Weekend in Warsaw

We arrived in Warsaw after a 5 hour train ride on the Panorama Express from Wrocław. The weather continues to be sunny and warm. We dozed a good part of the way, as our first class compartment, while comfortable, was not air conditioned. The gentle rocking of the wagon, the sound of the wheels on the rails, the cold beer from the bar car, and the picturesque countryside combined to make for a relaxing trip.

Fredek Wysocki met us at the station, and as it was already late afternoon, we limited our visiting to a brief walk up and down Nowy Świat street and a light dinner in one of the many new restaurants. It is amazing how, in less than two years since our last visit, Warsaw has changed from a rather dour and dull city with almost no night life, to a vibrant European capital with crowds of people out in the streets enjoying the summer evening.

Yesterday we attended my friend Wiesław Rosocha's wedding at the Palace of Marriages in the Old Town, and the reception which took place in an adjacent gallery where there is currently an exhibit of his pictures. Google him with Wieslaw Rosocha to see what you can see.

Afterward, we had a little reunion with old friends from Canada and from Warsaw who known each other since 1970.

Today we are on our way to my aunt Wanda's place, to meet her Kazakh friend Mirek. Later we hope to visit the new museum of the Warsaw uprising, but first we will buy train tickets for Suwałki for tomorrow. We plan to leave for the Podlasie region at 7 a.m. - another 5 hours train ride, but this time on a local rather than express train. From Suwałki the plan is to leave for Wilno Tuesday or Wednesday. We may not have access to the net for a few days, so don't worry if there is no news.