Arrival in Warsaw

Long Days Journey . . . into Warsaw, Poland 

Twenty-four hours from the time we woke up in Fort Collins --  and after flying from Denver to Minneapolis to Amsterdam -- we finally landed at the Frederick Chopin Airport in Warsaw.  Isn't that a fitting airport name to welcome music lovers?

It was a perfect day -- 70 degrees and sunny.  Instead of heading to our hotel for a nap, we were revived by a brief tour of the city including a walk through Łazienki Park, the largest and considered by some to be the most beautiful park in Warsaw.   The park, constructed in 1784, is the site of the home of the Polish president (the Belvidere) and contains numerous other historic buildings, gardens, pools, forest and an outdoor amphitheater, all of which are open to the public.  A monument to Chopin has a prominent and peaceful location within the park, inviting visitors to linger, picnic or just soak in the natural beauty of the park.

The large bronze tribute to Chopin, in which he sits under a windblown weeping willow merged with shapes of eagle heads, overlooks a reflecting pool and a rose garden where many of Warsaw's residents and visitors gather on summer Sunday afternoons for piano concerts in honor of Poland's great musician and Warsaw's native son.

Fryderyk Chopin Monument
Łazienki Park, Warsaw 
photo by David Lindstrom

This sculpture is the second, being re-cast after the first was destroyed in WW II, as much of this city was. As we soon saw throughout Poland, the city of Warsaw is an example of steadfast resilience, much of the city (and country) having been re-built after destruction from both war and loss of its treasured and historic heritage under communist rule. Despite the blows, Chopin lives on!

We arrived on the Feast of Corpus Christi  (Boze Cialo),  an important Catholic feast celebrated as a public holiday in Poland. It is the day when the Catholic Church commemorates the practice of Holy Eucharist, or Communion. Corpus Christi is an official public holiday in Poland.  Over 92% of Poland's population is Catholic, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed to commemorate the day.  Numerous families were strolling in the park, enjoying the day off.  Processions in the streets are part of the holiday and we had just missed the one in Warsaw when we arrived. (However, we would be participants in one of the Corpus Christi celebrations later in the week in Wroclaw).

After the park tour, we made a stop at Warsaw's Old Town, the center of the city with ancient and interesting history.  Just time for a quick walk, a coffee and snack and then off to our hotel looking forward to coming back to this area tomorrow before our first concert.

Overlook of the Square in Old Town, Warsaw from the tower of St. Mary's Church.

Jane Viste tastes her first of many Polish pastries in Old Town, Warsaw.   She loved it which is why this was the first of many.

Tonight we  had our first rehearsal with the musicians (piano and string quartet) who will travel with and accompany us on several of our pieces. We felt very pleased by what we all sounded like together, but then we were sleep deprived and were possibly hallucinating.  We'll see in the morning after some sleep and another rehearsal...

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