Marching into Spring!!

Ok, so it sounds like the only thing we talk about on our blog is the weather! True, that we haven't taken pictures of ourselves doing our day-to-day activities--thanks for the interest though Chelsea!

So, this picture is of missionaries who we had over at our place a week ago last Sunday. Missionaries play a big part of the lives of the members in our small branch in Warsaw. We enjoyed feeding them after District Conference. Two of them finished their missions last Thursday. They are all wonderful missionaries!

On a walk last Friday afternoon when temperatures were in the 60's we passed by a portion of the wall that remains from the Warsaw Ghetto. In several areas of Warsaw you will still find the sections of the walls that were built to imprison thousands of Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland.

We saw a number of monuments as well that serve as reminders of the heroic efforts of the citizen militia that gave their lives to reclaim the city. The Warsaw Uprising is a very well documented and powerful story of the faith and conviction of the Poles. It didn't have a very happy ending for them at the time. However, in retrospect it serves as an important source of pride and symbol of their will to be independent and free.

On our walk we passed by the Krasinskich Palace. It is one of the many palaces that were built in the 1600s by the wealthy Magnates that held all the power and influence in the region. Now it's used as part of the Polish National Library. Speaking of books, there are some great books to read about the golden age of Poland and the dominant presence it had in Europe at that time. One that was loaned to me a week ago is "The Polish Way" by Adam Zamoyski. I read his book "Chopin," last month and appreciated even more after listening to some of his music.

Last Friday's major quest was to walk to the Holy Cross Church where Frederic Chopin's heart is supposed to be interred within a column. (Because so much as destroyed in WWII there are those who doubt it's still there) I was so excited to learn, after reading the book about him on a trip to Gdansk, that the VERY first day I googled Chopin to hear some of his music it happened to be his 200th Birthday--March 1!

I have enjoyed listening to some of his pieces in the days and weeks since! Some of my favorites are Yundi Li plays Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 and Yundi Li - Chopin "Fantasie" Impromptu, Op. 66. If you've listened to those two pieces on youtube, don't stop until clicking on Chopin's Funeral March. The beginning is certainly morose and familiar but the middle part is breath-takingly beautiful! No wonder the Poles adore Chopin!

Here's what Chopin and I have in common: he used to cry when he heard his mother play the piano and my older kids would also cry as babies when I got out my violin!! Ok, crying for different reasons so I put my violin away for decades. But, I brought it with me after Christmas vacation, so I spend some time almost every day playing it without any complaints (yet) from our neighbors! If you're a fan of Chopin, check out my favorite Chopin arrangement for the violin: Jacobsen-Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2

While David works 10 - 12 hour days, I keep a rather leisurely schedule studying Polish, playing the violin, forcing myself to exercise to a DVD, having folks over for dinner (we found out that Polish people eat way less than we do--at least one couple we had over did) going on quests such as searching for addresses of those I visit teach along with my partner who guides me through tram and bus routes, and lots of walks, especially to a mall where today I found a nice Springy green sweater on sale--great because clothes cost more in Poland! Lots of reading books! Also skyping and staying in touch with our kids. Hey offspring, send us some of your pictures and I'll share your news!

Well It's Still Winter in Warsaw

Although we've had some warm weather most days high temperatures hover around 0 c. After church today it was too beautiful outside with large snow flakes falling which makes Warsaw look pretty, fresh and clean.

Partly blue skies with some snow is not unusual here. But more often we have in between gray skies with some sleet, rain or snow. Having enough snow that sticks to the trees is a bit more unusual this late in the year.

Just a walk down the hill over and back up again towards the Royal Palace we found this scenic view. Call me crazy, but I still think it's worth having a snow storm now just for the pristine pictures.

Not David though, who was anxious to get back to our apartment for warmth and Sunday afternoon leisure time. After a long week, spending some time in Gdansk he's grateful to catch up on some pleasure reading.

Goin' to Gdansk

David and I went TOGETHER to Gdansk a week ago (David often goes up for part of his work-week, but this was my first trip there) leaving by train from Warszawa Centralna station and arriving four and a half hours later. This shot (sorry it's blurry, but the only one of David taken on the trip :( is on our return trip two days later, Saturday afternoon. We enjoyed the express train, which got us back half an hour sooner than our departing train and private cabin and some much needed pleasure reading time for David during his long, intense week of work.

Gdansk is a beautiful city with a rich history. It has changed nationality 4 or 5 times in the last 400 years. After World War I and the defeat of the Germans, Poland was again recognized as a sovereign nation. Gdansk, however, was designated as an independent city with it's own national charter and constitution. It wasn't until after WWII that Gdansk became part of Poland again under the Soviet Union. The architecture is strongly influenced by its German history. The old town is simply fabulous and is one of the most popular tourist spots in Central Europe.

Christmas in Charlotte

We very much enjoyed being back home in Charlotte for Christmas! Adrienne was the first to fly to Charlotte a few days before David and I flew in on December 18. We bought and decorated a tree with Lindsay and Adrienne the next day and picked up Nate, who flew in from Portland. We went out to Sticky Fingers then celebrated his birthday on the 20th. But no pictures--rats! We had some fun holiday moments: caroling with the Pineville First Ward, driving to Boone for Thai food and a road trip to see Christmas lights, and having Lindsay's friend Diego, and his aunt, uncle, and cousin--who were visiting from Colombia over for dinner on Christmas. Helping Lindsay with bringing in food to a family whose daughter (Lindsay knew in the Singles Ward) passed away just days before Christmas reminded us how blessed we are. It makes us especially thankful for the many gifts of Jesus Christ, the reason for the season.

Being home just wouldn't be the same without our sweet cats. Although this picture doesn't capture Chewy's energy, he is vigorously trying to leap from Lindsay's arms. Which reminds me, while singing the Twelve Days of Christmas, Nate pondered the logic of 10 lords-a-leaping. Why are they leaping? Other than the aliteration any ideas? Our other cat Lily kept running from me as I tried to grab (not something any cat appreciates) her for a quick picture. She is darling however, so we may post a picture of her as well.

Camera on the tripod...take one, two, three. Good enough! Taken after watching the Rose Bowl. Dispite our attempts to celebrate with company, a "Go Ducks" football cake and leaving the decorations up for one last day before Adrienne and David fly to Salt Lake, Oregon didn't deliver. Oh well, we still enjoyed the cake!

With Adrienne and David off on their flights to Salt Lake, it's time for Un-decorating Day! For future use it might be nice to know if you have traditions that could help this day be more fun. Other than listening to non-Christmas music while the tree goes down and boxes hauled to the attic, I'm not sure what would be a fun way to celebrate the beginning of a new year. How about bowling?

Christmas Around the Corner

Tonight is our last night in Warsaw prior to joining the family back in Charlotte for the Christmas holidays. Most of our children were able to rendezvous with us for a Family Christmas gathering in North Carolina. Lauren and Aaron are in the middle of closing on a new home in Oregon and could not make it out. They visited us in Warsaw last month so we were able to catch up with them recently. We will miss them though.

We wanted to get out another posting before leaving on our flight early tomorrow morning. So we spent this evening on one last stroll through our neighborhood in Warsaw. We couldn't help but enjoy the new snow which makes our Old Town District such a beautiful setting for this holy season. The lights, the trees, the churches all seem to paint a peaceful picture worthy of any postcard. Even our old camera was able to record a portion of the scene.

A few blocks down our street, you see the NEW town oak tree. For eight months out of the year this area is filled with bustling crowds and sidewalk cafes with colorful umbrellas. Many people can't wait for those seasons to return.

But on evenings like this one, I'm perfectly content. The bleakness of winter is lost on me when I see the images that we just encountered around the corner from our apartment.

In OLD town square (just a few blocks down our street) a number of vendors have set up shop selling everything from cheese, sausages, handicrafts, Pottery and every thing in between. The Blue Christmas tree is more striking in person. We have completed our Christmas shopping in these little shops.

The old Town Square is framed by the colorful old shops that blend into the background.

These shanty town vendors are a hearty lot. I don't know how they can remain out in the cold for very long.

The final view of the old town square as we head back to the warmth of our apartment. We shall see it again in January when weather gets really cold.

Walking back down our street, the light was just perfect to catch this beautiful church. All the churches seem to have a special appeal.

The final look back as we approach the apartment. One of these days we'll have to discuss the significance of the church in the background.

December in Warsaw

This is taken inside Blue City, a mall we like to shop at because it contains our favorite grocery store, Piotr i Pawel. The mall has potential for growth.

When it opened the developers probably anticipated more stores coming to the mall, but because of the economy it's not filled to capacity. Still a nice place to wander around, especially with the holiday decorations.

In the Old Town Square is this tree and fountain. Pictures not as good as in real life. Night-time photography still a bit of challenge with this camera.

Although not seen in this picture, the square is filled with booths where entrepreneurs, braving cool outdoor weather both during the day and evening, display their merchandise throughout December.

We enjoyed some grilled smoked cheese with a bit of cranberry compote on top. Sounds strange, but tastes quite delicious. Just a few bites but a satisfying way to spend 3 zlotes.

Lanterns across the street in New Town. We walked under the lights up since around the third week in November anticipating when they would be lit.

Heard we missed a big tree-lighting ceremony on the first Sunday in December. Since then we've seen them lit each time we stroll down to Stary Miasto in search or food, gifts or just to enjoy the scenery.

Further down the street where we live (a couple blocks away) in New Town (nowy miasto.) We love the simple white lights which lend an understated elegance to the Christmas season.

This tree located in New Town square was beautiful in autumn. Just as spectacular (or more so at night) with beautiful lights on each branch that must've taken quite a lot of effort to decorate.

In front of the Royal Palace. Even though it was barely above

freezing, there was a plethora of pedestrians taking in the sights.

Last night we heard one lone violinist in front of the palace playing "If I Were a Rich Man," from Fiddler on the Roof. Couldn't resist dropping some coins in his violin case, a pittance to help make his dream come true. Always easier to pay for services, especially when musicians contribute to the ambiance with heart-felt showmanship.

Roadtrip to Southern Poland and Prague

A couple of weeks ago we had a wonderful visit with our daughter Lauren and Aaron (her husband.) who flew in from Salt Lake City and after seeing Old Town in Warsaw we went on a whirlwind 5-day trip with them to Krakow, Auschwitz and Prague.

We enjoyed two nights in Krakow at a Bed and Breakfast, first visiting a Salt Mine that was amazing! David and I were just hoping for something to do that would get us out of the rain. But we had no idea what a treat we were in for when we first climbed down staircase after staircase after staircase. Lauren (our trip planner) had researched it and had a better idea, although it exceeded her expectations.

You can read about the Wieliczka Salt Mine online. We learned that it has been in operation for 900 years. Once, it was one of the “world's biggest and most profitable industrial establishments when common salt was commercially a medieval equivalent of today's oil.” Since the mid-18th century Krakow's Wieliczka Salt Mine has become increasingly a tourist attraction. For years David's saying "back to the salt mines," did not conjure the images we now have in mind. We were amazed by the many tunnels and art-work carved in the walls and chambers of the mine.

This picture was taken by David a week before the kids arrived. Located 20 minutes from where we live, Wilanow was built for Jan Sobieski (r. 1674-96), Poland's heroic monarch. Sobieski led the Catholic Allies in the liberation of Vienna from the Turks in 1683. Touring through this palace with Lauren and Aaron the day after we returned from our trip, I'm sure David will want to return for an indoor tour.

We loved the beautiful city Prague and enjoyed visiting a museum and the Old City Center there. It seems that all of the ancient cities of Central Europe have an "old town".

The magnificent churches and architecture spanning hundreds of years give each "old town" its distinctive appeal. It's fun to speculate on the lives that have walked the streets and wonder how each generation has left its mark to all that we now enjoy.

Even though we are experiencing these cities in the blustery fall or pre winter season, we managed to find a great deal of life and activity around every corner. Even though we were surrounded by many other tourists, we could sense

the unique culture of the local people of Praga. Praga is the Czech Republic spelling for Praque as we know it. It would be well worth a return trip to see the castles and other sites that we had no time to visit on this trip.

Thanks Lauren for being a terrific trip planner--we loved touring castles, the salt mine, eating out and visiting along the way! When we get together over Christmas we'll have to play Favorite Five again adding some elements of our memorable vacation.