2 hour flight delay in Cincinnati due to mechanical issues and lack of captain to fly plane. I missed my connecting flight in Newark, had to twist some Delta arms to get a hotel, yet they couldn't re-book my flight.
Tuesday June 15th, 2010
Should have been in Warsaw, but instead I was at the airport from 9am to 7pm. Took some tough negotiation, but I finally got it through Delta's thick skulls that it was their job to re-book my flight, contrary to popular belief. Read a book, made friends, memorized the airport, and managed to get upgraded to first class. It turned out to be pretty awesome.
Wednesday June 16th, 2010
FINALLY IN WARSAW! I met everyone during lunch, took a short tour of the city, and finally had a full night of sleep.
Thursday June 17th, 2010
We took a trip to the Warsaw Uprising Museum. The uprising was a time when the Poles were trying to defeat the Nazis in Warsaw.
Friday June 18th, 2010
We took a walking tour of Warsaw with Margaret the tour guide.
We visited many churches, but weren't able to go in according to Margaret because we were wearing shorts. But, we snuck in to the church that housed Chopin's (famous musician) actual heart! He used to play in all of the churches, but he had died in France, so his heart was sent to his hometown of Warsaw. Cool, but kind of a creepy thought.
We also visited several monuments and were able to stand on the same land where Ghettos once existed.
I enjoyed some amazing Pierogis for lunch, then headed back to hotel Hera for some downtime.
Saturday June 19th, 2010
Next destination: Kazimierz! Kazimierz is 3 hours south of Warsaw and was the original capital of Poland. One of Poland's kings had changed the capital to Warsaw because it was closer to his homeland; this turned out to be a good change since Warsaw is the center of the country.
We had a short stay in the town, but I had a chance to see some cool buildings, art galleries, and buy something from the townspeople.
For dinner I tried duck. It was delicious.
Sunday June 20th, 2010
Wilanow Palace was amazing! Sadly, pictures inside of the building were not allowed. Therefore, I'll try to describe it somewhat... We walked through the halls of the palace and looked at the enless art work that decorated it. Each painting represented a significant person of the aristocracy. One of the families repped mohawks...hilarious. There were alot of Latin phrases engraved in the walls as well, which I found awesome, since I could somewhat translate. Apparently, one of the kings who lived in this palace had opened an art gallery inside for civilians to visit; he loved art and wished to share it with the public. I found it odd that the king and Queen slept in different bed chambers. But at least their rooms were, should I say, fit for royalty.
Finally, the group enjoyed dinner with Maciek, Irina and Josh, and their adorable son. I tried pate` and then found out that it is made of liver. That kinda changed things for me... All in all, dinner was amazing as always.
***pictures will be in my next blog***
Reading a history of Poland, it seems like the county's speciality is getting invaded. But what a time to be there - right during the presidential election.
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