This morning the sky looked ominous, and it was a bit breezy. I brought my rain jacket and dry sac for my camera just in case it rained. Linda brought her rain jacket too. Our city guide met us in the Polonia Palace Hotel lobby, then we boarded our mid-sized bus to begin our Warsaw city tour. Much of the city had been destroyed during World War II, but it was rebuilt almost exactly how it had looked before the war. It has received UNESCO World Heritage status because of this massive project.
Old Warsaw Rebuilt
We got off the bus and walked past the Chopin Monument. Then we walked past some beautiful buildings used for official meetings and events. They were built in the Roman style with statues outside. One looked similar in style to the White House. The landscaping included trees, flower gardens, ponds, and beautiful gardens. The weather was warm, and sunny. We again boarded the bus and rode to the old town. When we got off the bus, several people thought it odd that I would take my rain jacket. Linda left hers on the bus. We then walked through the old town. At the end of the walking tour, we could go anywhere we wanted to go. Linda and I went with Miina to get delicious scoops of the local ice cream on waffle cones. I got scoops of chestnut and pistachio. Yum!
Chopin statue
Government Building in the Park
Before we left the city square, Miina thought it would be interesting for us to see a short movie showing what Warsaw looked like before World War ll, then the rebuilding process after the war. She bought us all tickets.
Since Sunday is free museum day, Miina, Linda, and I wanted to check out the palace where they have many gorgeous paintings. Some were so large that they covered a whole palace wall. Two Rembrandt paintings were on display at the end of the last gallery: “GIrl in a Picture Frame” and “Scholar at his Writing Table.” The girl’s eyes seemed to follow me wherever I walked.
Chopin’s heart is in a pillar inside a church in the old part of the city. When we walked inside the church, beautiful Chopin music was being played by an excellent local pianist. Three other members of our group were sitting in pews listening to the music. We all enjoyed the music for a while, found the Chopin pillar, then walked outside. It was pouring rain! Roberta graciously shared her umbrella with Linda. The rest of us had some type of rain gear. We went inside McDonald’s until it abated a little.
Resting Place for Chopin’s Heart
Then we quickly walked to the Chopin museum on the next block. We were relieved to arrive. We picked up the free cards that would turn on each display at the front desk. It is definitely a museum that a serious musician or a Chopin fan would enjoy. There were copies of his manuscripts behind glass cases. By swiping my entry card at each display, Chopin music would play or a narrator would read something about Chopin in Polish and the English translation would appear on the TV-like screen in front of me. In one section there were drawers where sheets of music would be under glass inside the drawer and the piano music would play! Many hours could be spent inside the museum, but even Linda and I didn’t want to spend the hours it would take to completely see everything. We left while we were still enjoying it.
We joined the rest of the group in the Chopin souvenir shop. Neither Linda nor I bought anything. Three of the group called a cab, but it was just sprinkling when Miina, Linda, and I left the museum. It was just a few blocks to the hotel. Linda and I looked at restaurants on the way back, and we found one very close to the hotel called Yugo. We decided to be adventurous and try it. The proportions were HUGE, so we split a dinner and each had a glass of red wine. We had hot pita bread, very lean ground beef steaks, salad, and a couple of sauces. What a delicious way to end the day. Even the dinner music was typical of the region.
Dinner at Yugo’s