A minute for the Warsaw Uprising

Every year on August 1 at 5 pm, this city comes to a standstill - cars, trams, busses, the metro and pedestrians - for one minute to honour the "heroes" of the disastrous uprising against Nazi occupation in 1944. As we left for the airport today, national and Warsaw flags were everywhere and small ceremonies were already taking place at various monuments and memorials around the city. This day, while controversial, especially among young and liberal Warsavians, commemorates the first day of the armed resistance movement by local citizens against the Nazis. Vastly outnumbered and basically suicidal it was doomed to failure. In retaliation the Nazis began their systematic obliteration of the city, costing the lives of 200,000 civilians and the destruction of 85% of the buildings in Warsaw. Complete and final destruction was only prevented by the fact that the Soviet army was massing on the opposite bank of the Vistula river and in their haste to retreat ahead of the Russians the Nazis could not complete the job. Here is a short video regarding the commemoration.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejd2rsXoQSI

Winding down and wrapping up

Thursday brought another hot, gorgeous day and the remaining Canadian ladies (Laurie, Nanny and Joanne) were escorted by Angela for some shopping. First to a huge central mall by the Palace of Culture (I think they call that irony) where we wandered for a bit for some souvenirs, but left fairly soon - all the big stores were basically the same as large Canadian malls like Yorkdale so no surprises or variety in the shopping there. With the exception of Marks and Spencer I guess.

Next stop was the Polish pottery outlet for some unique gifts for friends at home and additional pieces for my own collection. We all came away with large bags full. Choice and prices were pretty good compared to the Old Town tourist shops. This is one of the places where Ange's local knowledge comes in very handy. The unique designs of the pottery, from Bolesławiec in the Silesian region of Poland, are known worldwide and of course much cheaper to buy here than anywhere else. There are several traditional designs and also limited editions and we all made some nice choices.

A short trip on the metro and we arrived at the Royal Route which leads to the Old Town. Joanne and Nanny were on the hunt for another traditional Polish product - jewellery made from Baltic Amber.

Now, you have all read about my mom's determination and stamina on this holiday, her level of fitness and her ability to lead the pack on cobbled and busy streets. She even gave up using her cane. Well, today, 11 days into her 12 day visit, she tripped over a raised paving stone and down she went, hard, on the pavement. My heart went into my throat. People rushed over to help and others went running for ice. Fortunately she did not hit her head or her face and did not sprain or worse, break any bones. For an 89 year old woman this is amazing. I keep thinking about what could have happened had she broken her hip or something. All that was damaged was her pride and one piece of pottery! After a short rest in the shade, some water and some ice on her knee she was up and off again. Her doctor has told her she has the bone density of a 20 year old, even after years of cancer therapy, so she is a phenomenon. A few scary moments but all was well and she has had no ill effects since. I'll be back to taking my calcium religiously when I get home!! 

Shopping accomplished we all enjoyed lunch on the square, where mom partook of a vodka sorbet and a shot of cherry vodka, exclaiming "if I am going to trip and fall, I might as well have a good reason!". What a grande dame!

After a short rest back at the hotel, we headed off to what was one of the highlights of our trip - supper with Kris's Babcia, Tekla, at her tiny, tidy flat in the Praga district. She and her daughter Ewa had been shopping and cooking for two days in preparation. After a few minutes admiring her small garden seven of us sat down to supper in her one main room. And the dishes from her small kitchen were non stop, all homemade and freshly prepared. There were pickles - mushrooms, cucumbers and pumpkin - followed by delicious "zupa ogórkowa" (pickle soup). Next came fresh fish, "kopytka", which are the Polish version of potato gnocchi, two kinds of pierogies, a lentil pate, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, special rice, and finally roast turkey breast with fresh wild mushrooms. We ate till we were stuffed. Dessert was fresh local strawberries and home baked chocolate tarts. It was all so delicious. After the meal, Babcia, who speaks no English, told stories about her family history with Kris translating. It was fascinating. She had six brothers and sisters, some of whom died in the Uprising so it was a moving story.

Babcia, like all of Kris's family, obviously loves and appreciates Angela just as if she were her own granddaughter. There was much good natured teasing and fun between them. While my mom could not understand all of what was said, she really enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the friendliness of the evening.

Because we had arrived at 4 pm, our evening ended shortly before 7 and we said our goodbyes with lots of traditional kissing on the cheeks. It is so gratifying to know that in addition to lots of wonderful, supportive friends, Angela has a loving Polish family here taking good care of her. This is her world now, and she is happy. What more could a parent ask?

As it was still early, we met up with Mike and Joanne and some of Ange's teaching friends at a park bar. This was the last evening for the remaining Canadians, other than Bruce and I, and we had lots of beer and cherry vodka to celebrate a great trip. 

Next morning we packed up Mom, Mike and Joanne and saw them off by taxi to the airport for the long flight home. What a wonderful occasion and family vacation! Happy memories and warm thoughts of Poland will stay with all of us long after the jet lag wears off!

  Do widzenia, Polska!  i Dziękuje!

Castles, hobbits and brew pubs - Wesele + 5

Wednesday took us on another day outing, this time to the pretty little town of Kazimierz Dolny. It's an arts and music centre of cobbled streets and higgledy piggledy houses beautifully set on a river south of Warsaw and is renowned as a centre for Jewish culture and Klezmer music. It's often used as a film location and has become a well known artists' colony and film centre in Poland. It was really hot as we walked through the quaint streets and up to the castle ruins which are being beautifully restored. Kasia, Bruce and I had to buy hats to protect us from the sun, and the public "mister" in the town square was a welcome relief. The town is also well known for its bakery which has a rooster as its logo. Some of us could not resist a pose.

Next stop was a popular topographical landform known as the "roots gorge". It was also the place where Ange and her choir filmed a recent music video. The soft loess soil erodes in a particular fashion to create a tunnel-like effect around the roots of nearby trees and gave the feeling that we were actually in Middle Earth. The hippie cafe near the entrance made us feel even more Hobbit-like, with offerings of iced tea made from nettle (yuck), linden (not bad) and hawthorn (the best of the three).

Hippie juices are fine, but Kris was ready for some good craft beer, and so we stopped on our way home at a restaurant and brew pub. Drinking and driving laws are very strict here, and even one drink can put you over the limit, so while the rest of us tried the local recipe Kris had to be content to take a six pack home with him for later sampling. I am very impressed with how conscientious people have been. If you are driving, you don't drink, at all, not even ONE, and on the morning after the wesela Kasia even purchased a blood alcohol monitor to test everyone who was driving home just to make sure. We should be doing this in Canada - tightening the laws and forcing drivers to be more responsible. I believe the legal limit here is 0.00, in other words zero tolerance. MADD would approve.

We were all tired and sleepy on our return, especially the drivers. High fives all round to Kasia and Kris for another great day out in the Polish countryside.

"She was a daaaaaaytripper.....!"

Wesela + 3

Monday gave us some relief from the hot weather - cool and windy. Dave and Mel and Gill and Alex set off for Canada and England. We are pleased Dave and Mel had such a wonderful short holiday as they both work long hours at their respective jobs back home. Mike and Joanne also left us for a few days for a brief trip to Budapest, so the herding of cats became much easier!

Sound'n Grace had a video shoot about an hour out of town at a huge manmade reservoir called Zrgrze so Kasia drove Bruce, Mom and I out for the afternoon. Makes Conestoga Lake look tiny! It was very windy and we watched a kite surfer and sailboarder. The choir was shooting on a couple of docked sailboats; a sailing school, Karen L!

Ange's good buddy Mark from Canada and Kris had also driven out to the lake, and after a tour around it by car we stopped for a lunch of fresh fish.

A magical mystery tour on the way home  took us ultimately to a small

palace in lovely grounds with a lake. It is now a high class retreat for Polish writers and artists.

 

Wesele + 4

Tuesday was pleasanter. After a quick breakfast of crepes with Ange at an outdoor cafe we left her and drove out through some lovely Polish countryside to Żelazowa Wola (try saying that 3 times quickly in Polish!), the birthplace of the composer Friedrich Chopin. The house is not spectacular but it is an interesting example of a small Polish manor house. The grounds and park are wonderful and considerable effort has gone into preserving it and updating the visitor centre. Rare plants and seedlings were brought from all over the world, including Canada, to develop the property. The best thing about it is that speakers playing Chopin piano music are inconspicuously placed all over the park so that everywhere you walk you hear quiet music. It was a beautiful, serene visit and well worth it for a break from the city. Not too busy with tourists either. As we walked along the small river in the garden, dozens of frogs were hopping from the bank into the water ahead of us. 

Back in Warsaw we finished a very pleasant day with Thai food at an outdoor place near the hotel. It is rare that we eat indoors here - so great!

And the celebration continues....

Saturday - Wesele + 1

Back in Warsaw, all of us crashed for a couple hours, then after supper everyone went down to an outdoor concert and party venue on the banks of the Visla River. It was a beautiful evening and packed with kids at 3 stages and bars. Tables and canvas deck chairs had been set up in a casual fashion on the beach and there were kids everywhere. I don't think anyone under the age of 25 has a summer job in Warsaw; the bars and cafes are always full every evening, till very late at night. Public universities here are free so working all summer (and part time all year) is not a necessity like it is for our kids. As a result people do seem more relaxed, happy and carefree, and who wouldn't? (But Greece is in the back of my mind.....).

In spite of the all night partying, the streets and parks of Warsaw are remarkably clean. Reminds me of Toronto in the good old days. My mom wonders if Minions come out at night to clean the streets but we never see anyone!

We left the young ones to their evening and grabbed cabs back to our apartment for bed. That's another great thing about Warsaw - cabbing is a really inexpensive and efficient way to get around. A trip to the airport is about $12. Public transit by bus and tram is very cheap, quick and easy. We have not used the subway yet this trip but they now have TWO lines! No need ever to have a car in the centre. 

Sunday - Wesele + 2

Around the corner from our rental apartment we had found a lovely little coffee shop called Vincent where we sat outside with coffee and fresh baked croissants each morning. Today was no exception. The main shopping street, Nowy Swiat, is closed to cars on summer weekends, so we sat in the sun and just watched Warsaw walk and cycle by. There are hundreds of little bars and cafes in the centre and it is difficult to choose where to have your evening meal. Service is gracious and friendly for the most part and all the young people speak English. It is a safe and comfortable-feeling city for visitors.

Our plan for the day was to visit Lazienki Park and take in the free Chopin concert. This is a favourite Warsaw pastime for visitors and locals and the seating area gets packed by the time the concert starts at 4pm. Lazienki was the home of one of the Polish kings and contains small palaces and lovely lakes and walking trails; the entire park is a museum, so no walking on the grass is strictly enforced!

Kris and Angela have a favourite small restaurant for traditional Polish food in the park, so we gathered up all our clan and enjoyed a great meal of pierogies, schnitzel, sausages and a delicious cold summer soup of beets, yogurt and dill. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Next we wandered up to a small palace come art gallery with restaurant and had to take shelter just as a huge summer storm blew up. This one was worthy of Southern Ontario and our timing was perfect: sheets of rain, high winds, thunder and lightening. We were "trapped" in the bar for an hour or so waiting for it to pass.

Our group had thinned out by now. Trev and the bridesmaids left today, Dave, Mel and Mark go tomorrow. It has been wonderful having so many of us here. Missing you, Dak, and Grampa as well. Hugs to both.

Finally, the Wesele! (wedding reception)

Everyone moved off by car and hired coach to the reception at Osada Młyńska, an old mill in the countryside near the town of Żyrardów. Those of us staying over dropped our bags at the hotel and then it was party time! Very hot and sticky by now and so the draught beer tap that Kris had arranged was getting a good workout, especially by the Canadians and British! Help yourself Bruce!

The hall had been beautifully decorated by the mill owner, who I have designated as the Polish Martha Stewart! Lots of fresh and wild flowers. Stunning.

While we waited for the bride and groom to arrive, we were entertained outside the hall by a live Polish folk band, who played traditional village and Klezmer music and people started to get into the swing of things.

Before Kris and Angela could cross the threshold and begin their married life, there was a short Ceremony of the Bread and Salt - Chleb i Sól. A very special round, decorated bread loaf was brought out with salt and two shot glasses. The bread represents plenty and the salt hardship. It is the parents wishes that with the bread the couple will never be hungry and with the salt that the couple will face and overcome life's hardships together. Speaking in Polish, thanks to my lessons, I asked Angela to choose between bread, salt or the groom, and her answer was of course the groom, who will work with her for both. 

One of the shot glasses contained water and the other vodka. They each had to choose a glass and drink it and whoever got the vodka would have the upper hand, or wear the pants I guess, in the marriage. Yay, Angela chose the vodka! After tossing the glasses over their shoulders, they entered the hall and the party could begin!

 Oh my god the food!!!

We started with appetizers of salad, chicken, pickles, herring, cheeses, followed by soup and then a main course. Lots of wine and vodka flowing. Toasts and the singing of traditional Polish songs to get the bride and groom to kiss. Then they were called up for their first dance as a married couple - Heaven, by Bryan Adams of course!!! Next up were Bruce and Angela for their special turn on the floor to family favourite Hard Bargain by Ron Sexsmith - the only time I cried all day!! 

Angela and Kris had booked a great DJ, who was also from Canada, and he had an amazing playlist of favourites and suggestions from friends and family to keep people dancing. Even Nanny was up there shakin her booty.

The folk band returned to the stage and the dancing went crazy. Short toasts followed by the fathers of the bride and groom respectively. After more dancing and drinking there was an emotional tribute by maid of honour Jessica Anderson, but by far the funniest presentation of the evening was by Paula Bialski, who was responsible for Angela first going to Poland and actually introduced her to Kris in 2005. Using video, she lead us all in learning Kris's unique personal dance moves, aptly named The Herman. Hilarious!

Then, as if we hadn't had enough, Sound'n Grace returned and put on a 30 minute show with several of the songs on their new album, which has gone gold in Poland. Angela got up and joined them. Perhaps the surprise of the night was that as the choir started their final number "We Built This City" David, yes, DAVID leapt out of the crowd, grabbed Angela and did a showstopper of a dance and air guitar number with her! It was unbelievable!! He stunned everyone, except Mel of course!

More dancing, more drinking, more food! Pierogies at 10 pm with salads and cakes; an all night barbecue grill with salmon, chicken, sausages, steak and cheese (I had a steak at 2:30 am!). Then for the stragglers borscht at 4 am.

At midnight we all had to gather outside for a special traditional rural Polish ceremony called the Oczepiny. Bride and groom faced each other in chairs with a space in between; the unmarried girls formed a semi circle around the bride and the single men around the groom. Very serious folk music was played and there was a ritual removal of the bride's veil, to be replaced by a kerchief. This was to signify the end of her maiden life and the beginning of her life as a wife. Then all the men had to pay money into a big basket to have to chance to dance with the bride. This was all done to a special folk song and went from solemn and serious to crazy and fun as all the guys paid to dance with Angela. At the end the girls gathered round and she tossed her veil, similar to the tossing of the bouquet at our weddings. The couple gets to keep the money collected in the basket.

By 1 am the crowd was thinning and most of our family left on the 1 am coach to the hotel. Kris's mom and I stayed and danced till 3 before finally admitting defeat. 

It was an amazing, fun, crazy wedding - wonderful food, lovely people, awesome music and just an incredible friendly, happy and relaxed atmosphere. It all worked out so well. And I can't remember ever having so much fun.

Next morning those of us at the hotel dragged ourselves down to breakfast and many grabbed trains back to Warsaw. Kasia and I went back out to the venue to round up the stragglers (there were many) and to help Kris and Angela to gather up their things and leftover wine, etc. Many of their friends camped out at the site, as there were showers and washrooms; they were all tired but cheerful as they made their way to their cars for the trip home. Everyone agreed it had been the best wedding ever. And as Polish weddings go, that is a huge compliment. These people know how to have a good time!

Jane Austen “It is such a happiness when good people get together -- and they always do.” ― Jane Austen

 Such a whirlwind of events and emotions over the past few days. Hard to know where to begin. 

Friday morning was sunny and already beginning to be hot and sticky as Mom and I together with Kris's mom Kasia met for our hair and makeup appointments. Breakfast and the salon were on the 35th floor of a new office tower right in the centre and afforded us fantastic views over the city. We shared a bottle of prosecco as the stylist and makeup artist got us dolled up for the big day. Now that's the kind of hair appointment I could use every day!

We made a brief stop at the Marriott to see how the girls were getting along before heading back to our apartment to get the stragglers up and out of bed and ready to go. Then it was off to the church.

There is a tradition here of decorating the bridal couple's car with branches and flowers:

And so it was waiting outside the church as the guests arrived. Kris was there, looking very relaxed and calm, as everyone gathered in anticipation of the bride and her ladies. Very soon, the VIP cars arrived and everyone hustled inside lest the groom see his bride before the ceremony! My words cannot describe how she looked or how Bruce and I felt when we saw her so I will let the photos say it:

She was radiant.

The service was a little different than we are used to in Canada: no ushering of the guests by the groomsmen who waited at the front with Kris. Nanny was escorted in by her eldest grandson Mark while I was walked up the aisle by my handsome son David. Then it was time for the bridesmaids, and finally the bride and her dad. I could see his eyes were moist but he held himself together; she was relaxed, graceful and smiling, and Kris, well, you could see the love on his face as she approached the altar. 

What followed can best be described as a blend of traditional and relaxed, in English and Polish, with classical and contemporary music and spontaneous bursts of applause throughout. It was delightful, relaxed and a perfect reflection of the personalities and cultures of the bride and groom.

The service was conducted by the local Anglican vicar with assistance from the Protestant Reformed pastor whose church we had "borrowed" for the ceremony. Both clergymen were warm and kind and put everyone at ease. Another difference was that Bruce and I did not "give her away"'until halfway through the service, just before the vows. We kind of messed that up, as there traditionally is no rehearsal either! We could have used one! Kris professed his vows in English and Angela spoke hers in Polish; they held each other's gaze throughout, and when Angela finished there was another burst of applause.

 

In addition to the traditional organ processional, service music was provided by Angela's choir, Sound'n Grace, who filled the church with their soaring harmonies on 3 contemporary gospel tunes and finished with a jazz version of "This is the Day That the Lord Has Made". Toes were tapping and heads were bobbing in time. 

The service finished with an Irish blessing, spoken first in Polish and then in English by the pastor, and then the bride and groom led us out to the organ recessional: the theme song from "Indiana Jones", Kris's choice!

On leaving the church, as is traditional here, the bridal couple were showered with small coins, like our pennies. The bride and groom must pick up all the coins themselves and not leave any behind, to ensure their prosperity.

Everyone then lined up outside the church to receive greetings and congratulations from their guests and received the customary bouquets of flowers and envelopes of cash. Several of Angela's present and former students attended the service and waited patiently in line to give her a hug. The little girls in particular were in awe of their Princess Bride teacher and shyly offered their flowers. 

Then it was off to the reception. I will save that posting till tomorrow - lots to tell and I am still recovering 2 days later!