June 28
I tried to make the most of the one full day I had in Warsaw, a city that isn’t known as a tourist destination in the way that Krakow is, but I soon wished I had more time to spend here – a running theme through this summer was that I felt I had allowed myself too little time in any one place. Anyway, I made my way through the nearby Saxon Garden in the stifling heat (which later in the day was so bad I resorted to using the buses for anything that was more than a five minute walk), had something to eat before exploring the Old Town, which was meticulously rebuilt after the destruction wrought upon it during World War II, to the point that original bricks were reused whenever possible. They did an exceptional job as can be seen. On the way back to the hostel to collect my laundry I spotted these wrecked tanks in Castle Square, which I initially thought were WWII monuments, but on closer inspection they turned out to be Russian tanks which had been destroyed in the present day war in Ukraine, and what’s more they has just gone on display the previous day! Poland has been fully behind Ukraine from the start, this was part of an exhibition called “For our freedom and yours”.
Top left and top right: the Saxon garden.
Bottom left and bottom right: The Old Town.
Top centre: Monument to the Solidarity trade union which resisted the Communist regime.
Bottom centre: Destroyed Russian tanks from the Ukraine war.
I spent the afternoon I went to the Museum of Warsaw, a fascinating collection teaching visitors of the long history of the city, from its medieval origins as Polish King Sigismund III relocated the capital here from Krakow in the 16th century, right through to its destruction in WWII and its subsequent rebirth. The top floor also has some remarkable views of the Market Square. I managed to get through the final part of the exhibits just before the museum closed (which can be seen in the image at the beginning of this post):
Inside the Museum of Warsaw. The mermaid statue in the centre picture depicts the symbol of the city.
With most sightseeing attractions closing, and torrential rain falling on Warsaw (which thankfully brought about cooler temperatures), I headed back to freshen up and sort out some kind of tea, before setting off for what would be a highlight of this whole trip, and something that inspired me to return to Warsaw sooner rather than later, which is all coming in the next post…