We visited the town of  Wieliczka to see the underground salt mines.

 

 

At the beginning of a shift men would crawl in low with lighted torches to burn off the gas before the miners arrived.

Horses that lived underground their entire lives were a big part of the production.

The underground chapel all carved in salt.

 

 

 

Hard to believe our days of waiting at bus stops was coming to an end. Soon we would be back in Canada with our own car.

 

 

Continuing on with the bike trip through Warsaw we encountered these folks dressed to stimulate interest in the history of the Polish uprising of 1944.

Krzysztof said there is an old legend saying there were actually two mermaids in history that traveled together with one stopping in Copenhagen the other in Warsaw.

The door of St. John’s Archcathedral in the old town tells the story of the creation of the mermaid in pictures.

Marie Curie,  the well know recipient of the Nobel Prize for discovering radium and its    application in medicine,  was Polish but because she was a woman was not allowed to study in Poland so therefore moved to France to pursue her education.

Krzysztof indicated that this street is used in many films as it has no signage or any other features to designate that it is in Warsaw.

Famous Polish poet, Adam Mickiewicz, Krzysztof  said every school students has to memorize his poetry which he can still recite.

The first coffee shop in Warsaw maintains its original Italian name.

Church where Pope John Paul II first met youth and began World Youth Day

Even though this Polish dignitary was not Roman, the statue was not allowed to show any designation that portrayed Polish nationalism so he was represented as a Roman.

This famous Warsaw hotel was not destroyed because the Nazis used it.

 

University where Chopin lived with his family when his father taught French.  Here he was exposed to all of the musical talent of the day.

Building where he lived with his family on the campus

This is the church where Chopin’s  heart is buried. Even though he never returned to Poland his sister brought his heart back to this church.

 

The street where this church is was destroyed during the war but thanks to paintings like the one below,  buildings could be rebuild as they once were.

In the square near the church a celebration for the birthday of the Europen Union was being held.  The union has helped Poland grow and they intern will help others as they further develop.

 

The Royal Castle facing the river Vistula.

A bronze model of the castle grounds just outside the gate.

We noticed the gas mask on this bike when we returned.

 

We took the night train from Vienna to Warsaw,  leaving at 11:00 PM and getting into the Warsaw Central Station at 9 the next morning.  It was a comfortable trip,  as we had a roomette and travelled in style!

The very old in Warsaw

right beside the modern and new.

The church right around the corner from where we stayed. Beautiful to pass each day and a great landmark. We had a lovely apartment but so close to a large main road we could not open the windows and no air conditioning!  We will put that on our list for amenities that we need next time as we roasted.

I think someone in the complex must feed these fellows.

 

Gorgeous park right by our apartment;  unfortunately also noisy which was in such contrast to its serene beauty.

 

 

Our first day we ventured downtown on the trolley and had a coffee on the square in the Old Town. Gorgeous.

Statue of  William Lindley 1853-1917 responsible for water treatment system for the city still in use today. Loved the pipe bench.

In this city park a water show happens on weekends to music and lights but not until dark. Unfortunately we faded before the dark arrived.

I did a guided bike trip around the city with Krzysztof, while John visited the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising.

Here we are at the university.

The library was very impressive.

Looking down into the library from the gardens above.

Looking towards the Vistula River we rode along the Promenade to the

bridge that we rode over

to get a great view looking back at the city.

Monument to the Polish Resistance.  John visited the museum which also commemorates the details of the fight against the Nazi occupiers.                                            .

Tomb of the Unknown  Soldier.

The Museum of the Polish Resistance covered the occupation and the struggles against it by the Polish Resistance, the Home Army, and the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto. After the Jewish uprising in the Ghetto was crushed, and the area destroyed, the Polish underground rose up and fought for months until it too was crushed by the German army. By the time the Red army arrived in January 1945,  85% of the city had been destroyed by the Nazis. The exhibit covered the events of the uprising, which saw fierce fighting in the city while the Russian forces assembled across the Vistula and refused to intervene – a subject of huge controversy to this day.