Gdzie jest wiosna? Where is spring?

The last weeks of March and first week of April were amazing….Spring had officially arrived, yet no signs of springtime could be seen anywhere!

Except on our piano.  Mark brought home a beautiful soft pink tulip bouquet which I absolutely loved…our only sign of spring! They were so lovely, and brought such cheerfulness to our home.

The wintry mix that continued to fall all around Warsaw did not stop me from being outside and learning. I take these pictures in wonder…the white snow is so beautiful….and yet….is it really the end of March?

In our neighborhood, a view that has been posted on our blog previously….

….but this is a new picture!  It just looks the same as others we've taken in the last few months.  How long will it last?

I love this scene…I wish I could have gotten closer as I watched a father pull his little son on a small plastic sled. 

Parents pull their small children on different kinds of sleds as they walk in and around our neighborhood. 

One morning I traveled to the northwestern part of Warsaw…riding on a new tram and bus route to get to Agnieszka's home.  She had given our small International Women's Group tour of the National Art Museum.  For this visit, Agnieszka taught a small group of women the Polish way to color Easter eggs.

One way to color eggs was to glue bits of clover onto the egg, wrap the egg in a pantyhose, and then place the egg in a pan of boiling water with onion skins in the water. 

Another way was to dip a stylus or pointed tool in melted wax from a burning candle.  We applied the wax to the egg in whatever decorative pattern we chose. Then, after rubbing down the wax until it is smooth, the eggs are dipped in dye.

We used a dying solution that I'd never seen before….not the colored dye tablets that we use in the U.S.  

The dye adhered to the eggshell, except where the wax had been applied, which revealed the decorative pattern of the wax.

Though the decorative patterns I created were very simple, it was still fun to learn a new way of doing something that I have done all my life.  Also, coloring eggs always makes me think of springtime….even if it didn't look quite like spring outside.

The next Women's group activity was on another wintry spring day.  It was snowy and windy….but I still ventured outdoors. 

So much snow!  So much white everywhere!

The activity I was going to was a "Walk and Talk", a monthly event at which we walk in a particular area of Warsaw to learn about the area and its history, and see the buildings, homes, churches, etc. 

This month the Walk and Talk was on the street in front of Mark's office….ul. Emilii Platter.  A few interesting sites on Emilii Platter….the arched walkway and portico in this old building.  There were many old buildings on this street….which was a little surprising since it's so near the city center with many modern and tall skyscrapers.

Proceeding down the walkway, we peeked inside a doorway, looked up, and saw this beautiful spiral staircase. I would never have imagined this old building would have such a grand staircase. 

This building is currently an apartment complex…no elevator…just lots and lots of stairs.

Another building nearby…it looks very old with so many holes on this side. I wonder how old this building is, and if the holes were from bullets in WWII.

We turned a corner and found ourselves on ul. Lwowska….

….one of the few streets in Warsaw that was not destroyed during WWII. 

Looking down on the street from above a balcony were….3 faces!

In a little alcove just off the street was a small palace.

Also nearby was Politechnika Warszawska - Warsaw University of Technology.  One of the trams that Mark and I take from our house to Centrum passes by this area.

This is one of the many buildings of the university complex.  Inside was this beautiful open area.

 Standing on the staircase in the picture above, I took the next two pictures...

This university was established in 1826 and is a very popular institution still.

On another spring day….I went to the Roma Theatre which is located just off of ul. Emilii Platter and very close to Mark's office.  My friend Małgosia invited me to go with her to see "Deszczow Piosenka", or "Singing in the Rain".  I was happy to attend.

The play was fantastic! Even though it was all in Polish, I understood the storyline, and the acting and singing were great!

So our first weeks of spring brought a lot of snowy weather…it has been quite different than last year.  

The air is cold, the skies are generally gray, but there is plenty to explore and enjoy even on days like these.