Thinking back to my vacations spent in London, despite all the obvious attractions which everybody should tick-off, I remember the easy-going style of London's parks. Every piece of green, trim, cut and clean grass was occupied by people of different ages. Nobody was chasing anybody, it was not necessary to worry about your shoes and clothes and the lack of park benches did not mean that you had to walk on tired legs. The softness of the lawn simply encouraged relaxation. This is what I miss in Warsaw. In a few parks you can still find signs with "Mind the lawn" or "Do not walk on the grass".

In other parks even without all these awful signs it is risky to go onto the grass area because you might step on what man's best friend has left behind. You have to contend with a lack of benches, which are often occupied by those with the most foresight. Sometimes you may spot a small space on a bench for a rest, and so begins the sprint of all the walkers, hungry for a rest. He who comes first claims the prize and I probably do not have to add who is first.

During my last stay in Szczecin I found a place straight from a London park: Jasne Błonia, where a large clean green area of grass entices one to relax. My children went crazy. They ran as if they had never seen such a big amount of grass. Clean, green joy and madness. The knees of their trousers envied the grass its colour. The stains were very difficult to clean off.

From one side Jasne Błonia faces the town hall building and from the other it smoothly enters Kasprowicza park. In the middle of spring the green area is covered with a carpet of crocuses. The undisputed ornament of the place is the rows of platane trees on both sides of the huge green grass area. In the spring and summer time they make everything nice and cool, in autumn they cover the park lanes with a crispy blanket of yellow leaves and in winter they look like a work of art on a canvas. It is the biggest agglomeration of platane trees in Poland. There are 213 of them growing there. In 1979 the Monument of Polish Deeds was set up on Jasne Błonia. It pictures 3 eagles taking off and symbolizes 3 generations of Poles engaged in the rebuilding of Szczecin.

If I visit Szczecin, I try to go to Jasne Błonia for a walk. This place attracts me like a magnet for one very sweet reason. Here can be found one of the few Café Castellari cafes in Szczecin (and not only). Reportedly, the first one was set up back in 1993 and the ice-cream making tradition goes back to 1946. The fact that in a time of strong competition the business still exists and is still developing its network speaks to the quality of their products and the appreciation of their customers. The cafe offers 30 tasty ice-cream flavours, fabulous ice-cream desserts and great coffee. I strongly recommend this place for a rest after a bike trip or family walk.