Warszawa

On November 5th, Django and I left London and traveled to Warsaw, Poland. Simon had flown to Sweden the day before to play two gigs. One in Stockholm, the other in Visby, a walled medieval town on the beautiful island of Gotland.

POLAND:

We flew through layers of clouds which reached all the way to the ground. We were enveloped in a gray which persisted for most of our stay in Poland.

My (very pregnant) cousin Dominique picked us up at the airport and we all endured a 1 1/2 hour drive back home through intense rush hour traffic. The drive usually takes 25 minutes. On the way I saw a city that looked much like any other city you might find anywhere in the world. New or new-ish buildings, corporate logos shining out in all their back lit glory.

The next morning we went on a lovely walk through a local park. Here's Django across the street from Dominique and John's apartment building. In this part of town there are lovely old buildings that you might find in Copenhagen or elsewhere in Europe.





Django, Dominique and Gustav-- a very cool dog indeed. Fun and good with kids.



I don't know what kind of tree this was. The gold leaves were striking against the almost black bark.



This was the first cafe I went to in Poland, built in a former bus depot. I didn't have one bad cappuccino during my stay. There were quite a few hip and modern cafes (that you might find in any city, anywhere...)



This is what is now known as the Palace of Culture. Originally known as The Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science, it was a gift from the Soviet Union to Poland. The people of Poland have a love/hate relationship with the building, but it now serves as a cultural center dedicated to many art forms. It is the eighth tallest building in the EU.



Some beautiful buildings seen on another walk to another cafe.





Mama and Django, getting by without a stroller (we were able to borrow one from the third day, my back thanks the gods)



Dominique and Gustav in a vast stone space.



You can sense that Poland is a very old place with a rich history, tumultuous and oppressive, the people strong and skilled. The intensity of the past is palpable. The country has been divided and claimed by various countries, and rejoined numerous times. It struck me (not surprisingly) as very Eastern European, which means to my western senses it's got quite a different feeling from Western Europe. The people also look very different and (not surprisingly) very Polish! I don't pretend to know much of the history of Poland and only got a brief glimpse during my time there.

Back home:



Reunited at last! After five days apart.



I thought this was hysterical. I have never ever before seen a doggy WC (that's 'water closet', a.k.a. toilet, for those of you who are thus far tethered to the the USofA) Look at how interested Gustav is in using the ample space of the dog toilet. What were they thinking?! To a dog, the whole world is a toilet!



next, Old Warsaw...