London, Palma de Mallorca.

Today's post introduces my next blog article. Before diving into the main topic, I’d like to reflect on my summer vacation and my visit to Mallorca. This time, I want to highlight two locations in Palma de Mallorca.

The first is the Church of St. Francis. It is one of the city's larger churches, yet it draws a smaller crowd than the main cathedral. Beyond its impressive Baroque interior, a notable painting located in the ambulatory—behind the high altar—deserves special attention. Miquel Bestard (1592–1633) likely painted it. Beneath the depiction of the Immaculate Conception, you can see a panoramic view of Palma featuring its distinctive buildings. The scene may illustrate the 1285 invasion of Mallorca by Alfonso III of Aragon's fleet.

For more details about the painting, check the gallery on my Flickr page using the link below. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Renaissance-era naval battles in the Mediterranean.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720336109391/

The second location is the Pueblo Español, established in 1967. It provides a glimpse of all that Spain has to offer. I highly recommend it, especially for those who enjoy creating landscapes and have limited time to see all of Spain.

Last Sunday, the Other Partisan show took place in Newark. Unfortunately, there are no convenient train connections between Edinburgh and Newark on Sundays. As a result, I decided to take a few days off work, travel to London with my father first, and head to the show from there. This turned out to be an excellent decision.

My father had been to London only once and had seen only a small part of the city, so I wanted to show him more. He has a keen interest in genealogy and is enthusiastically building our family tree. However, we still have some gaps in our knowledge, so we decided to try to fill them during our visit to the Sikorski Institute in London. The Institute houses an invaluable archive focused on the Polish Armed Forces in the West, where both my grandfather and a distant uncle served. We submitted a request for information, and I might share the results of our inquiry with you later.

37mm tank gun Bofors wz. 37 from the 7TP tank.

Ułan officer's cap, Duchy of Warsaw, 1806–1814.

Guard Lancer-Chevau-léger czapka from the Napoleonic era.

18th-century Husaria helmet.

Husaria breastplate (17th century).

Standards of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment: on the left is one from the Polish-Russian War of 1830–31, while on the right is one from the Hungarian Uprising of 1848–49.

After speaking with an archivist, I decided to revisit the Sikorski Museum. Unfortunately, one of the museum's most important exhibits—the flag raised over the captured monastery at Monte Cassino on May 18, 1944—is currently undergoing conservation. I had the privilege of seeing this flag during my first visit years ago. This time I was the only visitor. This allowed me to explore the museum at my leisure, guided by Mr Marek, the museum guide. He is the son of Polish émigrés who settled in Great Britain after World War II. Mr Marek took me through various areas of the museum and let me examine several exhibits up close.  The place is worth visiting; guides lead tours in Polish and English. You can view the full gallery on my Flickr page.

Various lances utilised by the Polish Army from 1918 to 1939 surprised me with their light weight.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720336104120/

Our next stop was the National Maritime Museum. It was my first time exploring this exhibition, which highlights the Royal Navy's history from its inception to its peak as the world's most powerful naval force and the expansion of the British Empire. The museum also features many fascinating ship models, including a massive model of HMS King George V. As all wargamers would say, I'd enjoy playing with that model, too!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720336134179/

Our last stop was the British Museum. Beyond the general exhibits, we also saw the Bayeux Tapestry. I photographed the entire Assyrian collection, which might mark the beginning of a new project, although I'm not entirely sure yet. The tapestry itself made a huge impression on me; the hours spent queuing and the hassle of buying tickets were well worth it. It provided me with a wealth of new inspiration. Unfortunately, photography of the tapestry isn’t allowed, so you’ll have to go to London, or to France when it returns from its loan, to see it for yourselves.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720336104820/

On Sunday, we travelled from London to Newark to see The Other Partisan show; however, I will share more about that in the next post.