"I slept till WHAT time!!!!!????"

Busy first full day in Warsaw. While Ange with Kasia and the girls finalized the catering at the venue, ordered the bouquets, arranged for church flowers and ordered the transport to the church, the rest of us spent time touring the city sights and generally recovering. Nanny slept for 13 hours.....I truly checked every half hour or so to see if she was still breathing! Took a long stroll down busy Nowy Swiat and through lovely parks to Ange and Kris's flat, where prep for the bachelorette party was in full swing thanks to Steph, Jess, Becca and Mel. Taking our leave, we returned on foot and found an "umbrella pub" in yet another park for a draft beer.

 Warsaw is surpringly and delightfully green with lots of parks and footpaths. Light rail transit (hello Kitchener!) and dedicated bike paths that are separated from the road make it a great city to get around sans auto. KW and especially Toronto need to take note.

We joined Bruce's sister and brother in law, freshly in from the UK, for supper at a small spot famous for wild mushrooms, which are now currently in season. Kris and Dave then moved off for their own night of partying. I can tell you that it was a late night for some......! It is rumoured Mel had the best time of everyone....

Tour of Warsaw, pedicures and rehearsal dinner tomorrow! Seating plan and table decor still to be completed. Thank goodness for bridesmaids. Waiting the arrival of cousins from Canada and then we can say the gang's all here. Angela stressing and tired. Eloping looking like an attractive option, but too late now (I did offer a ladder and train fare many months ago)!

"It's been a hard day's night...."

Arrived Warsaw this morning after a long night. Best part of the travel was that Mel's mom was working First Class and though we were in Economy, she and her crew made us feel like VIP's. From the champagne when we sat down, courtesy of the captain, to the special treats that kept arriving at our seats all night, it was great. Other passengers were starting to get suspicious! Thanks Kathi!!

Worst part of the travel was that our pre-arranged special assistance for mom did not materialize but she coped, undaunted, having walked miles from gate to gate and through security and passport control. Nothing was getting in the way of her getting to her granddaughter's wedding!

Having now rested a few hours we will meet the newlyweds and more Canadian guests for dinner and a bit of a stroll this evening.

Here is us in transit at Frankfurt:

And here is what made it all worthwhile:

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...."

All ready to go! 7 of us on the flight over - I hope they have enough champagne on board!!!
Will post photos later. Stay tuned!

Civil Wedding today!

Ange and Kris were married today at the Registry office, under sunny skies to match their sunny hearts. Warsaw friends Zosia and Tomek were witnesses, while Rebecca and Rob Menser represented Canadian family and friends. We can hardly wait to join them for the church blessing and the rest of the festivities!

Introducing Angela Herman Childs and Krzysztof Herman!

Location for civil ceremony

The Warsaw registry office is located in the Old Town in the Palac Slubowa, which literally means "the palace of weddings" (ślub is the Polish word for the marriage ceremony).
http://usc.um.warszawa.pl/sale-slubow/palac-slubow-sala-slubow-na-i-pietrze


Check out the attached Polish wedding survival guide. Angela describes it as "fairly accurate"!


https://polandian.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/15-things-you-need-to-know-about-polish-weddings-the-survival-guide/

T minus 7 and counting.....

The bride has had her final fitting, the rings are ready, and the airport pick-up runs have begun. Tomorrow is the civil ceremony to make them "official". Church blessing follows on July 17 at which time her dad will walk her down the aisle. Excitement builds!