New Friends Come to Poland…Welcome Hacketts

Five days after I arrived back home to Warsaw, our Melissa's future in-laws came for a short visit.  They had previously planned a trip to Europe in October, then after Melissa and Lance became engaged we all agreed that it would be fun for them to come a few days early and visit us in Warsaw. 

We warmly welcomed Craig and Bev into our home and our lives for four days.

I was a tour guide once again…planning to take our new friends to great places in Warsaw.  We went to museums, monuments, historical places, great restaurants…. so much to see and do in just four short days.

Our first stop was the Warsaw Polish Uprising Museum….

….learning about the courageous people who lived and fought here during WWII.

It was a bit cold outside but Craig and Bev went wherever I took them….walking, riding on trams, subway, or buses….

….showing them what our lives are like in this great city.

On our second full day, we went on a 3-hour guided tour of the city….walking, riding, and walking.  We walked through the Royal Łazienki Park….

….learned about the beautiful buildings ….

….and saw beautiful golden trees.

We saw monuments honoring the people who were part of the Warsaw Uprising….

….and beautiful churches.

We went to Old Town and Sigismund's Column in front of the Royal Palace.  

The column honors King Sigismund, a Swedish king that ruled Poland in the 16th century.  The column was erected by his son in 1644.  It was renovated and replaced a few times over the centuries, most recently in 1949 after it was destroyed by the Germans during the Warsaw Uprising in WWII.

Mark had to work the first two days that Bev and Craig were here, but met us for lunch or dinner….and enjoyed sharing more of our life experiences with our friends.

We ate out almost every night, something we don't normally do….but we couldn't resist sharing some of our favorite restaurants with Craig and Bev.  We shared great Polish food and had good conversations.

On the third day, Mark joined us and we returned to Old Town….to stay longer and see more than on the tour the previous day.

Bev and Craig by Warsaw's famous mermaid statue.

It was so strange to see hardly anyone in the Rynek (town square)….much construction, repair and renovation was going on.

I took them to the Palace of Culture and Science….

….and we rode the elevator up to the observation deck on the 32nd floor.

Though a bit cloudy, we still had a good view of the city and surrounding areas.

We saw important monuments…..

….and another interesting museum. Warsaw was the birthplace of Marie Curie.  The building in the picture below is where she was born, and it has been turned into a museum honoring her.  The museum is simple, but it has interesting displays, pictures and memorabilia about this remarkable woman.

 I just love walking in Warsaw's Old Town.

It was great spending a few days together in our beautiful city

 Warsaw is lovely…and has a great history

We walked….

 ….stopped for pictures….

….and climbed quite a few stairs….

….to the top of this church tower.

 It was worth the climb because once again the view was fabulous!

 Rainy, sunny, cloudy or cool….this view is one of my favorites….so glad we could share it with Bev and Craig.

Waiting for the right tram to come by…Mark explains about our life here in Warsaw once again.

 Bev and Craig were great sports in climbing up and down the 57 stairs in and out of our neighborhood.

We were so appreciative of their visit.

They were able to see beautiful Warsaw….

….and get to know us better as well.

The next day Mark took Bev and Craig to the airport before heading in to work.  Our visit together was only four days but it was a great chance for us to get to know each other better.

We will see them in less than 2 months when our daughter and their son get married…what a happy event that will be!