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| We travelled all routes |
What did we see today riding the buses? Too much to recall but here are a few photos to give you a bit of a taste. In no particular order .....
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| We watch the 'balloon seller' preparing her giant floating bundles |
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| Jan Kilinski statue |
As we were to discover Warsaw/Poland has many national heroes. Jan Kilinski. He was a local man who lived here during the uprising of Poland against Russian occupation. He formed a militia unit which at one point numbered 20,000 and fighting broke out near the old city wall. Ultimately the 1794 Uprising failed, and Kilinski spent many years in prison in Russia. He, and this statue, are symbols of Warsaw and Poland's indomitable spirit of never yielding without a fight.
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| Astronomical clock - every hour it chime and plays a tune. Quaint |
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| The Supreme Court |
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| Monument to the heroes of Warsaw |
Warsaw has seen much bloodshed but also many heroic acts. As we travelled we saw many momentsThonouring those people. One the Monument to the Heroes of Warsaw, also known as the Warsaw Nike, is a monument commemorating all those who died in the city in 1939 to 1945, including participants in the defense of Warsaw in September 1939, the participants of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Uprising, and the victims of German terror in the occupied capital. The city has seen much turmoil.
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| Vistula River with Stadion Narodowy the largest Association Football arena in Poland in the background |
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| The district of Praga |
We crossed the Vistula River into the Praga district which was historically separate from Warsaw – maybe until a bridge was built over the river. This rather derelict district experienced a revival following the end of Communism in 1989 as young artists moved into many of the former factory buildings, drawing crowds in search of something different from the Old Town across the river.
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| A lifesize group sculpture of street musicians in Praga |
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| Returning across the Vistula - it is beautiful and untouched along much of what we saw |
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| The lawn area behind the Royal Palace where concerts are held |
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| Złote Tarasy |
There is an interesting juxtaposition between old and uktra new which works. For instance the futuristic glass roof of the Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces) . It was quite eye catching. Reminded me of Southern Cross station. Under these glass domes is a large shopping centre. We halted our bus tour to have lunch here - and to shop for new tips for our hiking poles as the existing ones were worn out. The centre of Warsaw has some quite grand building including the Palace of Culture and Science built during thr Soviet period which houses various public and cultural venues such as theatres, cinemas, libraries, university faculties as well as the authorities of the Polish Academy of Science (not all Varsovians approve of it). The Congress Hall is a 2,880-seat theatre attached to the Palace. And not far away is a tall glass vortex of a building. Mix and match!
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| Palace of Culture and Science |
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| The Congress Hall |
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| Contrasts |
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| Bronze elm tree |
Beside all that grandeur sits the horrors that occurred during the Soviet period as well as WWII and multiple uprisings as the Polish fought for their right to be indepenedent. A bronze replica of an elm tree honours the victims that perished in Pawaik Prison. Pawiak was built in 1835 and was the main prison of central Poland, where political prisoners and criminals alike were incarcerated. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia.
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| Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East (taken from the bus) |
Not far from here the Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East, a stark, rather confronting momumnt commemorates the victims of the Soviet invasion of Poland during WWII and subsequent repressions.
We came home just about melting and surrounded by the sounds of rolling thunder and sprinkles of rain - delightful after the oppressive heat we have had. After such a full day sightseeing, we collapsed on the bed and napped only to be woken by the tinkling cascades of a harp. Below our window a small group was playing beautiful melodies accompanied by a cello - it is a city of music and we saw small groups of 2-3 young people lugging musical instruments to various street-side performances. Thank you Chopin.
Tomorrow? Another day of sightseeing - but of course. Sometimes we feel like we have no cartilage left in our hip joints! Thank goodness for our hiking poles - and comfortable shoes (Skechers). Without them we simply could not have covered the ground we have walked.
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