WARSAW, POLAND

First, some general thoughts about Poland. Mrs Bear’s family has history here. Her grandmother, age 15 at the time, walked out of Belostok, which was either in Northeast Poland or Southern Russia depending on the year. It was 1915 or so, and her brothers were turned back to fight in the Great War. She made it to the USA on her own at 15 !

Which brings me to the next point. The Polish people seem to have a strong sense of nationality. Over the years, they have been a part of Russia, Germany, the Austrian Hungarian Empire, as well as being conquered by the Mongols and the Romans. There were short periods when they claimed and established their independence but it didn’t last long. More recently, Poland led the movement to throw off the rule of the Soviet Union and establish the Republic of Poland. All of this seems to have led to a strong feeling of Polish nationalism today !!

A few more observations about Poland. The people speak as if they are still rebuilding their identity and infrastructure. Most of the people we met spoke more than one language… it was common to hear people talk about speaking some German, Russian, or Hungarian, and most spoke English. Mrs Bear kept commenting how pathetic it was that Americans, by and large, speak only English. I noticed that there were very few people walking around with dogs … I wondered if this was because most people we saw live in apartments. And the dogs we did see on the streets were treated like dogs, not miniature children. Finally, the people seemed very friendly and outgoing. It was a pleasure to be here for a few days and we wouldn’t hesitate to come back.

We loved Warsaw’s Old Town. This part of the city dates back to the thirteenth century, when earthen walls were built and later replaced by red brick. Some of the walls still stand.

The old city consists of several Catholic Churches, open squares, cobblestone streets meandering through apartments, and quaint cafes and shops. No Hard Rock Cafes or McDonalds.

Old Town was significantly damaged by the German bombings in 1939, and then almost completely leveled during the Polish Uprising in 1945. It is one of the first urban areas to be totally restored after the end of the War, and the Poles put a lot of pride into the restoration.
We later traveled to Krakow, which is considered to be the cultural center of Poland, but Mrs Bear and I loved Warsaw’s Old Town. Warsaw is not thought of as an equal destination to Budapest, Prague, or Vienna … but I will say that my enjoyment with this destination was at the same level as these other fine cities.