Touring the Royal Castle

Upon review of the previous photos, we recognize that we haven't captured the beauty and history of Poland that we have seen thus far. Old Town Warsaw is beautiful and rich with history and charm. The cobblestone streets and vintage shops help bring to life the striking history of Warsaw. You can't appreciate the history of Poland without understanding the long history of Polish Royalty and the life of the nobles. Our first museum visit was to the Royal Castle, with some original construction dating back to the 14th Century. The inside of the castle was filled with tapestries, paintings, sculptures and furnishings throughout the centuries.

Evidence of historical figures cited by Mitchener in his book, "Poland" were found throughout the castle. David, who's finished the book, commentated in tour-guide fashion filling in the gaps where our English brochure was lacking. Great tour! Worth the 15 zlotes (5 dollars). Jan Sobieski, the Poland Liberator of Vienna, was our favorite character whose 3 meter high oil painting adorned one of the main halls.

Lisa was particularly impressed by some of the original artwork found in the Castle. During the 2nd World War the Nazis hauled train loads of treasures out of the Polish castles. Many of the paintings in the Louve were once resident here in Poland. Little by little they are making their way back to Poland such as the Rembrandt painting, "The Girl in the Picture Frame." The old aristocracy of Poland were some of Europe's most ambitious art collectors. In the 17th century Poland was flush with works of the Masters.

Old town is just fun to visit. We love wandering though the cobblestone streets while avoiding all of the tempting places to eat . A must see that just doesn't seem to get stale. Well . . . . what do we know with less than two weeks of experience.