Saturday, August 26, 2017

a half a day is better than none!

The day starts too early and ends too late. It's brilliant and warm and it is a beautiful ending to my stay in Warsaw.

My last breakfast (because I'm leaving tomorrow at 4 a.m., before any even thought of breakfast)...


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And then my sister joins me for a long stroll along the river's edge.

You're familiar with it, I know. But the beauty of reaching a state of familiarity is that you can start noticing the detail. For example, we all know now (don't we?) that there is a mermaid and that she is a symbol of this great city. So now you can look at the families gathering at her base. I smile at the kerchief on the little girl's head. I used to wear one on a sunny day when I was a kid. It's so Polish!


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And now we're back on the theme of Polishness and so I'll add another photo attesting to the usefulness of the Polish grandmother. She takes one child's hand while the mom shepherds the other.


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New Town, as seen from the riverfront...


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And then we turn up the steps...


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If you follow them to the tippy top, you'll alight at the Old Town Square. Please do throw an appreciative glance at the beautiful blue sky!


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And now it's time for me to return to my apartment, but with a pause first at the Labour Cafe for a bite to eat. One last photo of my sister...


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... and you get to see the very important photo of my afternoon snack, because scrambled eggs with chives and bread with butter is, well, so Polish.


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And now I am home -- which is on the third (in American terms) floor of this building, above this trendy cafe which I love, even as I rarely pop in there because, well, I have my own coffee maker and -- you remember this, right? -- my own favorite coffee cup.


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It's a very simple post on a very beautiful morning.

The afternoon and evening are devoted to the wedding of my good, good friends. If you are curious about a Polish wedding, then you'll come back tomorrow. I'll be flying back to Madison -- pretty much as soon as the wedding comes to a close. A long trip will give me the opportunity to reflect on the very happy celebrations that will take place tonight.