Warsaw – Czestochowa – Czarny Las Wednesday 9-30-09

9-29-09 Warsaw Poland
We had the most delightful time walking through Lazienki Park in Warsaw Poland. There were lakes with ducks cutting their path through the quiet water that meandered under the curve arched roadway bridges. The chestnut trees provided a shade over cobblestone pathways.
We dawned make shift covers over our shoes while walking though a king's palace

Warsaw 9-29-09

The cobblestone pathways are remarkablely constructed on semi-circular patterns like the finishing of a puzzle. We dawned make shift covers over our shoes while walking through a King’s palace that was full restored from a fire during World War II when it was burned by the enemy.
The ballroom was exquisite with a grand piano, ornate gold wainscoting and old with some restored oil paintings. It was delightful to view the magnificent for yester year.
It started raining, which didn’t dampen our spirits, but only added to the drama of being in a foreign country.


Lazienki Park, Town Square and Streets of Poland

We stopped a local pub for some soup and a beer. I tried their homemade apple pie. It might have been made in the kitchen, which was down a steep staircase to the cellar under the pub. It was good and hit the spot.
In the evening we had a delightful dinner at Karczma u Dedka with energetic folk dancers and a band with accordion, violin, clarinet and bass fiddle. The accordion was not the same type of button box that I’ve seen in the US, but had rows and rows of black and white buttons where you would see piano type keys or the popular 4 rows of buttons on the standard button-box accordion.
They danced and sang in a very professional rendition of all types of music; polka, oberek and polinesse.

Stan had his hand at cracking the whip. Not the winner of the contest, but good clean fun.
The Polish food was delicious. I had potato pancakes with flavorful mushroom gravy with several types of coleslaw. Stan had tender breaded turkey and lightly browned potato dumplings (similar to Italian gnocchi).
On Wednesday, 9-30-09, we finished up our tour of Warsaw. There have been so many wars between Poland and Russia.

Our guide, Eva, told the story of her uncle on her mother’s side that was captured by the Germans. He was instructed to walk through the forest to where they were shooting these people. In the fog he lost his way thus missing the massacre. He lived to as a witness to these atrocities.

In the north district of Warsaw a young priest who was born in 1947 worked in the parish at St Stanislaw Kostka’s church to help the Solidarity movement about 1980. In 1981 marshall law and physical fighing broke out when 10 million members of the union confronted the communist government. Jerzy Popieluszlo, the priest was instrumental in helping these workers once a month at a mass he said for the nation. His cry was that Good can fight evil (Wolnosc Jednose Milosc). He was captured / kidnapped by the secret service and then killed. Today a monument is set up at the church where he is buried. Daily arrangements are set around his grave and people still remember him after all these years.

There is so much significant history in Poland. The Jews had their problems in Europe that also were experienced in Poland. Poland had about 32 million people with 10% of them Jews. Hitler decided to fight the Jews in Poland by setting up a ghetto where he fenced them into this crowded area. These were Jews from other districts that were well educated as doctor, writers, actors. Five hundred thousand lived in a five square contained area, which was too crowded to keep out disease, starvation with no access to medication. Hitler refused to address this situation expect through extermination of the Jews in the ghetto of Poland. He built 13 gas chambers and took the lives of 1,000 Jews a day. We went to this ghetto where there is a monument to the ghetto Jews was erected where so many lost their lives.
Poland is a country of rejuvenation from the devastation of bombing in 1939 to rebirth and rebuilding of city centers and communities into vibrant cities once more. It is amazing when you see the ruble that was left buy the bombing from the German’s and the charm of Wasaw today.

Here are a few photos of the memorial to the Ghetto in Warsaw Poland and some other street scenes and the reconstructed city square.



One of our co-travelers visited Warsaw 8 years ago. A new blight had hit the city. Graffiti from Polish gang youngsters has spread through the city that just 8 years ago was graffiti free. It is a shame to see the old buildings that were so carefully restored tagged with youthful hatred and anger after their generation just before spent timeless hours restoring these buildings.

On a lighter note it is important to understand the history of places you visit but to also enjoy them. I found berry yogart (ice crème cone) for 2 zlotys or about seventy cents. For the same 2 zlotys I could use a public restroom. I decided to buy the yogart and to use the restroom in the museum where we saw a movie from 1939 from peace and quiet on the town square to bombings and rubble in one short day.

Our guide, Eva, took us to an amber shop. This odd stone is washed ashore in the Baltic Sea and comes in many shades from light beige to deep rust. Eva had a job as a chemistry professor at the University until they learned of her leanings toward Solidarity. She was ultimately fired and sought after a job in an amber factory leading a team of 500 people to process and maybe make fake amber. She knows the difference and pointed us in the direction of an honest shop keeper. I’m not a big fan of amber, but found some interesting pieces for my daughter and myself. Eva didn’t really like her job in the factory and now enjoys working as a guide with a wealth of knowledge.

Housing in Poland is tough to come by. During communistic rule, Eva and here husband were only allowed to have 10 square meters per person for about 1 room with bath and kitchen. Her husband needed space to work from home and finally they were able to obtain another room through a petition. When her daughter was born she took over that small extra room. Eva saved for her daughter to have a home and car some day. When her daughter was old enough things had changed in Poland to the point the money was worthless and only enough to buy her a bike instead of a home and car. Many people lost everything with a snap of a finger due to rapid government changes the devalued their currency and holdings in banks.

The national hobby in Poland is to pick mushrooms in the woods and sell them along side the road. Foods with mushrooms are extra tasty.

Blueberry girls – Poland has an interesting (or disgusting) custom where girls wait on the sides of the road for truckers and the like to come by. This way of prostitution is difficult to understand and legal. Being the pimp it not legal, but girls selling their service is legal. There are a lot of names for these girls, but one that seemed to be less demoralizing was blueberry girls as if they were in the forest picking blueberries right before the trucker stopped instead of just plain selling them.

This morning, Thursday October 1st 2009 I’m sitting at the writing desk with the window light from the bright cloudy day pouring over my right shoulder typing a few notes about our trip. I’m drinking water with the name StowIanki Zdroj from a green bottle poured into a beautiful glass with an inch of thick glass on the botton. This must be heaven.

John Gora played accordion for us before dinner at Palace Czarny Las in Wozniki Poland 9-30



We came in late last night through country roads to this charming Palace in the woods. The rooms are appointed with antiques and each room has its own charm. We ate dinner first in a grand room with tablecloths and stiff starched napkins. Glasses tinkled as they brought us the beverage of our choice; wine, beer or vodka. Stan had tender thin roast pork that was rolled up with a stuffing and sliced. I was surprised by a delicious artfully created salad with a bouquet of curly lettuce, lightly cooked carrots and cucumbers in a king of dill sauce.

At dinner we got to know Bob and Jackie from Michigan. Jackie is a breast cancer survivor from a couple of years ago and has taken live by it’s horns to squeeze out every ounce of enjoyment. They have traveled in their RV through the fifty states (Alaska and Hawaii took by plane), have a couple of fun filled weeks when they stay in their time share in Puerto Vallarta, mosey on to McAllen TX in the warm valley to stay in their 2 bedroom home with the other winter visitors. Then they find time to go to the many polka festivals along the way and of course a trip or so to Poland and other fun places. Bob had a restaurant for years on a major highway cooking good ole American food for the tourists and truckers. Now he had his eggs cooked anyway he wants all over the world. They are barely over their 70’s and certainly have a purpose to make every day count for themselves and time they spend with their family. Retirement must be grand.

After we settled into our rooms for a minute we gathered in the billiard room in the lower level for a polka party. John Gora brought out his accordion and Hank Guzevich his trumpet. They are both have excellent polka band that are renowned around the country. Man can they play and sing. It was a delight to hear them in this casual setting jam away singing in Polish, English and some Spanish. People joined in as they knew the songs. John went to get his concoction of spirits, honey, lemon and water while Hank played both accordion and trumpet at the same time. He said he does that when he plays for folks at nursing homes.
It doesn’t get much better than this.



Here is the itinerary:
After breakfast sightseeing tour of Warsaw including visit to St Stanislaw Kostka Church ,where Father Jerzy Popieluszko , the spiritual leader to Lech Walesa during the Solidarity movement , served and is now buried .

11.30am. Short film at the “Muzeum Historyczny” to acquaint you with the history of the city.

After the film we travel south to Czestochowa with a stop for lunch enroute ( not included )

We will visit the Shrine at Jasna Gora, Poland’s National shrine and home of the “Black Madonna”.

Short drive to Wozniki where our hotel “Palac Czarny Las” is located .
Dinner with Polka Party to follow and overnight .