We Have Family Visiting in Warsaw (Week 1)

Week 1 

with Rebecca N. and Rebecca D.

June 20, 2013

Mark and I have been to the Warsaw Chopin Airport many times….but today was to be different as I was going to pick up my sister Rebecca and her only granddaughter (my niece), 13-year-old Rebecca!

 They would be staying with us for one month…and we were looking forward to many wonderful days together…making family connections.

They arrived from San Diego California….tired but happy to be in Warsaw….and I was SO happy to see them!

We made sure they were in full tourist mode as soon as they arrived.  That first afternoon we took them to the beautiful Park Arkadia next to our neighborhood. It is filled with trees, ponds, birds and people.  It was a treat to go walking with them during the evenings….

….and we also walked mornings in the park…sometimes walking with Mark to the tram stop to go to work, or just walking around the pond…this park is beautiful on any occasion!

On their very first night in Poland, we introduced Rebecca and Rebecca ("R and R" for short) to "lody"….ice cream.  They loved the Polish lody!  It became a near daily experience, and the Polish word they used most was probably "lody".   A fun word to know and use!

On their first full day here I began my tour guide duties and took them to the Cultural Palace…an icon of Warsaw. It sits directly across from Mark's office in the centrum (downtown) area of Warsaw.

The Cultural Palace is a controversial building…built by Stalin as his "gift to Warsaw".  Unfortunately it is a reminder of the communist era…but it does provide a great view overlooking the city.

We went up to the 30th level and had a fairly good look at the areas surrounding Warsaw. There were clouds and rain but we still enjoyed the view from above.

I showed R and R where Mark works…across the street from the Cultural Palace, in the silver high rise building below, in the left foreground.  We called Mark to see if he could see us from his office window and he said "yes"!

R and R purchased month-long Metro passes that gave them the ability to travel on the Metro trains, buses or trams.  It made traveling around Warsaw so easy!

Their 2nd full day in Warsaw was a Saturday, and we started off at the Saski Garden…a beautiful garden park that was once part of the Royal Gardens created in the 17th century.

The first stop was the monument for the Unknown Soldier.  This monument is the only original structure still standing of what was once a royal palace.  The rest of the palace and surrounding buildings were all destroyed during World War II. 

 

The front of the monument opens into a large parade ground, and the backside faces the large, beautiful park.

Summer time smiles in Warsaw….

In addition to showing R and R the beautiful garden park, we were there to meet some of our church congregation in Warsaw.  The president of our church's mission in Poland, President Nielson shared with our small group three sites in Saski Garden of historical significance to church. 

 One of the sites was where the president of the church, Spencer W. Kimball dedicated the land of Poland for the preaching of the gospel in 1977.

Another site was where the man who would become the current president of the church, Thomas S. Monson offered a prayer of gratitude and supplication for the growth of the church in 1986.

It was beautiful to hear the history and the events that took place here many years ago…in order for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be in Poland.

Here is our little group who gathered for this morning's lesson. My sister Rebecca was the photographer! Our mission president and his wife Judi would be here for just one more week and then their three year mission would be ending. We will miss them!

Two favorite women that I have come to love and serve with….Sisters Sharon Jensen and Judi Nielson.  These are wonderful women who have served the people in Poland so well.  I am grateful for these women and  feel blessed to call them my friends!

Beautiful Saski Garden…a great beginning to a beautiful weekend!

As we passed the monument on the way out of Saski Garden, the changing of the guard was taking place.  It is a quiet, short ceremony, but caused us to pause, and reflect.

There are many beautiful flowers growing around Warsaw…we had plenty of great photo sites at the garden.  This is just behind the Unknown Soldier Monument.

Across from the Unknown Soldier monument is a statue of Field Marshal Józef Piłsudski.  He led the Polish forces that defeated a communist invasion from Russia in 1920.  Were it not for that victory over the Russians, communism would likely have spread across central Europe even earlier than it did in WWII.  This is one of a few statues of Field Marshal Piłsudski around the city.

After crossing into Warsaw's Stare Miasto (Old Town), we climbed the 192 steps to the viewing tower attached to St. Anne's Church…

….and were rewarded with this view of Castle Square, with the restored Royal Palace on the right.

Starting from the front of the palace, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the area.  Riding through the cobblestoned streets of both Old and New Town was a new experience for all of us.  It was quite a warm Saturday…so riding for a few minutes offered a good chance to get off our feet and relax.

R and R would return to visit Stare Miasto many times during their visit…but this was the first time and we all enjoyed the carriage ride.

A quiet street in Stare Miasto….St. Martin's church is at the far end of the street

We found one of many "lody" shops.…

….and enjoyed the Polish ice cream once again!

Ice cream is very popular in Poland during the summer….

….just like in most places around the world.

Here we are on the outskirts of the Rynek (Town Square).  There are numerous shops, restaurants, and cafes open for tourists….and at this time of year the favorite thing to do is eat outside, under a large umbrella.

Along with the rest of Warsaw this area was completely destroyed by German forces, in response to the Warsaw Uprising - the Polish citizens' armed revolt against German occupation in 1944.  

While the destruction was tragic, the pictures and stories of the re-building of Warsaw by its citizens are inspiring.

After walking around the Rynek, we headed out and down the street Krakowskie Przedmiescie, the beginning of the Royal Way - the road that the royalty would take between Warsaw and Krakow.

We stopped at Delicja Polska…serving great food in a beautiful, quiet restaurant.

On R and R's first weekend in Warsaw, we tried to see the Fountain show…a show of water fountains, lights and music.  It is shown on summer weekends on the banks of the Vistula River near the New Town area.

As we made our way to the fountains, we were amazed at the throngs of people streaming to the same site.  Upon arriving we saw a large temporary stage near the fountains, with rock 'n roll bands playing.  We found a place to sit on the hillside overlooking the fountains.  Below are "Rebecca*2" or "Rebecca squared", as Mark sometimes referred to them….which made younger Rebecca giggle.  

The lights in the background above are Japanese lanterns floating through the sky.

Shortly before 9:45, the band stopped playing and we waited for the show to start...but after a few minutes, instead of the fountain show another band started playing.  We concluded that there was not going to be a normal show and decided to leave - it had been a long day and we were tired….not ready to spend several more hours there as most of the crowd was prepared to do.

In order to leave we had to carefully pick our way through the many people on the crowded hillside.

When Mark returned to work on Monday and told Polish coworkers of our experience, they informed him that we had been in the middle of an annual festival commemorating the summer solstice….which explained why we had seen several people wearing garland wreaths on their heads.

Earlier in the blog, when discussing our visit to the Town Square, I mentioned the Poles' armed revolt in 1944 against German occupation….the revolt known as the Warsaw Uprising.  The Monday after our visit to the Town Square we visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum. This was my fourth visit to the museum….and I continue to notice, learn and remember new things each time.

R and R are standing in front of the symbol of the Warsaw Uprising, or Powstanie Warszawska in Polish….hence the intertwined PW in the symbol.

R and R by the Polish flag inside the museum.

We took a self guided tour…but there was also an abundance of information to read.

There is a replica of the Warsaw mermaid inside the museum…this monument has been a symbol of the town of Warsaw since the Middle Ages.

This particular statue…like the one in the Rynek….was created after the likeness of one of the scouts who was a part of the underground movement during the Uprising.  A plaque next to this statue tells about this young girl's service to the Uprising effort.

The small Polish flag arm bands were worn by the Warsaw soldiers.

Though this was my fourth time to the Uprising Museum, it was my first time to see a beautiful tribute that sits behind the museum. There is a very long wall with the names of everyone who participated in the Uprising….we think their names are added when they die, and there are a few Uprising survivors whose names are still to be added. 

At the center of this wall is an opening that leads to a beautiful garden.  In the garden are large colored photos from this time period.  The photos were originally black and white but the man that designed the garden had the photos colored in order to make the scenes more vivid and real….in an attempt to form a unity between that time and now. 

These were real photographs of real people who lived through the Uprising and through the communist control that followed WWII.  

I was amazed at the beautiful faces and smiles shown during such a difficult period of time in Warsaw.

The color added to the enlarged photos narrows the lapse of time between generations.

The flowers planted along the entire length of the backside of this memorial wall were absolutely beautiful. 

After visiting this museum that honors the courage of so many people…finding this memorial garden was a sweet ending to a tragic story.

I never grow tired of learning about the history of Poland and the people who defended Poland's freedom, culture, and state.

How fitting to find patches and patches of "Forget-Me-Nots" planted throughout this flower garden.

A good Monday morning of learning at the Warsaw Rising Museum.
("Rising" is used interchangeably with "Uprising".)

During our first week we also went to …The Copernicus Science Museum.

This is a fairly new museum that has numerous displays, hands on activities, experiments and places to read and learn….many designed to inspire children's interest in the sciences.

Here Rebecca stands next to an invention from Leonardo di Vinci….a collapsable bridge.  Visitors are allowed to take it apart and put it back together again.

Below is a creative display of many of da Vinci's inventions….set to music!  It is a clever display of a great inventor, artist, and builder.

Rebecca stands against a 700 year old tree learning about the age of trees and checking out their rings to determine their age.

This was a very busy, interactive place….lots and lots to see and learn here.

Rebecca stands next to a photo display of Marie Curie, one of Poland's famous citizens….though her academic and professional life actually was in Paris.

Rebecca rides a stationary bike while in the mirror is an image of her bones and what they are doing while she is riding. Quite an interesting sight to see!

The Copernicus Science museum is a large place, filled with many exhibits…though we were here for four hours we know we could have spent much longer.  It is a great hands-on learning place…the teacher in me was very pleased to be here.

We had a good first week in Warsaw together….going to parks, museums, Old Town, the streets of Warsaw and eating at some great Polish restaurants.  Rebecca and Becca have enjoyed exploring and learning together…. and I enjoyed taking them to places that for me were sometimes familiar and sometimes new.

It is always fun see our home through the eyes of guests.  It has been a good week…and I have been thrilled to have both Rebeccas here with us.