Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw. This pic really doesn't do it justice!!!!
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Grrrr i just wrote the whole blog up for WARSAW..and it all got deleted! This computer is driving me crazy. Gmail isn't working either. All my emails are getting returned.
Not going to risk writing a heap to have it deleted so i'm writing a quicky, then off to bed!!!
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Day 165
WARSAW
Left apartment 7.30am after eating SOUP for breakfast.
Caught train from Krakow, took 3 hours. Spent an incredible day in Warsaw! Went on a tour with Olga for 4 hours. Learned all about incredible history including uprisals, demolition by Nazis in WW2 and Soviet takeover in 50's to the birth of the Solidarity movement to the wonderful age of democracy now.
Captivated by wonderful Palace of Culture and Science. Tallest building in Poland built in the Social Realism style. A gift from Stalin in 50's that was paid for by the Polish!
Learned a LOT of history here. The city has been rebuilt 3 times. It was 85% destroyed in WW2. *#*&&^ Nazi's!
Saw 3 real live bears in the city 'bear zoo', who sleep all winter and alert the city when it's Spring by waking up!
Vodka Factory (Poland's national drink!)
Admired and listened to Olga's story about Controversial monument called, "Four sleeping soldiers" (2 Russian, 2 polish soldiers that look asleep!) Controversial because it was given by the Russians in 50's due to their friendship and liason to be rid of the Germans but now Poland and Russia is at loggerheads due to the long Soviet power and influence here!
Saw where Roman Polanski's The Pianist was filmed.
Chopins monument in park with willows. NB Watch out for pianist, Rafal Blechacz who won 2005 Chopin recitals.
Visited Palace on the Water in beautiful Tazienki Park.
Stopped in Old Town and Praga District. (one district not destroyed in WW2)
Devoured Icecream at Golden Terraces Shopping Centre.
Left feeling the Polish in Warsaw are a resilient persevering bunch!
And glad it is summer now..with warm temperatures (hot in fact!) cause in winter it apparently gets to something like 30 below zero! Celcius!! WHOA!! Frozen streets...arrghh..horrible. I wear five layers when it starts getting to 15..above!
Arrived back home 11pm.
ATE SOUP!
