First Week in Warsaw

After a 9 hour flight from Charlotte to Munich and 1 1/2 hour commuter plane from Munich to Warsaw, we safely arrived August 16, 2009, for our first oversees adventure in Poland. Within minutes our cab driver hurried us to our temporary stay in a hotel just across from the famous Palace of Culture and Science, commissioned by Stalin 1955 as an expression of Soviet Realism, is viewed by most Poles as a symbol of oppression. Just outside our hotel room we could stare at vaguely visible people from the 33rd floor of the palace. Were any of those standing from what seems a monument tJo communism thinking that we were staring at them from the Intercontinental Hotel, a monument to capitalism? We did enjoy almost a full week of luxury or at least Lisa did while David worked, lounging about reading James Mitchener's "Poland," swimming or on the treadmill with my biggest decision being water from a pitcher with floating lemon, orange or grapefruit (orange my favorite:) We did spend two afternoons looking for a furnished apartment. Why spend more time (after about the 4th of 10 apartments) Lisa wondered, after all we'll only be in Warsaw 8 months.