Warsaw

                            Sorry guys for not posting in a while! I've had the busiest 2 weeks ever!!

First, I moved into my apartment in Weiden on August 1st! It feels so amazing to finally be living in my own space and I feel Germany is beginning to feel like home. This weekend has been dedicated to cleaning and organizing everything and I’m exhausted. I never realized how much work moving is, especially when you are by yourself. I've had to assemble all of my furniture from IKEA, carry all the boxes and move stuff up two flights of stairs. It’s definitely not fun, but I guess this is how living independently is like. At least its almost done! I will definitely post pictures of the finished product.

So I had a 4 day weekend last weekend (Aug. 7th) and was able to travel to Warsaw, Poland! I had such an amazing time there. I decided to book a ticket there because my friend Anna's mom is in Poland visiting her sister and brother in law, so I didn't hesitate when they mentioned to come visit.

Arriving at the Warsaw Airport, I was greeted with lots of hugs and it was nice to be able to see a familiar face. We drove to their apartment located in the heart of Warsaw and it was amazing to see views of the Teatr Wielki, Grand Opera House, right out of their balcony. As we entered the apartment I was greeted by an excited dog named Chika who was so sweet she jumped on me to give me a million kisses. The family quickly gave me snacks consisting of meats, cheeses, bread, and told me that in Poland everyone eats dinner around 1-2 pm so not to eat too much. I pride myself in having a big appetite and making lots of room for food, so that wasn't an issue,

Before dinner, we went to a local farmer's market and got fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats for dinner! We got 2 pounds of raspberries and ate them on the way back to the house. As soon as we arrived, dinner was ready!

Menu: vegetable soup, a noodle with tender beef dish, perogies, blueberry perogies, lemon cake with icing.

I ate everything I was given. I almost exploded! After dinner, Anna's mom, Krystina, and I walked around Warsaw and visited many shops, had mineral water at an outdoor cafe, and visited famous landmarks in Warsaw.

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and is one of the most resilient cities in history. On September 1, 1939 and again on September 24, 1939,  85% of the city was destroyed as Poland was seized by the Germans who attacked and bombed the city to ashes. The Germans from the beginning of WWII in Poland adopted the tactic of terror and the Poles were defenseless as their military were defeated. Following the Warsaw Rising of 1944, the Poles revolted against the Germans and the city was devastated and those alive evacuated . When the war ended, the people of Warsaw returned to the capital and set to rebuild the beautiful city that it is today.

Irene & Krystin

One of landmarks we visited was the Lazienki Park, which was the summer residence of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. There was beautiful architecture, flowers, and a grand statue of the composer Chopin. 

Chopin was born in Poland and is greatly praised in Warsaw. There are many open air concerts with pianists playing compositions of Chopin in this park and along the city center. I was fortunate enough to be sitting at an outdoor cafe with perfect view of a pianist playing Chopin. Chopin has always been one of my favorite composers growing up, after Johannes Bach of course, and I enjoyed playing some of his pieces on the piano. He plays mostly in the key of minor, which gives his music a more mysterious sound and emotional sound.

Very close to the apartment, there was the Saxon Gardens, at whose entrance stands the small Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. There is a changing of the guards at noon and the guards are so serious they do not crack a smile. I always wonder what kind of training they have before they become these guards because I could not hold a serious face especially when kids are making funny faces at them. 

I had such amazing authentic food while staying at Anna’s aunt and uncle’s place that I will definitely miss Polish food. The perogies were so buttery and tender and melted in my mouth. I definitely gained a couple of pounds during my time there! My last day there, I had borscht, which is a soup consisting of mainly beets with other vegetables and meat. It served in a cup and you drink it as you eat a fried buttery stuffed dough with meat. (Sorry Polish people, if I’m butchering the description of this dish). let’s just say it was absolutely delicious!!

All in all, I had an amazing time in Warsaw and it was so great to be part of a small family even if it was for the weekend. I loved hearing stories and also trying to communicate with Anna’s aunt and uncle who only speak polish was difficult at first, but somehow we managed to communicate especially with Krystina translating and non-verbal communication. Probably one of the highlights of this trip was a trip I took to Auschwitz. Read the following post to hear all about it! 

P.S. I'll be posting a slideshow of pictures of Poland tomorrow! Off to bed, PT test in the morning!!