Wumo

Men's 50k walk
 
 
 

E4: Iga Świątek and Tennis
 
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A
 
  B C D E
  F            
 
3 24 32 2 1 20 27 10 30 36 14 11 16 8 18 15 35 4 28 31 7 37 21 19 12 25 17 5 9 29 34 26 6 22 33 13           23  
That concludes today's draw. Soon we'll update the voting table
as well as the teams composition.
 
 
Special recognition to the great support
of each volunteer:
 
@Wumo @OlympicIRL @rybak
@heywoodu @Olympian1010 @Agger
 
 
Thanks for you attention and patience and we'll
see all of you at the Final next Friday.

Piotr Małachowski, C6, and Basketball. He would be a brutal center to cover. 

Too slow!

Dawid Kubacki, 1A, and Canoe/Kayak Slalom. Because why not. 

If the men's rythmic gymnastics ever comes on the Olympic program, I want to see guys with Tomasz Majewski's physique in it . 4A and rhythmic gymnastics.

Good day everyone.
 
Less than an hour to start the Draw for Totallympics Annual International Song Contest
 
In the meantime, I will explain (as best as I can) the procedure for the Draw:
 
 
PHASE Ia
 
As usual, this year's edition will have a team competition. Our host
have decided to divide the 37 participating countries into 9 groups.
 
During this phase we will reveal the names of those teams and their base
camp during the next few days before they travel to Krakow for the Final,
as well as the order in which they will feature in the voting draw
by means of a random procedure at 18:30 CET
 
 
 
PHASE Ib
 
As you're well aware, dividing 37 into 9 doesn't reflect an exact number.
 
In principle, every team will be composed of 4 entries, but in this stage
we will assign a Wildcard entry to one of the teams, with the role of said
extra member to be revealed later.
 
Once again, this will be done by a random result at 18:35 CET
 
 
PHASE II
 
As it is tradition with TISC, in this phase a panel of volunteers
will pick a combination from two grids, which shall reveal the team and
voting position each jury will have for the final.
 
Due to technical difficulties, this will be ready at 19:30 CET
 
 
 
See you around.

Passionfruit Award
 
As we count down to the latest TISC Grand Final, to be held in Poland on Saturday, April 17th, we have decided to use this timeframe to catch up with our very own TISC Special Awards. There are three different Special Awards in total. The J'en Suis La Award and the Passionfruit Award have been introduced in 2018 as part of the 10th edition Jubilee legacy, while the newly formed STOP THE COUNT! Award got first celebrated in the Netherlands last year.
 
While nobody really aims (or wants) to claim these awards, they do serve their purpose within the TISC festivities, if nothing else to remind us all of the exciting Grand Final journeys that the various award recipients have experienced. Today, we will examine more closely the Passionfruit Award and its recipients...
 


 
 
The Passionfruit Award is given to the song which obtained the most consistent score card during its Grand Final run. The score card consistency is measured by calculating its standard deviation, with the only requirement being that the song must have scored points from at least three (3) different juries. Since the Passionfruit Award has been predominantly won by backmarkers, the number of required voting juries has been increased to five (5) following the 2020 Annual.
 
The award owes its name to the Canadian entry Passionfruit (by Drake), which competed at the 10th edition Jubilee in Brazil. The song itself did not make any headlines at the time. It placed 37th (out of 42), scoring just 25 points and providing Canadian fans little to smile about. As it turned out, however, Passionfruit had the most consistent score card of the day, 7 - 6 - 5 - 5 - 2, making up a standard deviation of just 1,67.
 
Celebrating the Jubilee legacy, the consistency award got officially introduced in the run-up towards the 2018 Open in Orlando, Florida. Its first recipient was Spain (Standard deviation: 1,12). Other recipients include Chile (2019 Annual; STD: 1,11), Romania (2019 Open; STD: 1,72), Uruguay (2020 Annual; STD: 1,89) and Hungary (2020 Open; STD: 2,06).
 
As mentioned above, the Passionfruit Award has been predominantly won by backmarkers. Spain, Chile and Uruguay finished last in their respective contests, while Hungary placed second to last. This leaves Romania, as the only award recipient who used its consistent points spread to achieve an upper bracket result (8th).
 
Under the revised rules, which stipulate that the song must have scored points from at least five (5) different juries, the Spanish and Uruguayan recipients would no longer be eligible for the Passionfruit Award.
 
 
Passionfruit Award - Hall of Fame
 
2018 Open - Spain
 
Tino Casal - Eloise
Rank: 35th (out of 35)
Score card: 6 - 5 - 4 - 3
Standard deviation: 1,12
 

 
 
2019 Annual - Chile
 
Paloma Mami - Not Steady
Rank: 38th (out of 38)
Score card: 4 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1
Standard deviation: 1,11
 

 
 
2019 Open - Romania
 
Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love
Rank: 8th (out of 37)
Score card: 12 - 11 - 10 - 10 - 10 - 10 - 9 - 9 - 8 - 8 - 8 - 5
Standard deviation: 1,72
 

 
 
2020 Annual - Uruguay
 
latejapride - Corré
Rank: 38th (out of 38)
Score card: 5 - 1 - 1
Standard deviation: 1,89
 

 
 
2020 Open - Hungary
 
Anima Sound System - '68
Rank: 34th (out of 35)
Score card: 8 - 6 - 3 - 3 - 3
Standard deviation: 2,06
 

Thank you everyone.
 
I'm having a little bit trouble with editing from one table to the other.
 
It doesn't show properly as in the test.
 
I'm thinking I'll rather do a random draw for the team order & the "wild card" tomorrow at 17:00 CET, and post a link to the ticket, and then run the draw as usual.
 
Later tonight I'll explain the rest of the procedure.
 
Thanks for your collaboration @dcro @Wumo @rybak @Olympian1010 & @OlympicIRL

Today we will visit another interesting place, it's.....
 
Elbląg Canal
 

 
Elbląg Canal is a canal in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, 80.5 kilometres  in length, which runs southward from Lake Drużno (connected by the river Elbląg to the Vistula Lagoon), to the river Drwęca and lake Jeziorak. It can accommodate small vessels up to 50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons) displacement. The difference in water levels approaches 100 metres, and is overcome using locks and a system of inclined planes between lakes.
Today it is used mainly for recreational purposes. It is considered one of the most significant monuments related to the history of technology and was named one of the Seven Wonders of Poland. The canal was also named one of Poland's official national Monuments of History, as designated January 28, 2011. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.
 

 
The canal was designed between 1825 and 1844 by Georg Steenke, carrying out the commission given by the King of Prussia. Construction began in 1844. The difference in height over a 9.5-kilometre section of the route between the lakes was too great for building traditional locks; an ingenious system of inclined planes based on those used on the Morris Canal was employed instead, though the canal includes a few locks as well. There were originally four inclined planes, with a fifth added later, replacing five wooden locks. Built under the name Oberländischer Kanal (Upland Canal) and situated in the Kingdom of Prussia, it was opened on the 29 October 1860. Since 1945 the canal is now in Poland. After wartime damage was repaired, it was restored to operation in 1948 and is now used for tourism. The canal underwent renovation between 2011 and 2015 and is now again open to navigation.

I would like to provide my help.  

Today we will not visit either church, museum nor palace/castle but something different, maybe bit random, but still worth to see, the place is...
 
Janów Podlaski Horse Stud
 

 
Janów Podlaski Horse Stud - the oldest state-owned Arabian horse stud in the small village of Wygoda near Janów Podlaski, existing since 1817. The stud specializes in breeding Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. Annual horse auctions take place there, attracting breeders and exhibitors from Poland and abroad. The seat of the stud is in Wygoda near Janów Podlaski, in a complex of classicist stables founded in 1817. It covers an area of 2,500 ha, which is approximately 18% of the area of Janów Podlaski municipality. 
 
The history of the stud goes back to the Napoleonic Wars, as a result of which the number of horses in Poland dropped sharply. The horses were too valuable to the army and the economy to be overlooked by the rulers of the time. In order to regain the slowly lost position of horse power, at the request of the Administrative Council of the Kingdom of Poland, a government herd of horses was established in 1817 by a decree of Emperor Alexander I, which became the foundation of the later stud. The decision to locate the state herd there was determined by the existence of a large Wygoda farm near Janów and a large post-Austrian stud. The organizer and the first manager of the Janów stud in 1816–1826 was veterinarian Jan Ritz. He created the actual foundations for future breeding - by obtaining, with the permission of Alexander I, breeding material from imperial studs and by purchasing it from private Russian and English breeders. In December 1817 he imported 54 stallions (25 English, 9 Arab, 4 Danish, 2 Mecklenburg, 2 Caucasian and 1 Italian), 100 mares and 33 foals.
 

 
In the 30s-40s In the nineteenth century, the Janów stud became a serious hypological center in the central parts of Poland. Thanks to the help of a horse lover, Iwan Paskiewicz, the Russian governor of the Kingdom of Poland, the Janów stud was going through a golden period. In 1841, according to the plans of the architect Henryk Marconi, the first brick stable, "Czołowa", was erected, and in 1848, the second "Clock" with a neo-Gothic tower was built, for which a clock was bought at that time for a huge sum of 363 rubles (2400 Polish złoty's at that time). In addition to the government herd of horses, there was also a veterinary school and a practical school of equestrianism and dressage (from 1824). The herd management owned, inter alia, cups and medals as well as other decorations of horses bought in Europe (like silver cups of the famous mare Armida, heroine of the track in the Kingdom of Poland, multiple winner in races held in Warsaw, numerous horse paintings, a hippology library with a number of Polish and German magazines).
 

 
During this period, the stud was managed by Filip Eberhardt as a government herd supervisor until the end of the 1870s. From July 1861, the titular function of the herd director was performed by the actual councilor of state, equestrian at the imperial court, Janusz Rostworowski (1811-1891). In 1885, Aleksander Nierodka, was built to build a brick stable called "Woroncewa" with 85 boxes. He also bought a number of valuable horses in Western Europe, including English and Arab thoroughbreds. It was then that the first Arabians appeared in Janów. In 1887, the count designated one racing stable for racing horses. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Janów Podlaski was the most important center for breeding and hippology knowledge in the western part of the Russian Empire. 
 

 
At the beginning of the 20th century, Janów preserved the characteristic Janów horse, as it is described in the professional literature - "with a correct, strong build and a firm and resistant constitution". Two own lines of female families were also educated. All these achievements were ruined by the First World War. In February 1915, the herd was taken to the East and almost all of them died there. The idea of recreating the stud in Janów from scratch was taken after 1918 by a group of Polish enthusiasts and hippologists. In April 1919, pure Arabian mares were brought to the empty and destroyed Janów stables. Already in the 1920s, horses were bought by foreign studs (e.g. Czech and German). In 1924 the Janów stud began to specialize in breeding pure Arabian horses. The heyday of the stud took place at the end of the 1950s, when a man associated with the stud from December 1939, Andrzej Krzyształowicz, became the director. He was responsible for taking care of the horses exported by the Germans, and he also arranged for the organization of the first Arabian horse auction in the fall of 1969. Since then, nearly 1,000 Arabs have been sold abroad, providing the country with many foreign currencies. 

The voice of a generation of kids, heard all around the world! The man, the myth, the legend! 
 
That passion just brings me way back
 

Next place which we will visit at our journey around Poland is...
 
Rogalin Palace
 

 
Rogalin Palace - a historic palace in the village of Rogalin in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Branch of the National Museum in Poznań. From 2018, the palace and park complex has the status of a historical monument.
 
The palace in Rogalin was built in the years 1770-1776 by Kazimierz Raczyński, who was the writer of the Crown, and then the general starost of Wielkopolska and the royal court marshal. On his initiative, a late baroque palace complex in the entre cour et jardin type (between the courtyard and the garden) was created, which has survived to this day in its original shape. The author of the project was probably an artist from the circle of Saxon architects active in Warsaw at that time. During the construction works, Kazimierz Raczyński commissioned Dominik Merlini and Jan Chrystian Kamzetzer to implement a partially classicist facade and interior design (hall and parade stairs). Behind the palace there is a French garden with a mound that closes it, from which there used to be a view towards the Warta River.
 

 
In the years 1817-1820, Kazimierz's grandson, Edward Raczyński erected a church-mausoleum dedicated to St. Marcellinus, modeled on the Roman maison carree temple in Nimes, France, and extended the establishment to a landscape park. In the palace, he rebuilt the ballroom into a neo-Gothic armory to celebrate the former military achievements of Poles. In the second half of the 19th century, the present form of the courtyard was created, with a lawn and chestnut alleys.
At the end of the 19th century, Edward Aleksander Raczyński and his wife Róża née Potocki renovated the palace, transforming the former baroque dining room into a neo-baroque library designed by Zygmunt Hendel. In 1910, the gallery building was erected, in which a collection of European and Polish paintings of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was available to the public, considered before the Second World War as the best collection of contemporary painting in Poland.
 


 
After World War II, the palace was taken over by the communist authorities and in 1949 it became a branch of the National Museum in Poznań. Edward Bernard Raczyński established in 1990 the Raczyński in Poznań and handed over to her the palace and park in Rogalin, the Rogalin Gallery at the National Museum, of which he remained the actual owner, and his rights to the land property surrounding the palace and the Rogalin park. The palace and park in Rogalin remained in the hands of the National Museum in Poznań. 

J'en Suis La Award
 
As we count down to the latest TISC Grand Final, to be held in Poland on Saturday, April 17th, we have decided to use this timeframe to catch up with our very own TISC Special Awards. There are three different Special Awards in total. The J'en Suis La Award and the Passionfruit Award have been introduced in 2018 as part of the 10th edition Jubilee legacy, while the newly formed STOP THE COUNT! Award got first celebrated in the Netherlands last year.
 
While nobody really aims (or wants) to claim these awards, they do serve their purpose within the TISC festivities, if nothing else to remind us all of the exciting Grand Final journeys that the various award recipients have experienced. Today, we will take a closer look at the J'en Suis La Award and its recipients...
 


 
 
The J'en Suis La Award is reserved for the song which climbed the most places between the half-way point and the conclusion of a given contest. After going through a rough opening patch, most participants would agree that there is nothing sweeter than witnessing your own entry gain numerous positions during the late afternoon and evening sessions, and the J'en Suis La Award is designed to recognize just that.
 
The award owes its name to the French entry J'en Suis La (by Slimane), which remarkably climbed from 33rd to 10th during the second half of the 10th edition Jubilee in Brazil.
 
Indeed, the 2018 Annual Jubilee was destined to be a very special edition. So much so that seemingly every jury was looking to post the best result they could, more than ever, just to commemorate it. French jury was no exception, however after scoring just 15 points between the first 20 (!) juries, the expectations were no longer too high. But that is when the ball started rolling. Numerous high scores, including three silver and three bronze medals, started coming the way of France. It was enough to lift them up to 108 points and a respectable 10th place finish - something that nobody saw coming during the lunch break. The record jump of 23 places has been unmatched since.
 
Celebrating the Jubilee legacy, the award itself officially got introduced in the run-up towards the 2018 Open in Orlando, Florida. Its first recipient was Malta, who then climbed from 28th to 15th. Other recipients include New Zealand (2019 Annual; 27th -> 9th), Finland (2019 Open; 24th -> 13th), China (2020 Annual; 19th -> 2nd) and Germany (2020 Open; 16th -> 7th).
 
On average, the J'en Suis La Award recipients climb 13,6 places. The recipient's average half-way point ranking is 23rd, while their average final ranking is 9th. China's Grain in Ear (by Zhao Fangjing) is the only award recipient who eventually earned a podium position, while every other award recipient has also finished 15th or better.
 
 
J'en Suis La Award - Hall of Fame
 
2018 Open - Malta
 
Claudia Faniello - Pure
28th (18 pts) -> 15th (81 pts)
2nd half highlights: 3x11 pts (POL, RUS, SLO), 10 pts (INA)
 

 
 
2019 Annual - New Zealand
 
Yumi Zouma - In Camera
27th (19 pts) -> 9th (97 pts)
2nd half highlights: 12 pts (IRL), 2x11 pts (BRA, ITA), 10 pts (VEN)
 

 
 
2019 Open - Finland
 
Haloo Helsinki! - Beibi
24th (27 pts) -> 13th (81 pts)
2nd half highlights: 11 pts (SVK), 10 pts (IND), 9 pts (POL)
 

 
 
2020 Annual - China
 
Zhao Fangjing - Grain in Ear
19th (40 pts) -> 2nd (140 pts)
2nd half highlights: 12 pts (IRI, ITA), 11 pts (FRA, POR), 10 pts (BRA)
 

 
 
2020 Open - Germany
 
Robin Schulz ft. Jasmine Thompson - Sun Goes Down
16th (39 pts) -> 7th (118 pts)
2nd half highlights: 12 pts (CRO, GRE, SRB), 10 pts (KAZ, MLT)
 

The second and last dish from Easter table which I selected is...

Sałatka jarzynowa
 

 
Sałatka jarzynowa or sałatka warzywna (vegetable salad) is always vegetarian salad, consisting of peas, hard boiled eggs, and the mirepoix, always cut into small cubes, seasoned with mayonnaise, salt, pepper. Recipes usually vary by region (tart apples or pickles can be added) and even by household, sometimes even adding meat (for example ham). One such notable exception is "szałot", a Silesian variety which may include not only boiled potatoes, carrots, peas and boiled eggs, but also bacon, sausages or pickled herring.
 

 
Personally at this Easter I was eating sałatka jarzynowa with parsley, corn, eggs, sausage from żurek, leek, cucumbers and mayonnaise 

End of the voting!
 

 
The deadline, of sending the votes has now officialy passed and succesfully all 37 nations have submitted their votes, which means that we luckily have avoid disqualfications on both stages. After all troubles, I want say thank you to everyone who will participate at this edition of TAISC and will visit Poland. Now it's time for host nation to prepare everything carefully related with Voting Order Draw and Team Allocation Draw which is scheduled for Friday, April 9th at 19:00 CET (GMT+2) and later for Opening Ceremony and for Grand Final for which everyone are waiting for. Organizing committee will continue presenting next Monuments of History around whole country and other interesting places in following days.
 
Right now we also opened the window of Festival of Music where everyone can presented songs from non-pariticipating countries at the TAISC 2021. You can start pick the two nations right now. Rules about selecting the songs for festival are the same like for the contest, which means that selected song have to be released after January 1st 2020.
 
Let's the Festival of Music begins!

Pepsi Florida Relays, Gainesville, FL, April 3, 2021
Men's 400m:
 Dwight St. Hillaire (44.74)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/trinidad-and-tobago/dwight-st-hillaire-14590653
 
 
 WPA Half League 2, Parow, February 27, 2021
Men's Javelin Throw:
 Rocco Van Rooyen (85.97)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/south-africa/rocco-van-rooyen-14412748
 
 
 3rd MoC Grand Prix, Lagos, March 30, 2021
Women's 100m:
 Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha(11.09)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/nigeria/grace-nwokocha-14886275

So, since we are two hours away from closing the voting process there is time to present another traditional for Polish Easter dish, this dish is...
 
Żurek
 

 
Żurek (żur, acidified flour soup) - soup made on the basis of a meat broth thickened with bread leaven, usually made of rye flour, having a characteristic sour taste. A specialty of regional Polish, Belarusian, Czech and Slovak cuisine as well as other northern Slavs. Prepared in combination with bone and vegetable broth, with the addition of dried mushrooms, or cooked with sausage, smoked pork bacon, ribs, and pork tail.
 
There are doubts as to whether żurek (sour rye soup) is the same as white borscht, because, for example, according to one tradition, the names sour soup and white borscht are used interchangeably. In other traditions, sour rye soup is a soup made of rye flour, and white borscht is based on wheat flour. On the other hand, other customs dictate that sour rye soup should be called acidified lenten soup served with egg or potatoes, while white borscht would be an acidified soup made on the basis of a broth of bacon and sausage. However, these are contradictions resulting from the displacement confusion throughout Poland. Żur is known for its leaven made of flour, because it was the most popular and the best preparation; nowadays it is also prepared with the use of wheat, oat or spelled leaven.
 

 
Regional kitchens have their own various recipes. It is an Old Polish dish - hence it is sometimes called Old Polish sour rye soup. Sometimes served with separately cooked potatoes topped with melted bacon or bacon, smoked or steamed sausage, offal or boiled egg. In Upper Silesia, sourdough for sour rye soup is prepared from wholemeal rye flour. 

Pepsi Florida Relays, Gainesville, FL, April 3, 2021
Men's 400m:
 Dwight St. Hillaire (44.74)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/trinidad-and-tobago/dwight-st-hillaire-14590653
 
 
 WPA Half League 2, Parow, February 27, 2021
Men's Javelin Throw:
 Rocco Van Rooyen (85.97)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/south-africa/rocco-van-rooyen-14412748
 
 
 3rd MoC Grand Prix, Lagos, March 30, 2021
Women's 100m:
 Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha(11.09)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/nigeria/grace-nwokocha-14886275

The rest of local Easter dishes and cakes I will post tomorrow, during Easter Monday  Now let's go back to visit next special place in the country, today we will visit...
 
Wilanów Palace
 

 
Wilanów Palace is a former royal palace located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw. Wilanów Palace survived Poland's partitions and both World Wars, and so serves as a reminder of the culture of the Polish state as it was before the misfortunes of the 18th century.
 
It is one of Poland's most important monuments. The palace's museum, established in 1805, is a repository of the country's royal and artistic heritage and receives around 3 million visitors annually. The palace and park in Wilanów host cultural events and concerts, including Summer Royal Concerts in the Rose Garden and the International Summer Early Music Academy.
The palace, together with other elements of Warsaw Old Town, is one of Poland's official national Monuments of History, as designated on 16 September 1994. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland. 
 

 
Wilanów Palace was built for king John III Sobieski in the last quarter of the 17th century and later was enlarged by other owners. It represents the characteristic type of Baroque suburban residence built entre cour et jardin (between the entrance court and the garden). Its architecture is original, a merger of generally European art with distinctively Polish building traditions. Upon its elevations and in the palace interiors ancient symbols glorify the Sobieski family, especially the military triumphs of the king.
 

 
After the death of John III Sobieski in 1696, the palace was owned by his sons and later by the famous magnate families Sieniawski's, Czartoryski's, Lubomirski's, Potocki's and Branicki family of the Korczak coat of arms. In 1720, the property was purchased by Polish stateswoman Elżbieta Sieniawska who enlarged the palace. Between 1730 and 1733 it was a residence of Augustus II the Strong, also a king of Poland (the palace was exchanged with him for the Blue Palace at Senatorska Street), and after his death the property came to Sieniawska's daughter Maria Zofia Czartoryska. Every owner changed the interiors of the palace, as well as the gardens and grounds, according to the current fashion and needs. In 1778 the estate was inherited by Izabela Lubomirska, called The Blue Marquise. She refurbished some of the interiors in the neoclassical style between 1792–1793 and build a corps de garde, a kitchen building and a bathroom building under the supervision of Szymon Bogumił Zug. In the year 1805, the owner Stanisław Kostka Potocki, opened a museum in a part of the palace, one of the first public museums in Poland. A most notable example of the collections is Potocki's equestrian portrait made by renowned neoclassical French artist Jacques-Louis David in 1781. Besides European and Oriental art, the central part of the palace displayed a commemoration of king John III Sobieski and the glorious national past. 
 

 
The structure was designed by Augustyn Wincenty Locci. The architecture of the palace is a unique example of different building traditions - reminiscent of Polish aristocratic mansions with side towers, the Italian suburban villa and French palaces entre cour et jardin with two oblong wings on each side of the cour d'honneur. During the first stage of construction, between 1677 and 1680 it was a typical Polish manor house with four alcove towers attached to the one-storeyed square building. Between 1681-1688, the building was enhanced and two gallery wings ending with towers were added. This new appearance was probably inspired by Palladio's Villa Montagnana. Shortly after the king's death the third stage of the reconstruction was accomplished. Between 1688-1696 the pavilion above the main building was erected and the towers were covered with baroque spires, all resembling the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome (especially its initial design by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi).
 
The king and his librarian Adam Adamandy Kochański took active part in the design and construction of the palace. The latter was responsible for the ideological and artistic programme, where motives and decoration elements played an essential role in glorifying the monarch, his wife and the Republic - busts of king and queen among the effigies of ancient characters, gods and goddesses, Roman emperors and empresses (such as the Dioscuri, Zeus-Amun, Sibyl, Romulus, Rhea Silvia, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Dido and Vespasian among others), Eagle and Pogonia, personifications of the Commonwealth regions (Masovia and Greater Poland, Samogitia, Red Ruthenia and Royal Prussia). They were issued by sculptors Andreas Schlüter (many reliefs and other secondary aspects of the façade), Stefan Szwaner and a stucco decorator named Antoni of Wilanów. Some of the sculptures were made in the Low Countries by Louis Willemsens and Artus Quellinus the Elder' workshop, shipped to Gdańsk and then transported to Warsaw. An ornate sundial on the south wall with Chronos, together with the opposite composition with Uranus on the north wall, were intended to underline the king's patronage of science and orderliness in the Serenissima during his reign. They were executed by Antoni of Wilanów, according to the design by Johannes Hevelius (astronomical aspect), Adam Adamandy Kochański (mathematical aspect) and Augustyn Locci (artistic aspect).
 

 
The side wings embracing a courtyard, initiated by the king, were built long after his death by Elżbieta Sieniawska. They were constructed in the fourth stage of the enlargement between 1720-1729. Powerful Sieniawska was very concerned in maintaining the substantial historical residence of the Rex victoriossimus (Victorious King), as it was called. Despite that she transformed the palace into a French style palais enchanté according to design by Giovanni Spazzio, with two new wings harmonious with the 17th century corps de logis. She employed the most renowned architects and artists for this undertaking, such as previously mentioned Spazzio, Johann Sigmund Deybel, Józef Fontana, Jan Jerzy Plersch and Giovanni Rossi. While the original royal palace was decorated with reliefs depicting the deeds of John III, the new wings were adorned with battlefield achievements of Sieniawska's husband and father-in-law - Adam Mikołaj and Mikołaj Hieronim Sieniawski (nota bene Sobieski's comrades).
 
The most prominent Polish and foreign artists participated in the decoration of the palace interiors. It was entrusted to painters Martino Altomonte, Jan Rayzner of Lviv, Michelangelo Palloni, sculptor Stefan Szwaner and stucco decorators Szymon Józef Bellotti, Antoni of Wilanów and Abraham Paris. They were supervised by the official court painters Claude Callot and later by Jerzy Siemiginowski-Eleuter. The latter, one of the greatest Polish painters of that time, had a significant influence on the palace's subsequent internal aspects (plafonds in the state rooms, frescoes). Internal decoration was also superintended by Adam Kochański, a great admirer of China, who supported closer economic relations of the Commonwealth with the "Central nation". Due to his influence, Wilanów and other residencies were full of luxury Chinese imports and chinoiserie.
 

 
The 17th-century palace inventories included the works of the greatest contemporary and ancient masters, like Rembrandt (Portuguese rabbi, Jewish Girl in a beret, The Adoration of the Magi, Abraham and Hagar, Portrait of an old man in the so-called Dutch Room of the palace), Pieter van Laer, called Bamboccio (Travellers), Anthony van Dyck (Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane), Ferdinand van Kessel (batalistic scenes, allegorical paintings and still lifes), Raphael, Caracci brothers, Guido Reni and Bernardo Strozzi. The chambers were filled with precious furnishings, like silver folding screen, silver pyramid with 11 baskets, a three-storeyed silver fountain or a silk baldachin presented by the Shah of Persia.
 

 
Among the artists appointed for decoration of the palace's interiors in the 18th century were Giuseppe Rossi, an Italian fresco painter, who adorned the chambers with trompe-l'œil paintings and stucco decorators Francesco Fumo and Pietro Innocente Comparetti. Following the example of Queen Marie Casimire, who ordered a painting of herself as a goddess on the palace plafonds, Elżbieta Sieniawska embellished the Lower Vestibule with a fresco of Flora. On her initiative the walls in the royal chambers were covered with Genoan velvet. The walls of the second floor, that is the Great Dining Room, were covered with frescoes depicting Apollo, Minerva and Hercules as an allegory of Virtus Heroica (Heroic Valor), Hebe symbolizing Venustas (Beauty) completed with panoplies. Sieniawska's daughter, Maria Zofia Czartoryska, furnished the palace with new fireplaces made of white-cherry marble and crowned with mirrors in rich rococo frames.
 
In the contract with King Augustus II Maria Zofia obliged him to preserve the palace unchanged. Therefore, his actions were limited to finishing the new dining room, called the White Room in the southern wing and to the decoration of some unfinished interiors.The plafonds and other paintings were executed by Julien Poison, Johann Samuel Mock and Lorenzo Rossi, while the decorative lacquer panneaux in the Chinese Room were made by Martin Schnell.
 


 
An integral part of the palace, almost since its beginning, is the garden. Initially it had the character of a baroque Italian garden in a semicircular form surrounding the palace on the east. In its composition this geometric garden fitted in well with the ancient patterns and the palace arrangement. It consisted of an upper garden located on a terrace with two arbours in the form of lanterns in each corner, and lower garden. During the third stage of the reconstruction of the palace the geometric garden parterres were replaced with embroidered parterres à la française inspired by André Le Nôtre's treaties. At that time the garden was embellished with gilded lead sculptures by Gaspar Richter of Gdańsk and vases carved in cherry marble from Chęciny. In the beginning of the 18th century the garden was enlarged, the late baroque parterre ornamentation was replaced with régence motives completed with Sieniawska's coat of arms Szreniawa in the northern parts and her monogram in the southern part. In 1784 Izabela Lubomirska transformed neighbouring territories of Wilanów folwark into a jardin anglo-chinois according to Szymon Bogumił Zug's design. This new garden with rich vegetation, sinuous paths and cascades was inspired by works of William Chambers, Thomas Whately and August Moszyński.

The second cake is...
 
Makowiec
 

 
Poppy seed cake (commonly called Makowiec) - it's dough layered with ground poppy seeds, sugar (or honey) and dried fruit. Such baking usually takes three possible form of:
- cake or tart, where a thick layer of poppy seed mass is placed on a thin layer of dough
- oblong, spiral-shaped dough in the shape of a roller (the so-called poppy seed strudel) - made of yeast dough, shortbread and yeast dough, less often semi-shortcrust
- strudel - made of strudel, shortcrust or semi-shortcrust dough
 

 
Poppy seeds intended for the mass should be properly prepared before grinding (or grating). One way is to scald (pour boiling water over) the grains in a sieve, then carefully drain and evaporate. Another method is to pour cold or hot milk or water over the poppy seeds and let them soak for a while - sometimes after boiling them. According to some recipes, after steaming or soaking the beans, they still need to be boiled. If the beans are soaked overnight, cooking for just a few minutes should suffice.
 

 
Prepared in this way, carefully drained poppy seeds were ground twice or three times in a meat grinder through a strainer with the smallest eyes, or grated in a makutra. Grated poppy seeds are further ground with sugar or honey, and then dried fruits such as chopped walnuts, almonds, soaked raisins, candied orange or lemon peel are added. In regional cuisines, the use of additives such as hazelnuts, prunes or pears is also found.
Baked poppy seed rolls are usually covered with white (boiled) frosting and decorated with raw poppy seeds or candied orange peel. The trade also includes strudels with chocolate coating.
 

 
Makowiec is a typical Christmas Eve and Easter dish in Polish cuisine. In some parts of the country, it spread only after the Second World War, e.g. thanks to settlers from eastern Poland. Regionally, the poppy seed strudel takes the form of folded buns with a poppy seed filling.
In the past, poppy seed cake was hosted only on well-to-do tables. It was baked in ordinary houses only for special occasions, such as the aforementioned Christmas Eve and carnival, Easter and various family celebrations. 

Today, on the occasion of Easter, before the start of the visit to next place in the country, I will present you few traditional Polish cakes at Easter time, first one is...
 
Mazurek
 

 
Mazurek is a variety of very sweet, flat cake baked at Easter.
 
According to Polish gastronomy coursebooks, typical mazurek is a cake that can be made of one or two sheets of short (or "half-short") pastry or one sheet of short (or "half-short") pastry covered with a sheet of butter sponge cake. The two sheets are "glued" together with a help of a layer of marmalade. In case of one-sheet version, marmalade is skipped or goes on top, under the layer of icing. The top of mazurek is covered with a layer of icing (i.e. sugar icing or fudge caramel cream, similar to "dulce de leche") or jelly. It is also decorated with nut-based icing or almond-based icing and candied fruits. Traditionally, home-baked mazurek cakes are often decorated with dried fruits and nuts. In the one-sheet version, the cake includes the borders made of rolled "half-short" pastry. Sometimes the shortcrust base is crowned with a lattice made of half-short or macaroon pastry.
 

 
Among other versions, often to be found in popular cook books and gastronomy coursebooks is "Gypsy mazurek". A sheet of "half-short" pastry is "half-baked", covered with a layer made of dried fruit, almonds, egg yolks creamed with sugar and whipped egg white and baked again.
 
The cake's name may have its origins in the Mazur (or Masurian) tribe inhabiting the Mazovia region of central Poland. Another theory says it might originate from the word mazurek, traditional folk dance in triple metre from Poland. A shortcrust pastry, Mazurek is considered one of the primary desserts of Easter across the country. What distinguishes it from other festive dessert cakes is the abundance of decoration with dried fruit and nuts, its overall sweetness, and chocolate icing, contributing to its prolonged freshness.
Although considered uniquely Polish, almost a seasonal national dessert, the recipe for Mazurek came to Poland most likely from the East, via the spice trade-route from Turkey in the early 17th century.
 

 
Its symbolism is closely associated with the period of Lent thus marking its successful completion. In fact, after a 40-day fast (not a total abstinence from food by any means), which is celebrated in Christian liturgy in memory of the Temptation of Christ, mazurek was supposed to be the rich reward for adherence to faith and tradition. Although today, the religious meaning of mazurek is virtually lost in Poland, the cake is closely associated with the seasonal celebrations nevertheless.
Usually, the decorative patterns includes Easter symbols like hares, pussy willows and Easter greetings.

ASGREEEEEN!

I feel I can say it now: We have NEVER been stronger in cycling! 

Hey tuniscof
 
I'm really sorry not to have updated the suggested contests calendar in some time as it seems that is the one you have been following. For the future, the suggested contests calendar is only provisional. During the year, many contests can be moved and many of them listed in the section will not happen. The calendar, where you can see winners and participants numbers, will always be the official one. Dates and contests there are the ones that will be contested, of course unless a change happens shortly before start, like postponement or cancellation. Already the women's ice hockey IIHF world championship have been moved from April to May, as shown in the calendar. The calendar is the official one, the suggested contests are only provisional. I also do my best to tag everybody who has participated in a contest this year when I open a new one about a week before the first matches/events, so users can be noticed in advance.