Fall Days Are Here Again…2013

I left Warsaw in the summer when all trees were still a brilliant green….and when I returned 5 weeks later, signs were everywhere that fall was here.

I absolutely love the fall season in Warsaw….the colors are beautiful, the air is cooler, and it is time to wear layers of sweaters and jackets!

The first weekend I was home (Oct. 12-13) we rode our bikes around our neighborhood and nearby park.

The colors were beautiful….although my camera does not capture the intensity of the colors we saw and enjoyed.

The camera in Mark's blackberry did a better job capturing the changes we were seeing.  Mark took the picture below about 7:30 one morning.

This pictures are in the park, looking up to the Krolikarnia palace.  Mark walks through this park most mornings and evenings on his way to and from the tram stops.

There is a popular saying in Poland about the this time of year….it is "Złota Polska Jesień"….Golden Polish Autumn.

I can see why the saying is popular…because everywhere around us there are truly golden trees.

We had a great bike ride….but it gets darker so much earlier now.  This picture was taken at about 4:30 p.m. ….and we hadn't even changed our clocks back off of daylight savings time yet!

Going to church on my first weekend back to Warsaw, I was greeted with more beautiful golden trees. We park our car on the street (if we are lucky) and walk straight on this sidewalk until we come to the building at the end…that is where we go to church. 

The trees were so beautiful this Sunday morning!

A bit distracting….as we sit in church and gaze out the window…this is what we see!

Simply beautiful!

The Łazienki Royal Park….is also filled with beautiful autumn colors….the trees are magnificent!

Golden Days in Warsaw were everywhere….at least in October!

How lucky that the park was not overflowing with tourists…I have rarely seen the Chopin Monument without many people hovering around it. 

With me in this photo is Bev, the mother of Melissa's fiancee Lance.  Bev and husband Craig's visit with is is covered in a later blog.

Growing up in San Diego and living most of our married life in Houston…we did not see the change of seasons so clearly and brilliantly as we do here in Warsaw. This is our third autumn season in Warsaw…and I have grown to love it more each year.

The fall season has also brought reconstruction and improvement projects to many places around Warsaw.  Everywhere we went we saw many places being improved in some way.  We had never seen the Rynek in Old Town torn apart….but I am sure the end result will be beautiful.

On the third day of guests' visit Mark was able to take off work and join us…we bundled up because the days were colder!

I never get tired of this beautiful scene with the entrance to Old Town and Royal Castle in the background.

On my first weekend back in Warsaw, we also passed this city block….and I had to look twice. This corner has been under construction ever since we had moved here 2-1/2 years ago. We were not sure what would be inside, besides business offices.  How nice to learn that a small, new mall was part of the complex.  

We went inside for just a few minutes and it is lovely, and conveniently close by!  The grocery store we frequent most often, Super Sam, has a new store in the basement of this building….lucky for us!

Pumpkins and autumn just go together…but it is not easy finding a pumpkin in Warsaw, or so has been our experience.  We eventually found one at Super Sam….it was the only one in the store and Mark wasn't sure if it was for sale, but when he took it to the cash register, the clerk rang up the sale!

We had intended to carve it….but we were leaving for Budapest in a couple of days.…so we opted to just set it outside on our front porch….I have loved it!

November 11 was a public holiday….Poland's Independence Day.  We stayed home all day except for taking a short walk in our neighborhood park before it got dark. It is completely dark now before 4pm!

Throughout the summer and fall we have enjoyed watching a family of swans in this park….originally there were 2 white adults and 4 babies….now there are only 3 babies and the parents….and the babies have now grown as large as the parents.

We wonder how long this family will be staying….is the fall the last season for them here?


One day this past week I was amazed as I walked alone through our park….not a tree that I saw had any beautiful golden leaves….they fall off way too early here for my liking.

Also…it was so quiet!  There are usually many people on the pathways and benches of this park, but this day I only saw 4 or 5 other people!

A few days later I went for another walk at 3:30pm….and it was already getting dark.  I was greeted on the path by our family of swans.

I am just amazed at how early the sun goes down, and darkness settles in…one of the reasons most Polish people do not like November days….or December through February for that matter.

Walking home ….. my eyes captured a little bit of color amongst the darkness and brown barren trees.  Fall is still here….for a few more days.  Either way, it has been a beautiful season for us!