We Return to the Warsaw Zoo...

We grew up near San Diego, California, home of one of the best zoos in the world.  I would frequent the zoo on school field trips and on family outings and enjoyed this beautiful animal park.  So it was natural to want to go on an outing with Mark to the Warsaw zoo.  It's actually our second visit to the zoo here - you may have read the blog of our visit to the Warsaw zoo in August, 2011.  

Monday, October 15 was a practically perfect day in Warsaw…blue skies, sunshine and temps in the low 60's…a warm, beautiful Fall day!  Mark took the day off and we drove to the Praga District for our 2nd trip to the zoo. We spent almost three hours at the zoo and it only cost 18 pln per person ($6)…we thought that was so inexpensive!

The zoo was the perfect location to be outside, enjoy the changing fall colors and have a good walk.  At the entrance of the zoo the first animals you see are flamingos….just like at the San Diego Zoo!

These birds love the sunshine…just like the people here in Poland.

This little otter must have sensed our presence…because he interrupted his relaxing swim in the water and climbed up on the rock to just stare at us!

On our first visit to the zoo I remember the many full green trees….

….and thinking that this park must look absolutely beautiful during the Fall.

We were not disappointed!

The Warsaw Zoo is located across the East side of the Vistula River in the Praga District. The zoo was opened in 1928 and is situated on over 40 hectares of land (1 hectare = 100 meters x 100 meters = 2.47 acres). Like most Warsaw landmarks, the zoo has plenty of war stories connected to it. 

Below is a monument to honor the zoo director during WWII…Jan Żabiński. He was wounded during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, and was considered a hero for saving the lives of countless Jews by sheltering them inside the grounds of the zoo.  His wife Antonina was part of the effort, which was the basis for the historical fiction book "The Zookeeper's Wife".

The Warsaw Zoo was bombed at the beginning of the WWII conflict and by 1945 all of the animals had been either killed, deported to the Third Reich, eaten by locals, or escaped into the wild!

The zoo reopened in 1949 (63 years ago)…and it is quite a beautiful animal park!

Some of the animals we enjoyed seeing outdoors were the the żyrafa (giraffe)…

...zebra (zebra)...

…and lew (lion).

Shortly after arriving in Poland 16 months ago I started taking Polish lessons, and was happy that I recognized many of the animals' names!  Even though we could usually tell what the animals were, it was fun for me to read the animal names in Polish and understand what I was reading!

This sign says…"Attention! This animal is dangerous. It can bite!!!"

We approached a mother snow leopard.

On a shelf above the mother were two baby snow leopards.  The mother was keeping a watchful eye as visitors passed by….or perhaps in the photo below she was posing for the cameras.

Earlier in the summer we found storks and stork nests along country roads of Poland. These white storks are called Bocian Biały.  By this time of the year all of the storks in the wild have migrated to Africa.  

Seeing these birds at the zoo made me wonder what they think about being here in the winter.

Mark and I were not the only ones at the zoo….but at times it felt like it!

 We had many wide open paths to walk down and enjoy!

We saw a group of wielbłąd (camels)...

….and a family of four słoń (elephants - pronounced like "swan"). 

Occasionally I saw Mark reading his blackberry…he does use it to look up translations of Polish words, but I wasn't sure if he was translating or if he was checking his work emails.  It is not easy for Mark to be away from his many work responsibilities….so glad  we could be together for today!

We just love these fall trees….

We found the reptile house (Gady) and found some interesting creatures inside...zielona jaszczurka (green lizard)….

….a wąż (snake)….there were many snakes to see actually...

We went to a spider house….which was so warm and humid inside.  We saw very interesting  tarantulas like the one below!  They were quite interesting to see..but we grateful they were in their little glass enclosures!

We loved walking through the paths and walkways….

Rarely did we see any signs, maps or directions in English…but no worries…I knew a few words…and Mark had his blackberry to help with translations!  The sign below says "Direction for Animals".

This sign says… "Attention! Animals potentially dangerous". We saw this type of sign on a number of enclosures.

The zoo was open for business but most of the kiosks and food stands inside the zoo were not opened… Mark finally found a bag of animal cookies, and later added a hot chocolate from a vending machine. 

We approached some very noisy baboons….it was a colony of at least 30. These animals were so interesting to watch….after a few minutes I noticed that some of the animals were really staring at the people watching them. Then the baboons started doing tricks…I looked over at another zoo visitor who was throwing crackers to them.  The baboon in the center of the picture below is actually doing flips…tricks in exchange for food!  It was quite interesting to see…though I would think it would be a big "no" to give "people food" to the animals.

We saw pingwiny (penguins)….

….a bison….

….and a family of goats.

We saw tygrys (tigers) basking in the sun...

and a jaka (yak) from Asia.

Part of the sign by the yak reads, the animal is a female, born in 1987, and is 26 years and 3 months old.

We saw wild horses (kon)….

….małpa (monkey) inside and outside of cages/enclosures….

And a most interesting enclosure for two hippos! It reminded us of the large enclosures at the San Diego Zoo…where you can come close to the animals and see them. You really get a sense of their size and the individual features of the animal.

This hippo was so interesting to watch as it swam around its enclosure. The hippo is a huge animal!

We even saw groups of school children at the zoo.  It reminded us that a zoo is a great place to learn and enjoy…no matter what language you speak or what country you are living in.

One of the most interesting animals we saw was this cheetah (below).  We saw it at the beginning of our visit to the zoo…and were both amazed at how low the fence was that separated the animal from the people.  The moat at the bottom of the enclosure wall did not look very deep either.  I wanted to get close and take a picture but Mark was quite nervous….he said that the night before he had seen a National Geographic show about cheetahs catching and eating their prey. They are fast, can leap…and are not to be messed with!

We decided to check it out one more time before leaving…because it was a beautiful animal…so we took a few clicks with our camera and were off.

The zoo was a great place to be on a sunny Monday….

….the colored trees and falling leaves were beautiful, the animals were fun and interesting to see….

….and it was just great to be outdoors on a beautiful fall day!

My Wednesday Afternoons….

For the past 3-4 months, I have spent a good portion of my Wednesdays serving at the Family History Center in Warsaw Poland. I travel by tram for 45 minutes, then work at the Center for four hours. After getting off the tram I walk by this beautiful park. It has been a delight for the past few weeks to see it transform as Fall moves into Warsaw!

There are only two Family History Centers in all of Poland…and one of them is located inside the Wolska Chapel in Warsaw.  After arriving each Wednesday I open the church building and the Family History rooms inside, and then prepare for Patrons to come and research their ancestry.

There are about 6-7 people who take turns on given days hosting the Family History Center. I am the only non-Polish-speaking person who works here….but somehow I manage to help the people, answer the phones, and answer questions…using my very little knowledge of Polish!

In the reading room Patrons can look at microfilms and spend hours and hours reading, researching, and making notes from the historical records on the films.  Some even bring nice cameras and take photographs of what they are reading. 

Sometimes the people come for the first time, and lucky me…. I get to show them how to load the microfilm on the reader and use it properly….all by demonstrating and speaking a little Polish! The Polish people are so kind…and they try to speak to me in English to the extent they know how.

The Patrons order the microfilms online and come to the Center to view them.  When the films arrive I help to register each one. 

I compare the list of films in the shipping order to what has been received, and then record online which films have been received.  

The Patrons meanwhile, have been checking online to see if their films have arrived.  When they see the films listed as "Checked In", they are excited and soon call or come by, ready to search for information about their ancestors.

After processing the microfilms, I organize the films in small drawers according to the Patrons' surnames. In the picture below I am wearing two layers of jackets.  It is cold in the Center at this time of year…and it's only the beginning the beginning of Fall!

I use a lot of sticky notes to note everything that does not match up 100% with the orders.

Here I am with the director of the Family History Center and my sweet Polish friend…Magda!

She is wonderful!  Months ago Magda asked me if I would consider serving at the Center one day a week.  Since then, Magda has shown me how to do numerous tasks in the Center.  Although she speaks English, she has to trust me to do things correctly even though I do not speak Polish!

I try to be kind and welcoming to the patrons, and to help them…I love it when I can answer their questions and help them find what they need. 

The people who come to the Family History Center are interested in learning about their ancestors.  They are motivated by a shared and special pursuit….and Warsaw is fortunate to have a place where people can discover their family members that preceded them in life. 

I enjoy serving at The Family History Center…and just maybe my Polish will improve during my time here.

This past week as I got off the tram, I looked at the park next to the church and saw these beautiful trees.

I feel so lucky to come here each Wednesday afternoon…..

….and in a very small way feel like I am helping a few people in Warsaw!