WARSAW 2

We woke to a chilly morning and discovered it had rained.  Not to worry.  The day goes on.  We ventured out with hats and coats and made ready to walk into Old Town again to pick up some more interesting places.  A quieter day as far as the crowds were.  Dan took some more photos and we went into "New Town" and found a few shops to mingle around in.  We sought out monuments of WWII history and read much about the insurgent uprising against the Nazis.  Thus, we came to an better understanding of Old Town and New Town terminology.   The place of Old Town has been totally destroyed by the Germans and New Town is where the rebuild began.  One church in particular that helped get the people to safety and also became a hospital until that was bombed twice.  Over 500 people were buried in the rubble of those bombings.  They are under that ground even today.
We had lunch at the place with blue and white tablecloths where we were welcomed the day before when we sat with a glass of wine.  On that first day a man with a chef's coat and hat and a huge wooden spoon invited us to take a seat on the patio.  He spoke a bit of English and seemed to like to get to use what he knew in conversation with us.  I had asked him if he cooked with that big spoon.  That opened up much in being able to communicate with him.  I call him the Spoon Man.  The second day we decided to have a Polish lunch there because of him.  Dan took a photo and now we have made another friend of sorts.
The food was good..... and so was the apple dessert!  ( I can't remember the name of the dish, but it is one of favorites of the Polish people.
On we walked, and walked and walked.  We had a little map and we wanted to see the monument for Chopin.  We found it in a HUGE, HUGE park that was so beautiful.  Well kept up and used by many.
The monument was worth every step it took to get there.  From some benches one could hear the music of Chopin.  ( somehow by modern technology ).  Gorgeous flowers everywhere.  There was even a bust of Franz |Lizst.  Chopin and Lizst were good friends and within a few years of the same age.
Day 3 in Warsaw had us back in New Town and then on to the Jewish community there and the museum that is new and not quite finished.  It was fun to learn the history of the Jewish settlement that started along the river.  They have a big part in the Warsaw story and still do have much in the growing and modernizing of
this grand city.
Now we have a better understanding of why the Nazis bombed and were so hard to go after the Polish people.  A sad, sad, part of history.
We did not get to Praga, a part of the city that is told to be very rambunctious.  We did read about it, however.
On the way to the New Town we took a different  route and found many other things that we did not expect.
Memorials, mostly.  There was a church with an open door and organ music was flowing out of it.
We decided to venture in.  No others were there.  Dan got a photo of the pipes and beautiful chamber with which they are housed.  Also, we saw the organist at the console and the music was super.  I could tell that the peddle work was expert as well as the rest of the music.  A little unexpected treat for that day.
We walked home, had a little bit to eat and it was a good thing we did.  More to come in the next blog.............