And the Polish adventure continues....

As we shared in the last blog, we visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum and were unable to take photos inside but here are a few from the grounds. This Wall of Remembrance is much like the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. It lists all the people who lost their lives during the Warsaw Uprising (1944).

At this point in blogging, I have decided to share our experience by day because it gets to confusing. But before I go, I forgot to mention that on Saturday, we watched Matt's basketball team ( group of guys from the American School of Warsaw) playing in a Polish men's amateur basketball league. Great fun and Matt's scored 13 points... 3  3-pointers...  Should have had photos but alas, we forgot to take them.

Sooooo, on Monday, we visited the Jewish Historical Institute which is on the grounds of the prior Jewish Library and synagogue which were both blown up during the German occupation. This institute housing much of the historical artifacts and genealogical records of Jews in Warsaw and other areas of Poland. It is different than the newly constructed Museum of the History of Polish Jews which opened three weeks ago but has not real exhibits yet. If you visit Warsaw, both the institute and museum are musts.

That evening we went to Matt's favorite schnitzel restaurant....

Matt in his glory

Tuesday, we went to an organ concert at St. Anne's. The music, organ and interior were quite beautiful to say the least.

Side altar

Center ceiling painting

Last in the afternoon, we returned to the area of the Warsaw Ghetto and visited both the memorial at Mila 18, the ghetto fighters last bunker. Please read the inscription on the plaque below.

Please read

We then walked a few blocks to the memorial to those taken from the ghetto to Treblinka and Auschwitz/Birkenau for extermination. The Umschlagplatz was the gathering place for Jewish ghetto residents who were selected for transportation Treblinka and later Auschwitz/Birkenau). In early September, 1939, there were 380,000 Jewish residents of Warsaw. During 1940-42, the population rose to 480,000 due to refugees from the Polish rural areas.  From the beginning of the ghetto, in 1939, 100,000 died from disease and starvation and between 1942-43 300,000 had been transported to the death camp at Treblinka or Auschwitz/Birkenau.  By the end of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, there were none.  It is difficult to explain how it feels to be in the location of these tragedies. Lots of thoughtful contemplation and reflection.

Please read a few of these first names. The memorial has over two thousand first names to remind us of what happened here. 

Below is a photo of the Warsaw Ghetto as it is today. Please note the glass building in the middle of the photo (white top) is the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (just opened). The area used to be the home of Europe's second largest Jewish community which shared its rich culture and traditions with the world. Today, there are high rise apartments built by the Soviets (1945-1989) for low income residents.  They, too, left their tragic mark on Warsaw.  Flashing back to 1944, imagine this photo as only rubble, flattened buildings and total devastation.

The Warsaw Ghetto area today

Hope reading this hasn't been a downer as much as a reminder of the ability we have to destroy one another and forget the wonderful contributions we all have to give to one another. It is also a reminder that, sadly to say, there is evil in the world. It is so true, " We can never forget".

Our second day in Warsaw and beyond.....

Off for the day on the trams... great way to get around. Three day pass is $10 or 30 zlotys.

Headed out on Saturday to visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum. It is quite a powerful experience. Don't have photos but purchased the guidebook that tells the story.

It is important to know the distinction between the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ( April 19th-May 6th, 1943) when the Jews of Warsaw, having lived for three years in the confines of a ghetto, 480,000 people in the 10-15 square blocks. If you have read the history and associated stories you know that they were starved and deprived of the means to live. In June, 1942, the transports began and approximately 300,00 were sent to the death camp at Treblinka (about 150,000 people had already starved to death or died of diseases). The remaining 30,000 were kept in the ghetto and in April, 1943, revolted against the German army and oppressors. You know the rest of the story.
It is quite moving to walk the streets, see the memorials and see the names of those who died for humanity. Below is the photo id card of Frydrich Zelman, one of the many freedom fighters.

The Warsaw Uprising happened in August-October, 1944, when the Polish Home Army (in hiding) and Polish resistance rose up against the German army and in the end were repressed. The Russian Army, alleging planning to help, sat on the east side of the Vistula River and did nothing while the Germans disseminated the Polish freedom fighters. It is quite a human tragedy.  Here is a photo of the Warsaw Memorial to those who resisted.

On Sunday we wandered through old town and saw the area had been rebuilt. If you are interested in the extent of the destruction (85-90% of Warsaw was leveled by the Germans), you can go to the website below. Powerful photos of the destruction and rebuilding.

http://www.polishforums.com/history-poland-34/restoration-polish-cities-ww-destruction-32836/

Here are a few photos of the area today.

Old town square

Relief design on building in square

Back street in old town

Coachmen in the square

Sports stadium in the distance

Royal castle (rebuilt)

Stain glass in St. John's Cathedral

This was the cathedral where the Warsaw Ghetto fighters took refuge and the Germans drove a tank into it and it explored killing 500 plus people.  This cathedral was totally destroyed then rebuilt and dedicated by Pope John Paul II.

After the visit to the old town square, we visited the Gestapo headquarters where resistance fighters were interrogated, sent to concentration camps or murdered outside Warsaw.

Memorial cell

Yes, it was quite the emotional day. So much tragedy, yet so much courage. 

Ending the day on a lighter note, here is Leslie's favorite place...

Boston, Ireland, Poland, and French wine country.

Well we are off again heading east.

We arrived Boston on May 2nd and visited the Boston Marathon Memorial site the following day prior to our flight to Dublin.

The photos (memorial photos of the victims, running shoes, hats, CNN news set, bomb site and finish line) give you a sense of the breadth of the memorial. The silence was quite profound and moving.  Lots of people milling through Copley Square in silence and you could truly hear a pin drop.

Left for Dublin May 3rd, 6:15 pm and arrived a quick 5:50 hour flight just south of Labrador and Iceland to DUB.  And yes, it was raining--- big drops.  It was quite exciting to enter the European Union using my new Irish passport.  We chuckled as Leslie enter through the non-EU line. But given the hour, there was no wait.

Headed to Dundalk (110 k  north of Dublin) about 6:30 pm on the quiet M1 freeway (only trucks and early risers) to visit our cousins and spend the next six days in the family cottage and eating "cakes" drinking tea, and lots of "craic-chat".  My family has lived in this area since 1582....My cousin Oliver is a lobster fisherman who has his lobster boat in the family moorage ( since 1825).

On Sunday we went to the Drogeda Seafair where the "tall ships" moored for the weekend. Here are a few family photos.

Leslie, Celli (my cousin who was Dundalk port manager), Olive his wife, Mary (my cousin who was a hospital receptionist, Olive's sister Nellie and ......

Osain, Connor and Niall--- second cousins

And then there is crazy Niall.... all of 9 years old and great Irish football player. Scored two goals the next day.

And a few sailboats

And my cousin (Oliver---lobster fisherman and his wife, Marie--- fresh from hip surgery)

And Leslie and all the girls... after a night for "craic (chat)", tea and Jameson.

Leslie, Pauline, Mary and Bridg

We also had time to walk the seashore by the old homestead and travel north to Belfast to see the Titanic exhibit. It was quite an amazing feat of technological "wizardry". The exhibit takes you through four floors of sensory adventures. You begin on the first floor with an orientation to the early twentieth century in Belfast, including straightforward and honest information about the religious and sectarian prejudices against the catholics.  Moving to the fourth floor, you experience the construction of the Titanic and "ride through" the construction site and boiler rooms. From there, you move to the third floor and have a virtual tour of the ship from the first class parlor and famous staircase through the third class/steerage accommodations. On the second floor you experience the disaster and learn about the survivors' stories and inquests into the disaster. Arriving back on the first floor, you learn about the current status of underwater exploration.... All in all quite the experience.  Check out the website and associated video... Enjoy.

http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Navigation/The-Titanic-Experience.aspx

Headed to DUB and flight to Warsaw.  Arriving Warsaw, was able to again us my Irish passport and let Leslie have cuts in the EU line... She could enter Poland with me and her US passport. 

Flagged a taxi and off to Matt's apartment house. Below are photos of the apartment entry, Polish street sign our major means of transportation... the street trams.

After settling in to Matt's two bedroom apartment, we headed out and thought we would try our luck with the Warsaw transportation system (which is quite amazing--- trams, buses and Metro---- 30 zlotys or 10 dollars for three days.

Ok... you pronounce it.... Ws are Vs and Vs are Ws and l with line through it is Wa sound.... That's only the beginning of the language adventure.... dzien dobry (Hello--- jenn dob rey ).

On our first outing we headed for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial and the new Museum of Jewish History in Poland (just completed two weeks ago). 

Yesterday, we went to Matt's basketball game--- Amateur Polish teams. Lots of cheering and beer with pizza afterwards. 

Gotta love it.

More of our adventures in the next few days. Bye for now.