Day 1: Warsaw, Poland

It's very hard to complain about a journey, even one that is 16 hours door-to-door, when you fly business class and have the hotel arrange a car service to pick you up. Not roughing it, I will admit. Other than only getting about 2 total hours of sleep because of the time difference, we had a completely painless journey. Even the A train left Fulton St. exactly on time. And Frank has converted to the Spoiled Travelers group with such enthusiasm that one of his first photos was of his legs enjoying the expansive space of his posh Lufthansa seat.

Our simple-yet-elegant boutique hotel in Warsaw was perfect - well-located in the Old Town area and the service and food were both excellent. We were able to check into our room right away and rest for a few hours before our pre-arranged sightseeing tour. I was very excited to see that were on the highest floor and had a cute balcony. Here is Frank assessing our view (not that exciting) when we first arrived:





After sharing an over-priced but extremely delicious mozzarella and prosciutto ciabatta in the hotel lobby/lounge area, we were picked up around 1:45pm by our exceedingly blond and very Polish tour guide, Piotr ("Peter"). His English pronunciation was excellent, but his word choice and phrasing greatly entertained us throughout the tour. ("All in all, if it comes to the constructions we are having that were made by the Soviets..." and "...and that is all I am going to say about that subject.") The bus picked us up at the hotel and then made a few stops at other area hotels to pick up five more tourists - a couple from Wisconsin, a couple from Ireland and a girl from Armenia who kept asking other people to take photos of her in front of various locations in poses that made me think these were all going to be in contention to make the profile picture of her Facebook page. Overall ("All in all"!), the tour was an excellent way to get an overview of the city, particularly because we did not have that much time to spend in Warsaw. We had flawless weather, which always helps when forming an opinion of a new place, but I think we would have loved the city even without that added bonus.

Here is a photo of the Palace of Culture and Science, which is the tallest building in Warsaw (750 ft high including the spire). It was built by the Russians and apparently resembles similar such constructions in many of the capital cities in the areas that were under Soviet domination. Piotr told us that it is called "the unwanted gift from Mother Russia" because it was nominally a gift to the people of Warsaw from the nations of the USSR, but the funds used to build it came from local Warsaw taxes.





One of the most staggering facts about Warsaw is that 87% of it was completely decimated after World War II, so there are almost no historical standing structures left. This is one of a small group of buildings that were not destroyed because the Nazis used them during the Occupation.





Our first stop was Łazienki Park which contains Łazienki Palace, formerly a royal residence. Here is one our intrepid team members in the rose garden surrounding a small lake and a monument to Chopin.





For my mom's benefit, here is a close up of the monument. Apparently, every Sunday when the weather is nice there are Chopin piano concerts out here in the garden under the statue. Mom, we will have to come back and do that one together!





The park is enormous and beautifully laid out. It actually reminded me of Retiro in Madrid. Here is the "Palace on the Water," which apparently was destroyed inside by the Nazis but did not get blown up completely because the Russians were getting too close to the city and the Nazis did not have time to finish the process. There are still round patched areas where the holes made for the dynamite have been covered up.





Here are a few sights from our drive to the Jewish Ghetto area of the city. We drove down Krakowskie Przedmieście, which is known for being one of the most beautiful streets in Warsaw. It's wide and bustling and lined with trees, cafes, and beautiful old palaces.





A statue of Copernicus:





A former palace which is now the President's residence:





When we got to the Warsaw Ghetto area, I was surprised to realize that there is nothing really to actually look at it because the entire thing was destroyed. There is a large monument honoring the Ghetto Uprising on 1943, and behind it they are in the process of building an enormous museum dedicated to the history of Polish Jews which is supposed to be finished next year.

I am embarrassed by how little of the historical details I actually knew prior to this trip, particularly because almost all of my grandfather's family were from Warsaw and died either in the Ghetto or in the camps. A brief summary is that the Nazis created the Jewish Ghetto in 1940 and surrounded it with barbed wire and then later tall brick walls. Over 450,000 people were crowded into the area, including Jews from Warsaw (300,000 people - 1/3 of Warsaw's population before the war) and other parts of Poland, as well as gypsies. By 1942 over 100,000 people had died from the 300 calorie a day diet, overcrowding, lack of medical supplies and rampant diseases that resulted from the conditions. In March 1942 the Germans began to liquidate the ghetto, deporting over 300,000 people to the death camps by train from a railway siding that is now a monument. The Ghetto Uprising, which began on April 19, 1943 and lasted one month, was organized by the secret Jewish Fighting Organization and was planned, not as an attempt to gain freedom, but as a way to die honorably, once they realized what was happening to the people who were taken away by train. After the Nazis suppressed the Uprising, they razed the whole area to the ground.

This is the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto, which on this side shows men, women, and children trying to escape the burning ghetto and on the other side shows a procession of Jews being driven to death camps by Nazis with bayonets. Apparently the then-Chancellor of West Germany kneeled in front of it in 1970 to honor the victims.





This is the Umschlagplatz Monument, the site of the former railway siding used to deport the Jews to the camps.





Unbelievably sad, but an important part of history to remember... and, as Piotr, would say, "that is all I want to say on that subject."


After that, we drove to the Old Town area and walked around the Square which is surrounded by gorgeous townhouses that were all rebuilt after the war with such meticulous attention to detail (based on old paintings, photos and any available information) that the area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.





Here are some building close ups:






One of the restaurants in the square:





Some street musicians:





When the tour ended, we stayed in the Square to walk around more. Here is a picture of the two of us with our guide Piotr before we parted ways.





It just so happened that August 1 is the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, so we were just in time for the 5pm sirens in front of the monument. The history lesson is that on August 1, 1944, the underground Polish army launched an uprising in Warsaw against the occupying Germans, with the intention of liberating the city before the arrival of the Red Army. The Russians were waiting on the other side of the river and didn't lift a finger to help, leaving the Germans to suppress the uprising which lasted over two months and led to the complete destruction of the city as well as the loss of tens of thousands of lives.


I did not get the clearest shot of the monument because there were too many people in the way, but it represents two groups of soldiers - one defending the barricades and the other going down into the sewers (the insurgents used the sewers to get around Warsaw during the uprising).





Here is one of the sirens which was run by a young cadet-like person turning a crank:






We went to a restaurant in the Square that Piotr had recommended for a pierogi snack, and then we walked the entire length of the Krakowski Przedmieście,the beautiful boulevard we had driven down earlier.


Here is the Church of St. Anne which had a very large picture of Pope John Paul II (who was Polish) on it:






A door and a sculpture on a building that I thought were interesting:







Completely by accident, we ended up at the Saxon Gardens, which are beautiful and have tons of fountains and flowers. They used to be palace gardens and were also the first public park space in Poland, At the entrance is a constantly guarded Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with dates and locations of battles dating back to 792 AD.






This photo came out a little dark, so I'm not sure if you can see the duck launching into the water in the foreground. There are weeping willows on either side of this small lake.






I feel compelled to include one of my favorite photos of the day - a statue of Venus, but with the Polish spelling "Wenus" engraved on the side.






Walking back through the Old Town, we stumbled upon a plaza that overlooks the Vistula River, with sunset views and a view of the new stadium being built for the UEFA Euro 2012 soccer tournament finals, which they are co-hosting with the Ukraine.








Here are a few shots of the Square lit up at night:






And this is a cute guy I thought I'd have a beer with in the Square before heading back to the hotel for a much-needed night's sleep.




"All in all," we are loving Poland so far and it is only Day 1!


ILM