Warsaw

I am in the middle of giving an examination to my undergraduates.  So while they are praying and/or cursing, I thought I could catch up on my blog.

Last week we were in Warsaw for my mid-year Fulbright meeting. Warsaw is about a five hour train ride directly south. Recall that Gdansk is in the very north of Poland, and Warsaw is basically in the middle. Five to six hours are about a much as the kids can handle on a train, we have determined. This train was quite nice and had a restaurant car.

I will not go into much family detail on our trip, as Lisa was quite good in blogging our activities each day. If you are not subscribed to her blog, I suggest you do.  You can read our many Warsaw adventures here.

http://anamericanhouseholdinpoland.blogspot.com/

The top three blog entries are on Warsaw. If you have not, please give them a look. I am trying not to repeat what Lisa has already said.

As I mentioned, it was not all fun and games- I did have a meeting to attend. Most of the Polish Fulbrighters came from their cities for a meeting with the Program Director and Executive Director. I spent 10 days with these scholars in September, and it was great to see them again. Before and after our meetings, we caught up at dinners and accompanied each other to sites. Most had not met Lisa and the kids before.

Our meeting was an informal gathering to let the scholars discuss how the program is going and obstacles people are facing. This is then used to help the next batch of Fulbrighters who come next year. The topic that dominated the meeting was the issue(s) of visas, which have been problematic for many. We also discussed other travel opportunities and some administrative items.

We meet again for our final meeting in May. At that time, we also get to take our families to the US Ambassador to Poland’s residence. I have not met the new Ambassador.  He is an Obama appointee and just arrived. I had met the former Ambassador (a Bush appointee). He stayed on until this past October.

I love Warsaw. It is huge, and struggling with its own growing pains. In many ways it does remind me of New York. It is a perpetual traffic jam. That said, in my opinion, it can be classified as one of the “Great Capitals of Europe.”

The history is phenomenal, from the Jewish and Polish struggles during WWII, to medieval Warsaw, to Post-Communist Warsaw. Lots of skyscrapers, culture and history to see and do. Like New York or Paris or Berlin, you could spend a couple of weeks in Warsaw without seeing everything.

On the culture side (not my strong suit; I am a history guy...) is Frédéric Chopin. You might recognize Chopin’s name as one of the great classical composers. He was from Warsaw and they are getting ready to celebrate his 200th birthday in 2010. The entire year will feature Chopin concerts put on by some of the best orchestras in the world who will all be traveling to Warsaw. Although he died and is buried in Paris, he asked that upon death, his heart be removed and returned to Warsaw. It is held in a parish church in downtown Warsaw today. The comment goes that no matter where he lived, his heart belonged to Warsaw.... Also, if you are a Vodka drinker- try a bottle of Chopin. It is a great Polish made Vodka. Other than the name, it has nothing to do with him, but it is good.

Our apartment was in Old Town. Although most European cities have an “Old Town,” this has an interesting history. Although centuries old, the Warsaw Old Town was completely destroyed by the Nazis in 1943-1945. General Eisenhower toured Old Town soon after the Yanks arrived and could not believe the destruction.

However, the Poles had hundreds of pictures of what Old Town looked like. It was completely rebuilt to look exactly like it was prior to 1943. In fact, if you did not know better you would think these 40 year old buildings were over 400 years old. They did a great job in historical reconstruction.

A picture of Old Town before and after.....

 

Although most European city destruction was the ravages of war, Warsaw was a planned destruction. 85% was purposely destroyed by the Nazis. A couple of Nazi quotes “ The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht (German Army). No stone can remain standing. Every building must be razed to its foundation." SS chief Heinrich Himmler, October 17, SS officers' conference
 
"Warsaw has to be pacified, that is, razed to the ground."
Adolf Hitler, 1944"

Interested in some other before (in 1945) and after (today) shots of Warsaw- I found a site- http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?s=9c24ca47388fb3c6ebbf375c18efb095&p=30310178&postcount=33

Warsaw was great. I have now been to this city a number of times. I look forward to coming back soon.