrich von Pückler-Muskau in the first half of the 19th century around the castle where he was born.

The Prince was a noted traveller and author who spent a good deal of time in Britain where he came to admire the gardens of the great English country houses.

Perhaps next time I will be able to visit but the train trundled slowly on. 

Also, near our route was the town of Żary where from 1705 Telemann served as Kapellmeister to Count Erdmann II of Promnitz. Sadly, the palace is now a ruin.

It was here that Telemann first encountered Polish music and style which he was to use for the rest of his life.

A little further on and we came to Legnica, now a peaceful small city but in 1241 it was the site of a fierce battle ending in the defeat of a Mongol army. I had never imagined that the Mongols had got this far into Europe and one can only wonder how different our history might have been had they won!

The closer the train got to Wrocław the worse the weather became and by the time I arrived at the station we were in the middle of a rainstorm. But not only that, for the city was also holding an enormous Equal Rights Parade which basically closed down-town to all traffic, including my taxi. In spite of the weather, I was really sorry to miss it. Aside from not being able to give my bedraggled support, one of the leaders of it was the author Olga Takarczuk.

She is a wonderful writer and activist, who really annoys the increasingly right-wing government of Poland, who regard her as an unpatriotic atheist. I was thrilled to hear the news later that very week that she had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature!

I had performed in Wrocław before in 2006 when I was there with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and so I was thrilled to be back in such a beautiful and historic city. Back then we played our concert in the Oratorium Marianum at the University. As you can see, it is a magnificent space and many famous musicians have performed there, including Brahms, Liszt and Paganini.

The acoustics, as I recall, were superb but the building is on a street corner where the trams make a sharp turn, so every few minutes our music had a descant of squealing brakes as the streetcar turned the corner!

Thirteen years later I was impressed by how beautifully much of the city centre had been restored. Luckily, almost all my rehearsals were in the mornings, leaving me free to walk up to the magnificent town square, one of the largest I know. Here are a few of the photos that I took.

The city Museum is in a palace built by King Frederick of Prussia who conquered Silesia in the 1740’s and 50’s.

The University was founded by the Hapsburgs and it still looks as if it could have been painted by Bellotto.

The Concert Hall is modern and very close to the site of the Old Opera House. It is another superb building. Though not as dramatic as the hall in Szczecin, it is a marvellous place to play and we had a very large crowd for our concert.

I was especially pleased that the soloist played the Hummel Bassoon Concerto brilliantly. The orchestra is excellent and great to work with.

But the week was not all work and no play. First of all, white wine is made in the region and I was delighted to try it on several occasions. I’m happy to report that it is delicious!

As for food, my hotel had a good menu of Polish dishes which were otherwise rather hard to find in an international tourist destination. Here are two recipes for things that I ate while I was there.

Szarlotka - Polish Apple Pie

•  Prep Time: 50 mins

•  Cook Time: 50 mins

•  Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins

•  Yield: 8 1x

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour (250 g)

• 1 cup sugar (200 g)

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 9 tablespoons butter (125 g)

• 1 egg

• 2 egg yolk

• 2 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, & sliced (1 Kg)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)

2. Combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder

3. Cut in the butter (with a pastry blender, two knives, or rub into flour with fingers) until it resembles coarse meal

4. Work in egg and egg yolk, the dough will be crumbly, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes

5. Reserve 1/3 of the crust, pat the remaining 2/3 into a 9 inch springform pan, covering the bottom and the sides

6. Toss the sliced apples in the cinnamon, and add to the pan, piling them up

7. Crumble the remaining 1/3 crust and sprinkle over the apples

8. Bake for about 50 minutes, until crust is lightly brown and the apples are tender, if it seems to be getting brown before the apples are tender, loosely tent with aluminium foil

Poppy Seed Cake

INGREDIENTS

Poppy Seed Filling:

• 3 ½ cups poppy seeds

• boiling water to cover

• 5 eggs, divided

• 9 tablespoons margarine

• 1 cup white sugar

Dough:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup margarine

• ⅓ cup white sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 2 apple - peeled, cored, and grated 

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

• ½ cup raisins

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Icing:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

• ⅓ cup boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS

Place poppy seeds in a small pot, cover with boiling water and set aside for 24 hours.

Line a colander with a cheesecloth and spoon in the poppy seeds. Allow to drain for several hours. Once drained, transfer to a food processor and process until fine.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup margarine, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg, and baking powder in a large bowl and knead into a smooth dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a deep quarter sheet pan (9x13-inches) and line with parchment paper.

Roll out dough on a slightly floured surface and place in the prepared sheet pan.

Combine egg yolks, 9 tablespoons margarine, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in drained poppy seeds gradually. Add apples, honey, breadcrumbs, walnuts, and raisins and mix well.

Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form sharp peaks. Fold egg whites into poppy seed mixture; spread over base in sheet pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until cake is set; transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mix enough boiling water with confectioner's sugar to form a smooth icing. Spread generously over cooled cake.

I am so looking forward to making this at home and of course eating it back in magical Wrocław.

Smacznego!