Well, about now, day 16 is nearly over. I am currently in the Hotel Ibis restaurant near the New/Old city in Warszawa. It’s been a long day of travel, and a long day of walking, but another good day, another amazing day filled with new things–and some old things, too!
We began his morning in Ukraine, in the small town of Zhovkva. We planned on leaving at the ungodly early hour of 6 AM, so I had my alarm set for 4:30. As luck would have it, I woke up at three and spent a restless hour until about 4. Then when the alarm went off I did not want to get up. But I did, I got up, showered and shaved and got ready for the day. I even had some time to sit in the lobby and read some email. But by about 5:50 we were ready and on the road to the border.
Wojtek (and the rest of us, I imagine) was apprehensive about the border crossing, but we actually made it in exactly 55 minutes, so it was not too bad an now where near the anticipated 5 hours. It does seem like they take a second look at an American, probably wondering why in the world anyone from America would go to or from Ukraine! I don’t know. But it was rather painless.
And so once clear of the border, we were back on generally good roads (though construction going into Lublin). We drove through Zamość and through Lublin, eventually stopping as a Karczma named Bid, for breakfast/lunch. Wow, what a place. Wojtek and/or Alicja had been there before. It was decorated like long ago, lots of wood, stone floors, wood plank tables and chairs. And the food? Oh my. I started with a bowl of Żurek, but in a bread bowl. It was excellent, and the bread just added to the good taste and flavor. I was full after the first course, but had more to go. For my second course, I had veal-stuffed pierogi covered with a chanterelle mushroom sauce, and four different vegetables. It was all excellent. The pierogi were out of this world, especially when coupled with the chanterelle mushroom sauce….. Wonderful! And the veggies, well my favorites were the fresh cabbage and fresh carrots, both a type of slaw. There was also some pickled red and green cabbage, more of a sauerkraut type. They were good too. I was not able to finish, the portions were huge. As a matter of fact, none of us finished our meals! But it was very good, I’m glad we stopped.
And then it was on the road to Warszawa. We arrived here a little before 1 I think. There was a short wait for my room to be cleaned, but quite short. And then we got into our rooms and got settled. After a bit, Wojtek and I took off for the Museum of the Polish uprising, only to find that it is closed on Tuesday. So we headed back to the hotel and met up with Filip and Alicja. And then we set out.
We are staying right near the old city, stary miasto, so we headed out for it. It was a nice day, but a bit on the cooler side. You see, we had some rain come through last night in Ukraine, and I suppose it was a front of some sort. So today it only got up to about 70 or so, but it sure felt good. And so we walked, and saw a lot of historic sights. Many churches, and we went into quite a few.
There are many sobering moments, though, when touring through Warszawa. It’s a city that was 80-90% leveled in World War II. The Nazis has no mercy, and the Soviets did not like the Poles so did not hasten in to help either. But most of the city was built to resemble the original after World War II. However, many, many Poles died during that war, fighting first the Germans and the Russians, and later mainly the Russians. Additionally, many Polish military escaped when Poland was first invaded. As a matter of fact, the Polish Army was the third largest western Allied army after the United States and Great Britain. And so many Polish people were killed during World War II (a much as 10% of the population or more). And so in many of the churches and other buildings, and even in monuments on the streets, you can read about the hardship and suffering that the Poles endured in World War II. Plaque after plaque, monument after monument, are sad and sorrowful reminders of that horrific war. But, Poland has prevailed and has overcome not only the tragedy of World War II but the many years of Soviet enslavement it received at the hands of it’s friends and allies, Churchill and Roosevelt, at the Potsdam conference. And it survived that, raised up a Polish Pope (there are tributes to him all over the city), and eventually not only gained it’s freedom from the enslavement of communism but also led the way for the rest of the former Soviet Union. But always remember, it was Poland who first broke those chains.
And so when you walk through the streets of Warszawa today, you can see that. Though there is a lot of sadness and heartache associated with the plaques and monuments remembering all those who gave their lives in World War II, there are also the signs of thankfulness for what has transpired since. A message of hope for the future.
And so we saw quite a lot of sights in the old town (and new) of Warszawa today. Eventually Wojtek, Alicja, and Filip headed back to the room, as Filip was tired, but I kept going, seeing more. And taking my time, stopping in a few shops, picking up a few souvenirs, a pącka here, a small piwo there, eventually I made my way back to the hotel, taking lots of pictures on the way. But as you already know, If you’re reading this blog as I write it, you’ll have to wait until I get home for me to post the pictures.
And so now I am sitting at the restaurant in the Hotel Ibis, writing these words. I had a quick Żubrówka earlier, and now just had dinner–excellent–chicken cutlet breaded and fried, served on a stone-ground mustard sauce, with rice and veggies, and of course a piwo, and some bread. I am full now. But it’s not just food I am full of. I am full of an appreciation for Poland and the Polish spirit. It is a nation that will not die, that just cannot die. It’s been beaten down time and again, but has always come back, bigger and better. And today, that is evident here. The contrast between Ukraine and Poland, both former communist countries, is stark and amazing. It’s not just the roads, it’s everything. As soon as we entered Poland today, there were the signs of progress. New roads. New buildings. Big factories. Farms with big machinery. Huge machinery dealers. Auto dealer after auto dealer. Stores everywhere. People and cars everywhere. I cannot imagine where the future may take Poland but it I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Poland as the “one” to watch. Even in these trying times, Poland is leading the pack among the nations of the world, a testament to the will and strength and spirit of the Polish people. Sure makes me proud to be Polish!
