Hello, and welcoming to this unusual, belated and final edition of an English Fool Abroad with his Sketchbook, 2022 Warsaw Edition.
I’ll tell you all about my second, and as it worked out, last full day in Warsaw shortly, but let me just explain that when I got back to the hotel for a late afternoon rest on Thursday, I saw urgent messages from many of my nearest and dearest asking me to contact them as soon as possible. To cut a long story short, everyone was worried about the situation in neighbouring Ukraine. Not that anyone thought there was any danger to anyone in Poland, but they were all worried about the reports of potentially millions of refugees flooding into Poland, and possibly causing havoc with the transport situation.
Now, the rational side of me thought that it’s unlikely to have an effect while I’m in Warsaw – but then I couldn’t say it was impossible either. Situations can change suddenly. My kids were worried, Mary was a bit worried, and there was a flight leaving on the Friday which I could get booked onto. Sometimes you need to take a chance, but sometimes you need to err on the side of caution. So it was that I came home a day early on Friday. I didn’t post on Thursday because I was exhausted with the amount of sketches I had made and walking I had done, and then there were other bits and pieces that I needed to do in preparation – filling in the UK locator form etc. Friday I was travelling , and yesterday, well, I was looking after Ollie, and helping him make a viking ship (as you do). So that’s my excuse.
Coming back to Thursday, when I left the hotel after breakfast, I didn’t know that this was going to be my last full day in Warsaw, but as it was, I don’t think I could have done much more or seen much more than I did, even if I had known. I began the day with a walk along the Vistula towards the Royal Castle, as I had done on Wednesday. It was a beautiful bright day in Warsaw, chilly with a lazy wind blowing, but with a beautiful blue sky from dawn until sunset. I could have taken the bus, but I wanted to stop and sketch the statue of Syrenka Warszawa, which I’d passed the day before.
The Syrenka – is that from siren, I wonder? – is a symbol of Warsaw, and as I later found out in the Museum, it has been since the 14th century at least. The story goes that way back in the dim and distant past, the mermaid would swim in the Vistula, releasing fish caught in fishermen’s nets. The fishermen, understandably miffed about this, set out to trap her, but fell in love with her siren song. A rich merchant then trapped her, but when the fishermen heard her cries they attacked the merchant and freed her. Out of gratitude she swore to protect the city and its residents – hence the sword and shield.
I took a turn around the old walls of the citadel. Somehow yesterday I managed to avoid the Barbican, but now I stopped and sketched it. Hmm. . . barbican. I’m sure it’s my age, but every time I hear that word, I also hear in my mind’s ear the dulcet tones of former Southampton FC manager Lawrie McMenemy – (Barbican. It’s brewed like a true lager, but then some silly bugger taks all the alcohol oot) Of course, before the name was appropriated by the original no alcohol lager, a barbican was a fortified gateway.
The barbican is the gateway to the old town. In the centre of the old town was another stature of the Syrenka, surrounded by the open air ice rink. One side of the whole town square is taken up by the Museum of Warsaw. This look like a row of old houses, for the very good reason that it actually is a row of old houses. Just prior to the outbreak of world war 2, some of the houses had been bought with a view to converting them into a museum. They were in a hell of a state after the war, but rebuilt as they had been, with the interior’s all being made into the museum. It’s a brilliant idea, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Well, I did once it had begun. Only. . . well my guidebook said that it opened at 10. Rubbish – on the window it clearly tells you that it doesn’t open until 11. This was time I used making the sketch that you can see here
I did give the guidebook the chance to redeem itself, by taking one of its recommended walking tours when I left the museum, walking from Sigismund’s Column in the Castle Square, to the University , about a kilometre away. This took in the Presidential Palace - very nice, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing, and Holy Cross Church. It’s a very pleasant looking , fairly imposing baroque church, but what makes it particularly noticeable is the fact that it is home to the heart of Frederic Chopin. The rest of his remains are in the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. In the same way that it’s difficult to escape from Mozart in Vienna, you’re never that far away from Chopin in Warsaw. You can’t criticise the people of Warsaw for their pride in the local lad, either.
Another local lad made good can be seen just across the road and down a bit from the church too. I stopped for a while to make the sketch of the statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. The concept of a heliocentric solar system – one which placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the centre – had actually been around since ancient Greek times, but it wasn’t until Copernicus published his De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (About the Revolution of the Heavenly spheres)just before he died that the theory gained any traction in the western world. It may be just as well for Copernicus that he didn’t publicise this idea until he was practically on his death bed, since espousing the theory brought down the full wrath of the Catholic church upon many people through the next few decades, including Galileo.
A short ride on the Metro from the University station brought me to the imposing bulk of Stalin’s Gift.
I’d better explain that. In 1952 the Soviet Union made a gift to the people of Poland of the Palace of Culture and Science. Construction took three years, by which time Stalin had shuffled off this mortal coil. It was originally designated Joseph Stalin’s Palace of Culture and Science, but the dedication to Stalin was removed as Uncle Joe ‘s memory became a bit of an embarrassment to the Soviet Union. The building – which is massive and certainly striking - houses theatres, cinemas and libraries. It has to be said that it’s a building that tends to polarise opinions – there are probably as many people who would like to see it pulled down as there are people who see it as a striking symbol of Warsaw.
Making all of the sketches you see here had taken it out of me a bit, so I took a tram back to my favourite bridge in Warsaw, the Poniatowski Bridge, then a bus from there back to the hotel, quite pleased with what I’d achieved during the day. Then I saw the messages I talked about earlier, and this was the beginning of the end of my time in Warsaw. I didn’t get to take the hop on hop off sightseeing tour I’d planned, nor did I go to a Chopin recital that I’d been considering. But other than that, I’d done pretty much everything I’d planned previously.
As for Friday, the flight was at 11am from Monty Modlin airport. I left the hotel at about 6 am, and set myself the challenge of making the journey without using a taxi. I walked to the Poniatowski Bridge, where I took a tram to the Central Station. Central Station to the town of Monty Modlin, and today the courtesy bus to the airport was actually there. So I arrived with 3 hours to spare, as suggested by my daughter Jenn, and really that’s about all there is to it. I can’t say I was that sorry to come home a day early, when all is said and done. Warsaw has its appeal, and I’m glad that I went. But I can’t say that it’s likely to be in my top capital cities to visit. Not that I’m complaining – when you consider its History in the last 100 years it’s incredible it’s as good as it is. So thanks for tuning in.
