Vacation in Poland-Part 2

Today we are still in Warsaw.  We are staying at the Bristol Hotel pictured here which was full of flowers both inside the lobby as well as outside in the court yard.  Not far from here was the Chopin Museum which is in the building he last lived in Warsaw.  It's well worth your time to visit if you have any love for his music.  Here pictured you see one of the pianos he played on.  And not a far walk from there is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Poland.  And next the Military Chapel  which is where many veterans are buried in the wall of the church and where any important State funerals  now take place.  Across the street from the Military Chapel is the monument to the Polish Uprising of 1944 when Warsaw citizens tried to retake their city from Nazi occupiers.  Unfortunately they were not successful.  There is a very good museum of all this history in Warsaw and one should not miss it.  Next another example of modern architecture in a sky scraper that is square and round at the same time.  I was sharing all these adventures with my brother Douglas of California and cousin Mary Gordon of Chicago pictured here braving some public transportation, which is a very good system in Warsaw.  The next day we rented a car and drove towards Krackow.  That's about a six hour drive on some very good highways.  I felt like we were traveling an American interstate through central Wisconsin.  On our way we stopped at the town of Czestochowa to visit the shine of the Black Madonna.  This is a very famous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her child Jesus.  The backstory to the painting is that it was done by St Luke the Evangelist on the Blessed Mother's kitchen table top.  Many pilgrims come here as noted by all the flags in the entrance to the Jasna Gora monastery where it is held.  It is hard to get a clear picture of the icon as there is a beaded curtain between the chapel nave and the sanctuary.  I've included a photo of a souvenir image to show the icon more clearly here.  Beside the icon chapel is a main chapel of the monastery which is quite beautiful in itself.  And as you can see, I found the Moldovan flag flying proudly outside as we left for Krackow. 

Vacation in Poland-Part 1 Warsaw

 

Even Peace Corps volunteers get a vacation.  After one year of service, it was time for mine and I took it in Poland.  I left by plane from Chisinau International Airport (Moldova's one and only airport) and flew to Warsaw's Chopin Field via a change in Munich.  Flying is great fun isn't it?  Especially when the clouds are pretty.  As we approached Warsaw, I felt as if I was landing in Ohare in Chicago.  The city's modern skyline and expressways are very similar.  In the area of Old Town, or Stare Maestro, the buildings are quite different.  Here we see Holy Cross Church.  Someone famous is buried here.  Frederick Chopin...at least his heart is buried here.  A statue nearby of another famous Pole, Nicolai Copernicus.  Warsaw has a lot of churches, some right next to each other.  The old town square is perfectly rebuilt from WWII damage  to original specs.  It's a place for outside cafes, roaming musicians, and horse and carriages.  In the center is a statue of a mermaid, the symbol of Warsaw.  The old Roman wall and city gate are restored.  Here we find signs of local food and beverage.   "Piwo" means beer and "Pierogi" are stuffed ravioli type noodles.  The trout was delicious.  Shops sell beautiful crafts such as this ceramic pottery from Boleslawiec.  Along the streets we came across the place Marii Curie discovered radium.  And then there is the beautiful Royal Palace, totally rebuilt since The War.  And also a Presidential Palace for the current democratically elected leader.  The tall spire building is the Cultural Arts Center that was build by the Soviet occupying government.  On the 30th floor there is a wonderful observation deck.   You can see the beautiful modern buildings of Warsaw's central business district.  Much of Poland's renewal was made possible by the kiss of the Marshall Plan after WWII.  This final picture is what 80 % of Warsaw looked like in 1947.  There's more to see in Warsaw. Next time we'll begin with the home of Chopin.