Today I have a suggestion for these who like to spend their holiday around Vienna and have an additional 2 hours of free time to fill.

In the Hinterbrühl mine gypsum was tapped starting from 1848. However, in 1912, as the result of an explosion, the lower levels of the mine were flooded and the work had to stop. The many litres of crystal clean water in dark corridors tempted people to visit the mine, so the Austrians created a path for tourists in 1932. Thanks to this we may admire this charming place.

Convenient placement and perfect protection against bombs meant that during the second World War the Nazis took over the mine, pumped out the water and transformed this tourist attraction into an underground plant producing parts for Heinkel He 162 warplanes. To make the plant more useful, they painted its whole interior white and concreted the bottom of the drained lake.

After the war the grotto was flooded anew and again made available for tourism. Despite the devastating actions of the Nazis, the mine together with its underground 6200 m2 lake is still a uniquely beautiful place and one of the most well-known underground tourist paths in Austria.

I have behind me another meeting with the lawyer Mikael Brenne from the book "In one's own right" by Chris Tvedt.

The story starts a year after the affairs from "Justified doubt". Mikael Brenne, now a well-known and recognised attorney, takes on the defence of a murder suspect. It seems that this case is impossible to win. At the dock sits a strange man charged with raping, mutilating and brutally murdering a teenage girl. His guilt is almost without question, but a coincidence means that the public is surprised by the judge's sentence. The lawyer feels that he will regret his decision to take the case, and all this may be a difficult point on his career path.

After around hundred pages the case is closed, leaving however more questions than answers. Feeling cheated, Mikael's growing concern leads him to commit further actions that far exceed the standard activities of a lawyer. Once again his sometimes thoughtless behaviour leads him into trouble and endangers his close relatives and friends. His next client is surprisingly closely connected to his former case.

"In one's own right", similar to the previous volume, is a very good read. Despite being a criminal story taking place in court, nobody can be bored. Fast flowing action, coincidences, witnesses appearing at the least expected moment mean that right until the end nobody knows whether the killer is the gardener or the butler. The balance between courtroom hearings and criminal action is perfectly worked out.

Even while travelling as tourists my children insist on slightly less touristic food. I try not to "cook" powdered soup or meatloaves from a jar (although sometimes these dishes rescue the situation on the table), but a four-course dinner with a starter and dessert rarely comes into the picture.

To prepare today's dessert you must have a hand blender for whipped cream, but it is only one slight touristic necessity. The rest is typical shopping and seasonal fruits. If you have everything, you should prepare a smooth fruit mousse and after a while you will serve a dessert which may decorate a table not only for tourists.

All year round we can't wait for raspberries, so if they are available at markets we buy them in bulk. Remember that raspberries should be quickly washed just before serving. Otherwise you serve an unappetising paste instead of beautiful, summer, fruity treasures. If you don't like raspberries, use blueberries or strawberries. They taste great and look equally beautiful.

Ingredients (for 4 people):
500g of raspberries
500ml of 30% sweet cream
4 tablespoons of caster sugar

It is difficult to admit but we Poles not always like each other. It is seldom when the Pole is happy with another Pole's success. In contrary we often with vindictive satisfaction discuss somebody's failure. though similarly to other nations we have many people to be proud of. There are Poles as well which successes are more known abroad than in Poland.

Completely by coincidence we've got to know the successes of one of them during the trip in Austria. The history of one of very picturesque castle is strictly connected with our fellow countryman.

The Kreuzenstein castle lies in Lower Austria and was at the beginning the property of Habsburg family. The lot turns were not favorable for the castle. In his worst time it was difficult to describe where are its gates, mote and towers. At that time on the scene appeared Polish Wilczek family and especially one of its most famous representative Johan Nepomuk Graf Wilczek. Noble Wilczek originates form Dolna in Cieszyn Silesia. In XVIII century it got rich thanks to coal discovered on their grounds and became one of the richest families in Habsburg country. Graf Wilczek was at that time Renaissance man. He studied archaeology, art history and natural sciences. He was the main sponsor of Austrian North Pool expedition after which he became the President of Austrian Geography Association and was supporting building of polar meteorological stations. In honour of him were named such places like Wilczek Ground, Wilczek Ireland in Arctic Franz Josef Ground Archipelago and Wilczek Cape where nearby lies Polish Polar Station Hornsund.

The Graf contributed to set up of Vienna rescue service which evaluated later on into Vienna Emergency Medical Service. Graf Wilczek was the founder of Vienna Art Lovers Association, art patron and lover.

Sometimes I face a book series so gripping that I am almost not able to wait for the next volume. I remember a few years ago when I was waiting impatiently for the next Harry Potter books. Later on I was awaiting the next Millennium books or the adventures of prosecutor Teodor Szacki.

I think that thanks to Chris Tvedt, the author of a judicial crime fiction series, I have something to await once again. The first volume "Justified doubt" begins the series of adventures of a lawyer named Mikael Brenne, whose work defending petty thieves and his private life leave a lot to be desired. Both aspects do not pan out especially well. The future shows that daily life with its boring troubles is not as bad as it seems. Mikael tries to save his company's finances by cooperating with a Serbian businessman. He quickly realises that it was probably a mistake. Every coming day brings new doubts and risks. Murky businesses, phantom companies, strange partners and brutal methods of action become bread and butter for the lawyer. Will the huge money and his companions' impunity lead to the rejection of his own rules? And maybe Mikael will realize in time who the people in suits are and will resign from the cooperation? And maybe, when he ends up entangled in doubtful businesses, he will do something completely different? See for yourself by reading this uniquely addictive book.

After reading the short description of the novel on the back cover and realizing that the action takes place in a court, I was expecting rather boring and wordy prose. To my surprise and satisfaction I had in my hands an addictive piece of crime fiction which kept me guessing until the last page.