Warsaw

Warsaw is such a beautiful, unique place.  It was such an amazing place to visit.  Grazyna (my agency facilitator) and her husband, Wojtek, took the kids and I on a trip to Old and New Town Warsaw on Sunday afternoon.  They were kind enough to push the kids strollers so I could snap my pictures to my hearts content.  Wojtek, joked that I must have at least taken 1000 pictures....it was only 126. There was just so many amazing things to see. 

So here's my best attempt at copying some things I learned from him while in Warsaw.

After about 20  minutes of driving in circles searching for a parking spot, we parked and walked toward Old Town. The castle looking wall in the upper right corner of the collage is the entrance to the Old Town.  Just inside the walls are vendors selling various painting and other Polish crafts.  I missed getting a picture of this, because Grazyna was moving quickly and I was afraid I might get lost. The streets are packed with tourists and locals. Pushing kids in strollers was a bit hard on the uneven walkways and cobblestone streets. 

Old Town is actually the "newest" old town in the world.  Remember World War II?  Warsaw definitely does.  During the Warsaw Uprising (August 1, 1944 - the Polish people decided to fight back against Nazi oppression.), Warsaw was destroyed.

Over 200,000 Polish people died trying to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The Soviet army stood opposite bank of the river and watched for 63 days without sending any aid (other than the 1,200 people who dared to swim the river to help).  By January, 85% of Warsaw was crumbled heaps.

When the war ended the people of Warsaw began rebuilding. They resurrected the town using pictures, paintings, and memories of what the town used to look like. So you could say that Warsaw Old Town is more of a replica of the original. The streets are bumpy and uneven due to the fact that they did not level the ground after the distruction.  They rebuilt right on top of all the destruction.  They wanted everything as close to the original as possible.

New Town pretty much skirts around the walls of Old Town. You really can never tell which one you are in. I think I could have just spent an hour taking pictures of the beautiful windows, doors, and architecture.  The buildings are amazing. Speaking of....

Check out this one.  That little tiny building in the middle has it's very own address.  It is the smallest building in Warsaw. On the same block is this...

Apparently these bricks here are 500 years old.  They just randomly stick out on the side of a house, so I am guessing, they are something that actually survived the Uprising.

The streets are just bustling with activity.  Street artists, singers, people playing instruments, merchants, and this guy...

Orrin loved watching him make bubbles. They were pretty fantastic if I do say so myself. "What do you do for a living?" "Oh, I make bubbles."  Oh yeah, sounds like a good job for me; except when the kids pop them before you actually get them made.  He took it way better than I would have. :)

The shops are filled with souvenirs, jewelry, clothing and (my personal favorite) authentic Polish Pottery.

Do you think it will fit in my suitcase?  Not sure I need a teapot that large; although, after staying here for 3 weeks, I have developed quite a love for tea. Let me clarify....I like some tea.  I still can't stand the plain old black tea that they usually serve. Nasty stuff. Anyway, back to the pottery. It is gorgeous.  I hope I can go back and get at least one piece to stow in my suitcase with all the chocolate I am going to take home. Tea and chocolate...oh yeah!

And speaking of food....

Yes, it was all mine....and I enjoyed every last bite.

They did too!

And then there was this place.  Anyone know who Marie Skłodowska-Curie is? Me either...well, until I realized he meant Marie Curie. You know the one we all learned about in science.  She discovered polonium and radium. Who knew she wasn't French?  I sure didn't.  She was Polish and grew up right here in Warsaw.

Her childhood home (the one with the iron balcony with flowers) is now a museum. Apparently the French didn't even start to claim her until she won her second Nobel Prize.

Lastly we went to see the oldest church in Warsaw.  Grazyna and her husband were married in this church. Just as we were leaving, they turned on the lights.

So pretty!

We had such a great time in Old Town.  Hopefully I can take Josh when he returns. And sneak in some pottery shopping and maybe another waffle. ;)