Teaching English continues to be both challenging and amusing. The other
day a boy told me he had a 'turntable' as a pet (he meant a 'turtle').
My own experience speaking the Polish language continues to be
frequently aided by the use of enthusiastic charades.
I visited Warsaw in November for a brief day trip. Warsaw is about a four hour drive from Elblag, so I hopped on a Polskibus really early on a Saturday morning and set out for a visit. No one I've met in Elblag is a fan of Warsaw. Most of my friends and students have told me it's dirty and there's not many interesting sights there. I found this description to be true for the most part. Warsaw has a smallish Old Town, rebuilt after the war, a large shopping selection, and a handful of museums, but for the most part I felt like I had seen most of the sights worth seeing after only a day traversing the city.
I started off in the Old Town, in the rebuilt Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy). Both the square and the Royal Castle for which it is named were rebuilt after WWII with the bricks from the original buildings (and some shipped from places around Poland like Elblag). The Royal Castle is a copy of the original which had been built in the 14th century, became a royal residence for Polish and later Russian monarchs, and later served as the residence of the president after WWI. These days it's a museum full of historic art and furniture from the days of royalty.
I visited Warsaw in November for a brief day trip. Warsaw is about a four hour drive from Elblag, so I hopped on a Polskibus really early on a Saturday morning and set out for a visit. No one I've met in Elblag is a fan of Warsaw. Most of my friends and students have told me it's dirty and there's not many interesting sights there. I found this description to be true for the most part. Warsaw has a smallish Old Town, rebuilt after the war, a large shopping selection, and a handful of museums, but for the most part I felt like I had seen most of the sights worth seeing after only a day traversing the city.
I started off in the Old Town, in the rebuilt Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy). Both the square and the Royal Castle for which it is named were rebuilt after WWII with the bricks from the original buildings (and some shipped from places around Poland like Elblag). The Royal Castle is a copy of the original which had been built in the 14th century, became a royal residence for Polish and later Russian monarchs, and later served as the residence of the president after WWI. These days it's a museum full of historic art and furniture from the days of royalty.
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| Plac Zamkowy, the main square |
Branching out from the main square is Ulica Nowy Swiat, the main historical street that was a part of the 'Royal Route' that runs from the Royal Castle to the (17th century royal residence at Wilanow). The street is packed with shops and restaurants. Along my way down the street, I happened to pass by the Presidential Palace at exactly noon, as the bells were ringing the hour and the changing of the guard was taking place.
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| King Sigismund's Column and impending rain |
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| Changing of the guards |
Later in the day, I visited the National Museum, full of art and sculpture from famous Polish artists through history, and the notorious Palace of Culture and Science. The Palace of Culture and Science, a 'gift from the Soviet people' in 1955 has been viewed with varying degrees of dislike by the Poles since it was built. According to one of my Polish adult students, "The best view in Warsaw is from the top of the Palace of Culture and Science because that's the only place you can't see the darn thing." I remember having a Polish professor at Loyola who expressed a similar opinion. Originally named after Stalin, the palace was disliked for the suggestion it presented of Soviet control, as well as simply because many residents thought the Socialist Realist architectural giant ruined the aesthetic of the city. The palace is still the tallest building in Poland, and inside there are museums, theaters, and recreational centers. The Polish people frequently refer to the palace using various nicknames, including 'pajac' (clown) and 'patyk' (stick) which are similar to the word for palace, 'palac,' and more colorful names like 'Stalin's syringe' or the 'Russian wedding cake.'
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| Warsaw's National Museum |
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| The Palace of Culture and Science |
A street or two behind the Palace of Culture and Science, sequestered within a cluster of flats, is the last remaining piece of the Jewish Ghetto Wall. The wall now is a small monument and historic reminder of Warsaw's past.
It was too late to get into another museum and too cold and wet to enjoy the parks, so I opted for a cup of coffee in a cafe on Nowy Swiat before making my way back to the bus station, humming Chopin for thematic atmosphere.
