Our first full day in Warsaw

Welcome to Poland! I can't believe that we are here... it hardly seems possible. Warsaw is kind of what I expected, after looking at pictures online, and after previous times of being in Europe. Obviously, it is not exactly the same as Western Europe, but it has many attributes that are. There's the mineral water, of course, which we all know is NOT water, and should not be masqueraded as such, because that can be kind of disappointing when one is very thirsty. One big different is the Soviet style buildings (obviously built by... you guessed it... the Soviets!). They are as lifeless as the buildings of the Old Town are full of life! They have no ornamentation, not anything unique. Just flat concrete walls, and almost prison-like, in my opinion. I can't imagine how depressing a whole city of these buildings would be like.

Today was a busy day, but, as it has already been described, I would just like to add in a few things. First, a picture of one of the red squirrels that had been so praised already. Aw... isn't he cute? I love the little ear tufts! I just wonder how some of the locals must have been laughing at us... oh well!








Here is a BEAUTIFUL male peacock that decided to show off his tail feathers. There were quite a few of the males calling (sounding slightly like a mix between a meow and someone saying hello), which is not the most peaceful song, in the park. We saw these pretty boys in Lazienki Park (which is pronounced "Wash-i-ayn-key" or something close to that). I found it amusing that our first stop in Warsaw, Poland's capital, was a park, where we were taking pictures of the wildlife. It was definitely a peaceful way to start the day.




Here we are listening to our tour guide tell us about this Romanesque amphitheater, still in Lazienki Park. Note the peacocks on the stage, and the fact that the stage is across the water.











While we were at the museum for the Warsaw uprising, our tour guide found some of us, and brought us to the bottom floor, where we were able to go through a reconstructed sewer system, where is how the members of the Warsaw uprising got around the city, without the Germans finding out. It was pretty narrow and rounded at the bottom, so it was hard to walk through it. Difficult as it was, we didn't have to deal with what is normally found in sewers, and other things left as products of the war. Still, it gave me a new appreciation for what the Poles did to fight for their freedom.









Our last stop for the day was at Wilanow Palace, where we got a very detailed tour of the Palace. At first, I was disappointed, because I was expecting something like Versailles, but the whole top floor contained a lot of portraits of the royalty and other relations. I was pleasantly surprised, when we got to the first floor, and it was beautifully decorated and furnished, with gold accents everywhere, and murals on the ceiling, with sculptured corners.




Well, that's all from me for today!
-Sarah