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In the Memorial Garden at the Uprising museum
only a short distance for him, but he was quite agreeable as he took my case from the car. I only planned two nights in Warsaw as my airline didn’t travel from Berlin. Mark, my European travel agent, who booked my rail and hotel, agreed that I would be able to see a little of the city in that time. I was in a modern Novotel hotel on the twentieth floor, with a great view from my window. The receptionist could speak English and directed me out the door past “Coffee Heaven” to a 24 hour change shop. So in no time at all I was settled and could do a reconnaissance in the nearby streets. To my surprise there was a Marks and Spencers in one of the arcade as well as many eating places. But it was hot and I was getting tired, so I had a meal in the cool dining room of the hotel. On the following day I decided to go to the Uprising Museum and then spend time in the Old Town. The receptionist agreed that it would be best to get a taxi, and ordered one for me. The driver spoke a little English and seemed to be happy to have an Australian passenger. He suggested he would pick me up later on and to take me to The Old Town. The Museum occupies a former tram power station dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Established in 1983 it was finally opened in 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising. It was an attempt by the Polish Resistance Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. It ended after 63 days of fighting when the Resistance
surrendered. The Germans then systematically razed the city. The museum was quite crowded, and was filled with a very mixed age group, particularly young people in their twenties. It was an excellent museum with hands on exhibits suitable for children and although I paid extra for an audio guide, most of the captions had English as well as Polish. Another extra was to see a 5 minute 3D film called The Ruins of Warsaw, taking one over the war torn city in March 1945. As I left and waited for my taxi I could see a memorial wall on which are engraved the names of more than 10,000 insurgents who died during the battle. On the opposite side of this wall was a beautiful garden with pictures and captions of victims. My driver arrived exactly on time and in his limited English pointed out a few sights. He left me by the square of the Old Town which was completely rebuilt after the end of the war. Predominantly pedestrian, there were hundreds of people out on this very warm Sunday. I wandered into a church. At 12.30 it was packed with people. It was obviously a midday Mass. I stood at the back and stayed until the end. The congregation was represented by all ages. Later on I went into another church (as one does) it was about 4pm and was packed with people celebrating Mass. Poland being a Catholic Country, nuns were still wearing traditional habits and a group of young priests, not in sports shirt but in their traditional collar. I had previously been on a literary tour of
France and seen the house where Chopin lived and composed while living with George Sand. I had also seen his grave at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Of course he had lived in Warsaw and is well remembered. There were signs in the street “ Here is where Chopin performed his first concert at eight years old, and commented to his mother that they liked his lace collar!””Here is the church where Chopin played the piano while attending Warsaw’s Lyceum” AND “Here is the church where Chopin’s heart is interned in a pillar.” There is no doubt he was hosted as Poland’s greatest composer and 2010 marked the 200th anniversary of his birth. After a long leisurely lunch, I walked the narrow streets of the Old Town, with its numerous eating places. In 1980 the historic Old Town was inscribed onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list. I then turned around to walk The Royal Route that would eventually take me back to the hotel, passing more churches and impressive buildings. I know I only touched what there is to see, having no Polish and with only one day, I didn’t see the Marie Curie Museum nor did I see the The Museum of History of Polish Jews on the site of the Warsaw ghetto. There simply was not enough time. It would be good to revisit this City on some sort of tour being transported around the city, which although some of the buildings are bland communist style it is still has quite attractive areas to visit.
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