Warsaw August 2012

When I try to get myself to write about our short holiday in Warsaw no narrative forms in my mind. My head is full of snapshots, mental pictures but there's no story. Nonetheless I'd like to write something, lest we forget. That's why this post will take the shape of a photo story and random reflections here and there.

THE CITY

Just like in May we stayed in the very heart of the city, in Novotel hotel which is a huge establishment just across the square from Palac Kultury i Nauki. I never thought I'd feel so comfortable in such a huge and overwhelming building with long hallways and identical doors leading to exactly the same rooms. To my surprise the reception staff are so nice that they make you feel welcome, the kids are showered with little gadgets (eg.Toy Story watch this time, occupied Mikolaj for a good couple of hours and made us more aware of the passage of time cause regularly in one-minute intervals he kept informing us about all the new digits he could see on the dial), foreign tourists say hello to everyone they encounter.  

I'm constantly drawn to big cities. I love being anonymous. Which doesn't mean invisible. I love the constant roar of the engines, and the lights. Warsaw at night was surprisingly quiet. Too quiet for my liking, and those soundproof windows did their job really well. But the lights.. just look at those lights...  beautiful!

We didn't really see any popular landmarks this time. Except the zoo. We spend time loitering around, letting the kids to fool around. Luckily there weren't many people so they didn't disturb anyone so much. 

Geocaching led us to some very nice places like the the former house of Fremasons' Lodge (above). We really liked the building and the quiet street where it was situated. Now there's some sort of geographical museum there, which explains the presence of enormous boulders everywhere around. 

We also came across an inner courtyard with a small chapel inside, the figure of Jesus and a burning candle at his feet locked in a glass aquarium. And a single tree behind. Kuba says this is typical of Warsaw courtyards so next time we will dedicate out time to visiting more of them.

I really like the picture I took there. Contrasts so much with the modern establishments of this vibrant metropolis situated just round the corner. 

LITTLE PLEASURES

Ha, in the picture above you can see the big fat guy I shared my bed with on the first night. Actually there were two more guys in my bed that night. I wonder when Adam's gonna stop sleepwalking to our bed, I don't remember when we last spent a night without him. 

I wouldn't have been me if I hadn't dragged all my family across some less touristy areas of the city in search of treasures. The geocachers from Warsaw seem to have a different style of cache-making. Never saw a ketchup jar before. But the place where it was hidden was really nice.

US

ANIMALS

When I browsed my pictures I was surprised to discover how many animals I'd photographed.

The squirrels in Warsaw were as cheeky and pestering as the London ones. I still don't know which are more beautiful, the red ones perhaps. They do know how to stand out from the crowd and I respect them for that! 

I love the colours of peacock feathers. This teal and royal blue and gold.... Not my favourite shades at all, but on this bird they look gorgeous.

We took the kids to the zoo. Very disappointing. The one we've got in Gdansk is much more beautiful and modern and comfortable for animals. The Warsaw zoo is just a regular city park where the animals are squeezed in their tiny cages, presented through dirty plexi glass (you can admire yourself in the reflection and imagine how you'd fit the cage). We liked the gorilla for his static, monumental posture.

And the tigers. 

I really like the picture I took. 

Still life vs motion picture

Passive vs active

Responsibility vs fun

Maturity vs youth

Dignity vs frenzy

I though of adding my children here but I couldn't find an appropriate picture. But anyway, the empty space below is for them.