Gnomes, domes and Mocne Piwo was the theme I texted to my friend as I boarded the plane, and Wroclaw delivered on them, but what I wasn't expecting was that my rather high expectations of this Polish city would not only be met, but considerably bettered.

First off the domes. This was the world heritage site. I had been aware of the centennial hall for a long time, it was one of the buildings that stood out in my first encyclopaedia of architecture. I have to admit I have never really liked how it looks, but have a huge respect for the engineering that it entails. As I crawled closer through Wroclaw's traffic I noticed a lot of advertising and even more police on traffic patrol, and as I feared the hall was in use for an event on the day I chose to visit.

As such it provided me with an answer to the age old travellers riddle, "What do you do when the men's volleyball world championships hinder your sightseeing?" Ans. "You go to the Japanese garden!"

The enforced exploration of the surrounds of the hall was actually rather pleasant, the fountains were performing, the covered walkway was looking at it's renewed best and the Japanese garden was a welcome surprise. I did get to see inside, a friendly guard moved aside and gave me a good view of the interior as Russia beat Finland in what I am sure was a crucial match!?! I got caught up in the rush to leave after that match and to be honest I could have been leavening any large scale sporting arena, which I guess is a massive testament to the value of this building 100 years after it's completion.

Next up the gnomes. If you have visited in the last 10 years you are likely to have seen these little statues all over town. They actually started as a tribute to the absurdist protest again the communist authorities in the city, protestors dressed as gnomes so when they were arrested the police looked ridiculous. This appeals to me on so many levels that I was even willing to overlook the commercialisation of this protest, it is something that really should be promoted, and the little statues are a lasting reminder.

Lastly the Mocne Piwo (strong beer), this wasn't solely about the proliferation of breweries, though Wroclaw is very well supplied. It was more about that certain joie de vivre that European towns give me, and Wroclaw delivered in abundance. If I could design a perfect city, I'm not really sure where Wroclaw would lose marks in comparison to my ideal;

A rather large and encompassing old town? ✓, a higgledy piggledy arrangement of waterways? ✓, more brew pubs than a night out can handle? ✓, a beautiful baroque university? ✓, a 20th century history that can tell a continents story? ✓, a masterpiece of modern architecture? ✓, hosted a major football tournament? ✓, a modern airport near the city serviced by budget airlines? ✓, an overwrought train station? ✓, a main square that is buzzing with noise at midnight on a Wednesday? ✓,

At the end of it all I am more perplexed by why Wroclaw isn't regarded more highly. This is the sort of city I travel for, and the sort of city that makes me love Europe.

So I didn't see the best of the WHS, but I did explore more of the surrounds than I thought I would, but also it really goes to show that it is an impressive piece of undertaking, 100 years after its construction it is still playing host to large scale international events, if ever there was a case for outstanding universal value for this type of building this was it. But additional to that I really couldn't recommend Wroclaw more, to my mind it is an almost perfect European city for an urban traveller.

[Site 6: Experience 9]