Women's Day in Warsaw….2013

 Friday, March 8th….Women's Day in Warsaw!

 The day is actually International Women's Day…honoring and celebrating women in different ways. Women are often given flowers or small gifts and treats, and often taken out to dinner.  The women who work in Mark's office were given beautiful flower arrangements. I heard they were delighted!

It's curious that I never heard of International Women's Day until I moved to Europe.  In the U.S. we have Valentine's Day and Mother's Day….and so do other countries.  But many, or most, other countries also celebrate women on International Women's Day! 

I like this idea a lot...and wonder since it is an international day, why it is not celebrated in the U.S.?  For me this will be a day to always remember…I hope Mark agrees.

On most days I am away from our home and outside for a while or all day long.  But on Women's Day this year , I found myself with no errands, appointments, shopping or projects that took me away from our home.  It was great being home!  I love our home here in Warsaw….I love learning, relaxing, and doing all kinds of work here.

I did go outside in the evening though….to meet Mark for a dinner date at Trattoria Casa Mia, a great little Italian restaurant in the Centrum area.  Mark met me at the restaurant as it is very close to his office.  Mark greeted me with a beautiful bouquet of white and yellow tulips!  They were fun to receive and we enjoyed them in our home….a simple reminder that spring is just around the corner….or so we thought!

We have eaten at this restaurant before…but never just the two of us.  So it made coming here a great date!  The food was delicious and the restaurant was charming….and bustling with other customers celebrating Women's Day. 

We left the restaurant with tiny snowflakes blowing into our faces….there had been four days of non-snowy weather and all of the previous snow had melted away.  It was snowing all the way home….both on the tram, and as we walked towards our home. 

 Little did we know that this was just the beginning of several more weeks of wintry, snowy weather!  Oh to live in Warsaw in March!  There is saying in Poland that March weather is like a pot of boiling soup….that all kinds of weather are mixed in during the month.

Thank you Mark for treating me quite special on this Women's Day in Warsaw!

Last full day in London…Sunday, March 3

When Mark and I travel to another country over a weekend, I always try to find the location for the closest church building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints. 

In London, we found the Hyde Park building situated in Kensington, a very popular area of London. It is directly across the street from the Albert and Victoria Museum and the National Science Museum.  The LDS Church in the British Isles and this building have a great history.  It was most enjoyable to be attend, worship, and feel at home.

This building is home for 4 congregations and has a beautiful chapel and large organ.  It is also a Visitor's Center, London Mission Office, and Family History Center. 

Before the worship service began, a lady came up to me and asked, "Do I know you?"  I said, "I'm not sure."  I introduced myself, said that we live in Warsaw, and that we had lived in Katy, Texas for 30 years prior to that.  Katy, Texas was the connection….she is a member of the same church we belong to, but attends a different congregation (ward) than we did in Katy. She said she recognized me.  How nice of her to come up and introduce herself and talk to us for a few minutes.

I'm so glad we were able to attend church service on our Sunday in London, England.

Leaving the church we saw this beautiful subway entrance…the Kensington Station.

Directly across the street we found a place where we could eat…Paul's…we enjoyed our second visit to this cafe (though at a different location) which served absolutely scrumptious food.

On Sunday after church, we had no tours to take…but left the day open for walking around the city.

We knew that Buckingham Palace was close to our hotel in the Mayfair area… so we decided to walk  from our hotel through Green Park to Buckingham Palace.  This view is from where we entered Green Park, which was teeming with people walking through the park.  We followed the path in the middle of the picture, which lead us to Buckingham Palace. 

Here we are looking back from where we came…a short 10 minute walk.

It was a cool, blustery afternoon, but we still enjoyed walking around.

In the picture below we are right next to Buckingham Palace and the red pebbled road is easy to see….

…like a red carpet leading up to the royal residence.

Below is the beautiful Victoria Memorial which sits directly in front of Buckingham Palace. It pays tribute to Queen Victoria…the longest reigning monarch in the British Kingdom….64 years, from 1837 to 1901.  Some people refer to it as the "Wedding Cake Monument" because of its tiered design.

Buckingham Palace is the official office and London residence of Her Majesty the Queen and her husband Prince Philip.  It was opened in 1703! 

When we peeked in the gates we saw a group of Guard Musicians…coming to retrieve their music stands. We think they were part of the "Changing of the Guard" ceremony…held prior to our arrival.

This is the central balcony of Buckingham Palace…it is where the Royal Family waved to the visiting crowds after Kate and Prince William's wedding almost 2 years ago.

I hadn't realized that Buckingham Palace was such a large estate….it includes not only the white front portion of the building below, but also the yellow-colored part behind it.  There are over 775 rooms inside, but the Royal Family uses fewer than 20 of them.

 I would love to take a tour of the Palace where the public is invited…I will need to add this to our "bucket list" for a return trip to London.

Crossing from Green Park to Hyde Park we encountered the Wellington Arch, built to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars.

Entering Hyde Park…one of the most famous parks in the world!

Hyde Park is sometimes called the "green lung" as it sits in the center of the city. It is a popular place for cycling, skating, jogging, and walking.  People can also swim, row, picnic and go horseback riding here.  It was first opened in 1637!  I was impressed that a beautiful park could be maintained for so many years!

We walked along only one side of Hyde Park….we had no intention of walking around the entire park…it has 360 acres!

This park is famous for the "Speaker's Corner" which is shown in the pictures below. 

In the 19th century it became a popular place for meetings. In 1872 "Speaker's Corner" was established to create a place where people would be allowed to speak freely. 

Every Sunday people stand on a box, chair or step ladder, proclaiming their views on politics, religion, or other personal items of concern. 

There were people talking about religion ….

…and dissatisfaction with the local government and immigrants.  Perhaps immigration is as hot a topic in Britain as it is in the U.S.

The Marble Arch sits on another corner of Hyde Park.  It was originally a gateway in front of Buckingham Palace…but according to our tour guide, Queen Victoria didn't like it, and had it moved to the northeast corner of Hyde Park.

After Hyde Park our next stop was Kensington Palace.  The palace is located in Kensington Gardens, a royal park which is actually adjacent to Hyde Park.  We might have walked through both parks to get to the palace….but we were on the far east end of Hyde Park, and the palace is in the far west end of Kensington Gardens….so it's actually quite a far distance, and we took the tube 2 or 3 stops to the other end of Kensington Gardens.

This statue of Queen Victoria is located in Kensington Gardens, in front of the palace.

Kensington Palace was built in 1605.  There are many royal apartments inside, and it has been the residence of many royal families….including Queen Victoria and Princess Diana.  Prince Charles and Diana lived here, and Diana and sons lived here until her death in 1997. 

After Kensington Palace we went looking for the British Library….The St. Pancras building (below) is part of the library system and is next door to the entrance to the library.  It holds many of the library's collections.

The British Library is a functioning library with many collections on display. Some interesting facts about the library….

* a copy of every publication printed in the UK and Ireland is sent to the British Library

* the collection is well over 150 million items

* if one were to see 5 items each day, it would take 80,000 years to see the entire collection!

A small area of the library is devoted to historically important documents on display.  Some of the treasures we saw are….an original copy of the Magna Carta, one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, manuscripts from the Beatles (including scribbles and notes when creating lyrics), journals and notes from Jane Austen, William Wordsworth and Robert Browning. 

After the library we returned to the Whitehall area where the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey are located.  

While waiting for an organ recital inside the Abbey, we walked around the streets of Whitehall once again.  There were beautiful buildings displaying the British Flag….

….blue skies….the first we had seen in London....

….and Parliament Square, a small park with several statues…including one of Abraham Lincoln.

Though not in Whitehall, this is a colorful building we saw during the day.

Still waiting for the recital in Westminster Abbey, we boarded a red double-decker city bus and rode for a few blocks….just to be able to say we had ridden in one.  

It was actually fun….but a bit tricky getting back to the Abbey.  Finding a bus going in the opposite direction was not as easy as in Warsaw.

Westminster Abbey….we enjoyed being inside this beautiful and historic place of worship for the recital.  It was relaxing to hear an organ recital as one of the last events in our London trip.

We have had a great four days and nights in London, England

Good night and good bye to a great and historic city. 

Mark and I have been enriched by the sights, the buildings, landmarks and history.  London is a busy place and I am so glad we came to explore and learn from it!

London, England …Day 3

Our Saturday agenda in England was two events…. travel to and visit the London England Temple (which is in Surrey, outside London) and then return to London and visit the British Museum. We accomplished both activities and a few more...and had a lovely Saturday!

The London England Temple….located in the English countryside town of Surrey.

It is located 25 miles south of the city of London.

The British Museum ….First national public museum in the world!

The trip to the London Temple would be an adventure in itself….taking a subway, transferring onto a regional train, and then taking a taxi to our final destination. We made it to our destination with only a few hiccups along the way. 

Our first stop was the Green Park Tube station, the stop closest to our hotel. We were quite familiar with finding it and waiting for our train.

We exited the subway at the Victoria Station and boarded a regional train.

Once on the train, Mark continued to study the map to make sure we exited at the correct stop.

The train traveled a southern route from London….traveling past homes, apartments...

and pretty countrysides.

We disembarked at the correct stop…but unfortunately we boarded the wrong train to journey on to the temple.  Fortunately we quickly realized the error…and so we exited on the next stop.  The agent in the small ticket office was very kind to explain that rather than wait 30 minutes for the next train we could walk to another train station close by….

….so we walked through an attractive suburban London neighborhood.  It was not a planned part of our trip yet it added charm to the journey and the day.

Here's an interesting sign we saw on our walk…."Give Way" instead of "Yield" like we have in the U.S.

We waited inside another very small train station at the Sanderstead stop and then before the train's arrival….

….we walked across the bridge to the tracks on the far side of the station.

From Sanderstead we needed to go to the Lingfield stop….only 6 stops away.

Though chilly outside...Mark and I waited patiently for the train to arrive.

So happy when it approached….

A short time later we arrived at the Lingfield stop…and had a taxi waiting for us to take us to our final destination.

The London England Temple sits on a 32 acres of beautiful land.

There are manor homes, buildings and other facilities on the property. This is a building near by the temple used for residences, short term stays, training and administrative work.

Beautiful spring flowers were planted all over the grounds…they were colorful and refreshing to see!

The London Temple was beautiful…inside and out. We were glad we were able to visit together. It was worth the advance planning and travel time to get there, and we were glad we made the journey.

Returning to London, we hit the streets walking again….

We found some waffles and were ready for a warm, sweet treat.

The strawberries, waffle and whipped cream were tasty…it was just challenging to walk and eat at the same time.

Arriving at the British Museum….along with the thousands of tourists there.
What's great about this museum?  It's FREE…every day!

Well, that's not the only great thing.  This museum is all about history and human culture, and its permanent collection has over 8 million pieces!

This museum is by far the most popular tourist attraction in all of London!  It was filled with people but we didn't let that interfere with experiencing a bit of this beautiful place.

We only had 2 hours to explore, so we stopped at the Information Desk and picked up the list of top 10 exhibits to see.  They were located in different areas of the museum, so we got to see much of the museum just by walking to each of the top 10.

And it was fun also….like being on our own little scavenger hunt looking for the treasures!

Here are two very old games….a medevial chess set….

….and the Royal Game of Ur from 2500 BC!

Who would have thought that such beautiful games would have been created, and would still be preserved from centuries and millennia ago?


Beautiful ancient art work

Many mummies were on display.

This was one of my favorite rooms…it was filled with all kinds of clocks! Does the ship below look like a clock or timepiece? It didn't to me…but it is!

Made for an emperor from the Ming dynasty.…this jar with dragons was created in 1430AD…."only" 600 years ago.

The actual Rosetta Stone (200 BC)….the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.

A closer look at the Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone contains a decree by King Ptolemy V in 196 BC.  It is written in three "languages"…. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic (another Egyptian script), and Ancient Greek.  Since all three passages contain the same message, the Rosetta Stone provided the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Parthenon Sculptures or Elgin Marbles.…these marble sculptures came from the Parthenon, constructed in about 450 BC in Athens.  

The marble sculptures (marbles) were brought from the ruins of the Parthenon to England in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin.  The sculpture panels seen above were located in a band around the top of the Parthenon.

For the past 30 years the Greek government has tried unsuccessfully to have the sculptures returned to Greece.

Below is part of a column from the Parthenon.

Moving to Egypt….Ramesses II from 1270 BC

As we left the museum, our eyes caught this quote on the tiled floor…."….and let thy feet milleniums hence be set in the midst of knowledge."

On our next visit to London, we will need to devote several more hours to the vast collection in the British Museum.

After leaving the British Museum, food was the object of our next two destinations.  We
walked over to St. Paul's Cathedral again, this time to check out Paul's Cafe…a little place a friend in Texas had told us about.  In fact, my friend Cindy sent us 3 single-spaced pages of ideas for touring London.  Her experience and advice from living here was priceless.  We just need to return in order to take advantage of more of her great ideas!

Paul's is directly across from one side of St. Paul's Cathedral.  We thought it was named for the cathedral, but it turned out that it's a chain of French bakeries.

It was just closing when we arrived at 5:57, but we were able to purchase hot chocolate and a fantastic eclair.  We enjoyed our treats on the steps of the cathedral…as it was the closest place to sit down.

It was getting dark at ground level.…but the sky and dome of the cathedral were still bathed in sunlight.

After having dessert at Paul's, it was time for dinner.  Uh….say what?  OK, we got it backwards with dessert before dinner, but…. we're on vacation!

Fish and chips at "Seashell of Lisson Grove" came highly recommended by Cindy, and Mark had actually eaten here when he came to London 20 years ago!

Since we had just come from Paul's, we decided to split one entree of fish and chips.  It's a good thing we did…. because the two plates of food below were actually one entree!  I was surprised….

 ….but this was Mark's reaction!

The fish and chips were tasty.…but it was way too much fried food for us, and as it cooled it became less and less palatable.  We couldn't finish the one serving….a rarity for Mark.

The waiter was so kind to take a picture of us before our meal arrived.

Our Saturday was filled with traveling away from, and then back inside London…and we walked and walked again.  We had a good Saturday in England!