Day Ten: A pleasant day in Poland

For the first time that I can remember, I am blogging in the presence of some of the kids who are traveling with me.  They get to see all of my spelling mistakes and grammatical errors before this computer tells me I've erred.  It's just past 10pm and although we are at the hotel earlier than usual, we still had a great day.

We woke up later than most of the other days on tour so far, but it was not because we are being lazy.  Our first visit of the day was to the Jewish Institute of Poland.  The museum focuses on the history of the Jewish population in Warsaw at the time the Ghetto had developed.  We sat and watched a video about the ghettos.  It was quite simply one of the most moving documentaries I've ever watched.  It contained archival footage from Nazi propaganda films and testimonial writings from Jewish people who experienced the ghettos.  Not all of the people survived the times spent in the ghetto...and I think that is what caught me the most off guard.  I knew that the times were terrible.  I knew that many people died during that time.  I didn't know how severe it was, and this video made that abundantly clear.  I spoke with Sunshine about the impact the video had had with me and she said it had a similar affect with her.  The museum had other exhibits, but that video has stuck with me all day.  They didn't have it on sale and I don't think it is available online, but the Institute's website has some information on it.  Click here to check it out.

After the museum Ele had asked us to go to a market to get some picnic materials.  At the end of our guided tour of Warsaw, we'd be picnicking at one of the [Shout out from Kayla and kids playing chess] nicest parks in the city.  Our tour was nice, but it was somewhat difficult to imagine the devastation this city experienced during the war.

Facade of a building preserved after the war.

Another example of a war torn city.

They say that about 90% of the city was destroyed during the war and that 100% of the ghettos were destroyed.  Scattered about the city are numerous monuments commemorating brave Jews and Poles who tried to defend themselves and their city against the Nazis.  One of the most famous is the Jewish Ghetto Uprising memorial.

The anniversary of the uprising was last week, hence the flowers.

There is a bunch of new construction going on, but the old communist architecture is still pretty prevalent. Finally, we made it to Lazienki Park for our picnic.  The beautiful park is considered the largest bathroom in Poland.  It originally was used as a hunting ground and the large washroom built for the king helped it earn its name. It is a strange city, lol.

Looking closely at this panoramic might provide a glimpse of some of our Eurotrippers.

Monument to Chopin at Lazienki Park.

After the picnic, we made our way to Old Town.  Each of our cities seemed to have an Old Town.  With Warsaw, however, the Old Town is rebuilt version of itself.  We saw some postcards showing the destruction of the original Old Town.  Steve S, Nicole and I decided to venture out for one of my favorite European meals...the kebab sandwich.  We had seen a kebab stand from our bus and we began walking to King Kebab.  We didn't realize that is was over 3 km away.  Needless to say, finding the restaurant was a triumphant moment for us.  The kebabs did not disappoint.  When we returned to Old Town, we searched every inch of the town section.  One of the monuments that we found was dedicated to the kids who fought during the city's uprising.

We had learned earlier that kids had helped smuggle food into the ghettos and that they played a critical role in the survival of the city.  This statue was a poignant reminder of how real the struggles of this city were during the dark days of World War II.  We had heard several people mention that the liberation of areas by the Soviets was kind of bittersweet.  They said that many people felt that the war did not really end until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989.  Occupation by the Nazis was replaced with occupation by the Soviet Union.  Our local guide today briefly let her fear of what is going on in the Ukraine show during the tour.  I am not sure if the kids picked up on it, but it was real emotion.  

Our time in Warsaw is nearly complete.  We will be seeing one more museum tomorrow before heading to the train station and then to Berlin.  It has been a whirlwind tour and I cannot believe it has gone by so quickly.  It is hard to imagine [This comment was recommended by Gillian and the kids playing chess next to me while I was blogging] that school begins tomorrow and that we will not be home for a couple more days.  Jeff was telling me how taking our school's Holocaust course had prepared him for this trip, but the level of depth we've experienced had made what he's learned seem more real.  See y'all tomorrow.

Mr. Lavoie currently in the hotel restaurant while four kids play chess.  Three of them are rooks at the game and the other thinks himself a King...perhaps, I will check their skills and make them my pawns.  Naw, I think I'll just wish them a good Knight.