Warsaw: Poland, A City That Rose Like A Phoenix!

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" - Saint Augustine

Warsaw – the capital of Poland.
This amazing city is full of contrasts, question marks and surprises. It is bound excite and inspire you. It is indeed a city, full of astonishing contrasts and it never ceases to amaze people, with its magnitude of dimensions and themes, which are there to be discovered, absorbed and understood by the inquisitive.
The weather was bright and sunny, with just a slight chill in the air: perfect for touring the city.
We were shown a few places from our coach and later we were left near the Royal Castle to do some sight seeing and shopping on our own. (Although there are many shops selling Amber, the local guide showed us where we could by without being cheated).
We passed by some important monuments and also stopped at a few interesting ones.
Some of the places where we stopped were: Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Fryderyk Chopin Monument, and Krakowskie Przedmieści, also known as the Royal route,
Krakowskie Przedmieście Royal Avenue constitutes the northernmost part of Warsaw's Royal Route, and links the Old Town and Royal Castle (at Castle Square) with some of the most notable institutions in Warsaw, including – proceeding southward – the Presidential Palace, Warsaw University, and the Polish Academy of Sciences headquartered in the Staszic Palace. The immediate southward extension of Krakowskie Przedmieście along the Royal Route is ulica Nowy Świat (New World Street)

Warsaw is a big city, and I feel what I saw was just a glimpse, but never the less you are invited to come along with me and see some places visited by me in Warsaw:

The Ghetto Uprising

The monument to the heroes who died during the Ghetto Uprising in 1943 The monument features an inscription in Polish, Yiddish, as well as Hebrew which reads: 'The Jewish People in honour of its fighters and martyrs'.
In an ironic quirk, the stone cladding on the monument was originally ordered from Sweden by Hitler for a victory arch.

The back side of the memorial depicts a line of Jewish prisoners marching to a certain death in the concentration camps.
The Warsaw Uprising is an exceptional chapter in the city’s history - one that is both heroic and tragic. The monument commemorates the thousands of heroes of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising who gave their lives for their homeland, having fought against the occupiers for 63 days under woefully uneven odds. It is a two-part monument. The first part presents the fighters as they crawl out from under a bridge support, while the second part shows them entering the canal system. An entryway into the canal system used to escape from the Germans was located on Plac Krasińskich.

Warsaw is also a city that very deeply demonstrates its memory of the most painful events of the Polish . Remembering the people who have lost their lives fighting for their country.

Commemorative plaques and monuments, honoring victims of Nazi and Russian persecution, can be seen almost on every street or a square.

Golden Terraces shopping center/ Mall :

Many famous world companies have their offices and shops here. For visitors in search for entertainment there is the first Polish Hard Rock Cafe, Jazzarium Arwarium jazz club, modern cinema with 8 screens. The commercial center of the complex with the area of 63,500 square meters hosts more than 200 shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. It is said, that at night the golden lights of the Terraces are seen even outside the Polish capital. And  remember, the city is not small. The cost of implementation of the project was estimated at $250 million.
It has attracted prestigious tenants including Central Europe's first Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, famous for displaying music mementos including Bono's and John Lennon's guitars.
Its design, crisscrossed by various levels, stairs and passages, gives the impression of the complex being suspended in the air. The lightness is enhanced by its open structure. Placing the colorful mechanisms of the escalators behind glass panels was a great idea. The roof is more than a masterpiece of engineering: it is a work of art.
The shopping center has a sophisticated glass roof that consists of thousands of separate glass elements and extends in the form of a wave over the roof .

The shape and style of the undulating glass roof was inspired by the tree canopies in Warsaw's historic parks.

The Palace of Culture and Science is the highest building in Poland. It has over 3,000 rooms.
The big attraction is a large terrace on the 30th floor of the Palace.It was built between 1952 and 1955; it was a "gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation", offered by Joseph Stalin himself. The architect was Lew Rudniew.

The Palace has a post office, cinema, swimming pool, museums, libraries and theaters. The palace is one of the largest conference facilities in Warsaw, comfortably accommodating more than 4,500 participants at a time, at dozens of meetings and training conferences annually.
The big attraction for tourists and residents is the 'trzydziestka', a large terrace on the 30th floor of the Palace (at a height of 114 m), where you can admire the gorgeous panorama of Warsaw. On New Year’s Eve, 2000, the Palace of Culture and Science unveiled the second largest clock in Europe: its four discs are each 6 m in diameter, and it is highest clock tower in the world.
However, the people here really hate this building, for it is a sad reminder to them of the Soviet dominance over Poland. Many wish that, this monster of a building would somehow disappear. A common joke is that it offers the best view of the city – the only place from which you don't have to see the building itself.
We just saw it from outside, somehow didn't feel like wasting money to see something so hated by the people of Poland. The guides never get tired of expressing their hatred for this awful building.

Here in Warsaw it is a bit sad to see the historic, baroque and neoclassical buildings meet solid houses from the 50s, shoddy constructions of 70s and glass office buildings of modern time.

 Some areas are very good too with large, clean parks.  This is Warsaw early in the morning. Poland is really a clean country. Their roads are all so wide: it is really nice to see such wide roads everywhere.

 Krasinski palace – National Library, the most beautiful Baroque building in Warsaw.

A visit to the art nouveau Chopin Monument, next to the Botanical Garden is not to be missed. Set in the midst of a rose garden it was erected in 1926, the work of acclaimed sculptor Wacław Szymankowski. As part of the Nazi brutalization of Warsaw it was dynamited by Germans on May 31, 1940. The following day an unknown patriot had placed a placard on the smoldering ruin declaring: ‘I don’t know who destroyed me, but I know why; so I don’t play the funeral march for your leader’.

 A plaster-cast of the original model allowed the statue to be rebuilt and a reconstruction was unveiled in 1958. This Statue depicts the composer sitting under a willow tree seeking inspiration from nature. The stylized willow over Chopin’s seated figure echoes a pianist’s hand and fingers.

You can listen to Chopin’s compositions for free at this self playing bench, not only in this park but many other parks too.

                          Look at the colors of the buildings they are so soothing to the eyes.

The Royal Castle Square: 
Warsaw’s striking Old Town may look like it dates back several centuries but the old town has barely reached middle age. The painstakingly rebuilt area was awarded a listing on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1980.

Walking through the Royal Castle, you have to remind yourself constantly that most of it was reconstructed between 1971 and 1984. The castle is located on a plateau overlooking the Vistula River.
 From the early 17th until the late 18th century, this was the seat of the Polish kings. It subsequently housed the parliament and is now a museum displaying tapestries, period furniture, funerary portraits and collections of porcelain and other decorative arts.

The narrow cobbled street

Behind me is the Vistula River, Polish Wisła.
Feeling quite pleased with my Amber, which I purchased there. Poland is famous for its Amber.
Baltic Amber: which is Polish gold is everywhere in this city and it's an excellent buy. You’ll find everything from simple amber beaded necklaces to lamps, furniture, and all sorts of collectible items brilliantly crafted by the country’s artisans.
Even if you have zero interest in buying amber, you’ll find yourself fascinated by Baltic Amber, which is fossilized tree resin (not sap) that dates from 44 million years ago. The most valuable pieces have extinct insects and plants inside of them which you can see in the exhibitions through magnifying glasses.
Baltic Amber actually comes in a range of colors, from a smoky white to almost black and of course, the yellow-orange-brown color most associated with it. There are uncommon colors as well including red, green and a blue which is very rare.
In Poland, when you buy amber, you will always be given a Certificate of Authenticity, even for a tiny piece. So don't forget to buy some Amber when you are in Poland.

All over Europe one can find locks of various sizes on the railings of bridges ( this is not a bridge, but here too one can find locks: some superstition)

Everything blue here from my top to the beautifully painted blue wall.

The Old Town was reconstructed from original plans and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries - it's hard to believe it's just a half a century old when you stroll its quaint cobbled streets : amazing!

St. Anne's Church near the Royal Castle Square

The view of the wide roads of Warsaw from the Castle.

 The Royal Castle Square:

This monument (column of King Zygmunt) is a great spot to relax for a while. You get a view of all the activity in the area..shops, cafe's etc., and indulge in some people watching. A good place to rest your tired feet, after walking and exploring the various narrow cobbled streets, shopping, and eating. 

This huge clock tower of 60 m in height designed in the sixteenth century, has always been a symbol of the Polish capital and source of inspiration for the architects of other buildings in Warsaw.
Krakowskie Przedmieście, in Warsaw (literal English meaning: "Kraków Suburb"; until the 19th century, also known by the French rendering, "Faubourg de Cracovie") is one of the most impressive and prestigious streets of Poland's capital.
It is the northernmost part of the Royal Route, and links the Old Town and Royal Castle with some of the most notable institutions in Warsaw, including — proceeding southward — the Presidential Palace, Warsaw University, and the Polish Academy of Sciences (headquartered in the Staszic Palace).

In accordance with Fryderyk Chopin's will, after his death his heart was removed, placed in an urn, and brought by his sister to Warsaw, where it was deposited inside a pillar in the Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście.

You can get the idea of what Warsaw looked like back then from a famous scene in the Pianist, when Adrian Brody (playing Wladyslaw Szpilan) emerges from his final hide-out and looks at completely ruined Warsaw stretching for miles.
Surviving architects after the war searched for old photographs, plans and documents in an attempt to ensure an exact reconstruction of the Old Town.
No wonder, Warsaw  is a phoenix, a city that rose like a phoenix from the ashes and all because of its hard working people. If interested see this video:

Next I will take you to tour Krawkow with me. Are you ready or are you already tired?

The Black Forest/ Schwarzwald: The Fairy Tale Country!!

We set out on  our  tour of Central Europe starting from Frankfurt. Since our tour doesn't include the Black Forest, we decided to arrive a few days before the trip and tour this region by ourselves. However, our very close friend offered to drive us to Black Forest, and we accepted his  offer. Despite the rain, we did manage to have good fun there.

The Black Forest:

This is German  fairy tale country, full of creepy legends and such figures as Hansel and Gretel and Snow White. Remember to bring along some breadcrumbs to make a trail home, and watch out for mean, wicked, witches!!!!

Black Forest remains wildly beautiful, with little chapels and wooden farmhouses,and is no longer wild nor isolated, and is popular place for hiking and mountain biking, or just chilling.

The Black Forest is a rather happy place, known for its cherry schnapps, cream-filled cherry cake and cuckoo clocks. The first cuckoo clock was designed here in 1750, and soon farmers all over the Black Forest were spending their snowbound winters carving clocks for additional income. The clocks haven’t changed much since, and are still characterised by gabled roofs, cast-iron pine cone weights and carved adornments. Elaborate versions have music-box figurines that come out to dance or chop wood. However, they are all very expensive, but really worth it for they are all hand made. 
Surprisingly I was told most Germans do not have a Cuckoo Bird Clock, for I believe it is mainly made for the tourists.
Anyway, since I am a die hard tourist, and I do love Cuckoo bird clocks, I bought one from here. Nothing fancy, but a beautiful traditional one.

We visited the Triberg Water Falls: 

                            This is one of the best shops to get authentic Cuckoo Bird Clocks

               one can go mad looking at the various clocks in this shop, it has so many varieties

                                          
Castle like fairy tale buildings in Triberg region

Triberg is located directly on the Black Forest railway line and is famous as Germany's highest waterfalls, which have an overall drop of 163 metres over 7 cascades. There are three entrances to the waterfalls, which are reached via asphalted paths, steps and footbridges. You should be a reasonably good walker of course, and the paths are totally unsuitable during the rains, and unfortunately it rained during our trip. 

However, you can reach the lowest and largest cascade of the waterfall relatively easily from the main entrance.

Later we visited Mummelsee, expecting the weather to improve, but no luck, we could just have the famous Black Forest Cake and see only clouds and no lake from the terrace (right behind me) of the Berghotel there.  If the weather had been good we could have feasted on some wonderful views of both the lake on the banks of which this hotel is situated, and also the great, dark forest ranges there. There are many activities like boating, para sailing etc., that could have been done if the weather was good. All we could do was to dig into the absolutely delicious and sinfully rich Black Forest Cake, for which this hotel is famous for.

The lake is right there behind us, but hidden by heavy clouds. Well this is Germany, where the weather is very unpredictable, it keeps changing and fooling people there all the time. The weather was checked, and it was said to be sunny and pleasant, but still turned  out to be a very rainy day. The next two days were absolutely pleasant and sunny, just our bad luck!!!

Lake Mummelsee is located directly on the Black Forest High Road at 1032 m above sea level. It is one of the few cirque lakes in the Black Forest remaining from the ice age: a magical lake ruled by an underwater king and water nymphs/mermaids, according to the legends. 
At 1032 meters above sea level it is the highest cirque lake in the Black Forest, meaning that it lies in the center of a cone amphitheater created 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age.
There are so many stories regarding this place, some claiming that the nymphs and king rise from 17 meters below the surface each night, while others say it only happens on a full moon. It is also said that, fascinated by many of these stories, the famous Brothers Grimm visited the lake in 1845, collecting retold stories from the forest and to see the lake for themselves.
Never the less, we did enjoy our drive to the Black Forest with our dear friends.
Our friends told us that to do full justice to BF one has to stay here at least for 4/5 days and see all the beautiful places  in and around BF. 
Never mind next time may be.

Now for some history about the cake itself:
Called Schwarzwälderkirschtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte or Gateau. This cake has multiple (usually 4) layers of chocolate sponge cake, cherries, and whipped cream. It is frosted with whipped cream and covered with chocolate shavings and a few cherries for decoration. Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) is used to flavor the whipped cream. The bottom layers of sponge cake are also brushed with Kirschwasser (cherry schnaps) to provide moisture and a little extra flavor.

There are many other ideas on how the cake originally got its name. Some historians say that it is possible that the cake got its name from the traditional costume worn by women in the Black Forest. The dress was black (just like the chocolate flakes), the blouse is white (like the cream), and the hat has red pom-poms that look just like cherries.
Makes sense, what do you think?

Arise, Awake.....

Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached"
is a sloka of the Katha Upanishad which was popularized in the late 19th century by Indian Hindu Monk Swami Vivekananda.

Here is my interpretation of this sloka:

                                          want strong, toned arms like me,  it is possible

Arise and awake, for the time is passing and all our energies will be: frittered away in just sleeping.
Arise and awake, let minor things, like pain, aches and laziness be thrown aside, for they were never meant to be a permanent part of your life.
Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight!
Fight the fat, the illness of your body, Exercise now!
It is totally in your hands alone, for it is your body, your health and your life, that is screaming for change.

Listen to what Yama says in the Katha Upanisad:
उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।
Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached!



In the 1.3.14 chapter of Katha Upnishad, this sloka can be found, where Yama (pictured) teaching Nachiketha the methods of Yoga.

Interpret it, in any way you want, use it to be inspired in any aspect of your life.

Sharp as the blade of a razor, long and difficult and hard to cross, is the way to freedom (freedom from ill health) but not impossible.
The health enthusiasts, have declared this again and again.
Do not let these weaknesses and failures stop you. 
Say a big 'NO' to 'Temptations', for they only lead you to illness.

The Upanishads have declared,
Arise ! Awake ! and stop not until the goal is reached."
We will then certainly cross the path, sharp as it is like the razor, and long and distant and difficult though it may seem in the beginning, it is achievable, if we are committed.
The goal is definitely within  everyone's reach!
Understand that sitting idly, in front of the computer/ TV or being engrossed in your Smart phone will not give you the health that you are aspiring for.

So Arise! Awake!, from your deep slumber, and do the activity that pleases you: you could walk, jog, dance to your favorite music, practice some simple yoga asanas, anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Are you ready to take charge of your life: remember you have only one 'life'?

Have you started exercising?