When last we posted we were about to head off with the crowds to celebrate Sylvester (NYE in Poland). Given the temperatures, we did in fact 'frock up' with our thermals, beanies, scarves and gloves. Caught a tram to the National Stadium and followed the hundreds of people to... wherever they were going...
We walked, and walked with the crowds - not sure where we were heading. On our journey though, loads of fireworks were being set off all around us - usually from empty champagne bottles.
Turned out we were going to a great open air concert in parklands beside the stadium. To our delight, John Newman (one of our favourite English musicians at the moment) was the headline act, so we enjoyed lots of dancing with the locals. The countdown to midnight was lots of fun - and the fireworks display was pretty awesome.
No trams were running after midnight, so we walked with the crowds (for about an hour!) back to the city centre. A great, fun crowd. This was certainly up there in terms of fun NYE we've had!
Wednesday 1 January 2014
Happy New Year! We've come to realise that New Year's Day around the world is a day of peaceful walks throughout cities. Consequently today we (along with many Varsovians) enjoyed a stroll through the old town. This part of town is certainly testament to the spirit of the Polish. It was established in the 13th century, but was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis in 1944. After the war, however, between 1945 and 1966, the old town was reconstructed - and it looks amazing.
One of the highlights of the day was (with a glass of mulled wine of course!) watching the delight of the locals as they took advantage of the temporary ice-skating rink that had been set up in the square.
Managed to successfully navigate the cobbled laneways - even found an Irish pub! Of course Phil had to sample the Guinness.
Thursday 2 January 2014
Don't think we've ever walked so much. The distances in Warsaw are vast - and today we mostly tackled the streets on foot (only resorting to trams at the end of the day when we began to run out of time).
Our focus was largely on the area that was once the Jewish ghetto. It should be said that Louise walked these streets 23 years ago and can't believe how much Warsaw has changed. Where massive, larger than life Soviet memorials once stood, new commercial and residential blocks have now been constructed.
Our first stop was to a tiny courtyard behind an apartment block, where a section of the ghetto wall has been preserved.
From there, we headed to the Warsaw Uprising Museum where we spent a good couple of hours looking at displays which chronicle the operation run by the Polish resistance Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany.
Then we walked to the street that the Nazis decided should be excluded from the ghetto because it was a major thoroughfare, so the ghetto ran to the north and south of that street - connected by an overpass.
We then paid a visit to Pawiak Prison museum, which has housed political prisoners since the 1800s. Most of these, however, were held during WWII.
Walking further still, we stopped by the Ghetto Monument, and the Leaving Monument (which marks the spot where ghetto inhabitants were transported to concentration camps) and made our way to Mila 18 (the headquarters of Jewish resistance fighters - also the title of a novel by Leon Uris set in German occupied Warsaw).
We then took the tram to Praga - an area across the wide Vistula River - which wasn't totally destroyed by the Nazis but still bears the scars of war. As soon as you cross the river you notice the difference. The streets and buildings haven't been restored. The cobbled streets are rough and machine gun bullet holes can still be seen - peppered across the front of brick buildings. This is the Warsaw of old.
Tonight's (and our last night's!!!) entertainment was our traditional, annual performance of The Nutcracker at Teatr Wielki. This grand theatre is officially one of the largest theatres in Europe. It was inaugurated in 1833 with a production of The Barber of Seville. After its bombing in WWII it was rebuilt and reopened in 1965. The ballet tonight was one of the most impressive we've seen.
Have thoroughly enjoyed our time here - sad it's ended. Tomorrow we head home via Dubai. Is this trip really over already??? Oh well... time to plan the next one! :)
What an awesome trip! Hopefully you don't arrive back in Brisbane on Saturday as it is predicted to be around 41 degrees! That will be a shock to your system! Hope your flights are delay free!
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