A Little Bit

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! :-D

I thought a lot today about doing something special to recognize this day full of anniversaries, but I was uncertain as to what seemed best... I guess just being in Poland is a way to recognize how important my Mom and Dziadzi (Polish for grandfather - but a "cutened" version - and mine, sadly, died on this day) are to me.

Today, I met my Polish/Ukranian buddy Natasza at the Metro - she was with her nice friend, Iga. The three of us went to the Warsaw Rising Museum:
http://www.1944.pl/en/
It was AMAZING. Maybe one of the best museums I have ever visited. It is free on Sundays, which made it very crowded. There is a 3D video of how destroyed Warsaw was, which cost extra to see, so maybe I will return on another Sunday to watch it. I would easily go back. There is a lot to see and it is a very interactive museum. I loved reading information and seeing artifacts. There is a big plane inside and fake bunkers. I learned a lot and it made me feel proud of all of the people who participated. The sound effects were even surprising; I heard marching, a heart beating, and other sounds throughout the museum. After looking around, the three of us parted ways since my buddy has a lot of work to do and her friend is leaving for a trip around Asia soon - which sounded exciting.

The paper handed out in the printing room & the sticker we are given when entering

Close-up if the paper

The rest of the paper

 They have the day calendar sheets for important days of the Uprising. I chose two special days. ;)

September 28th & October 3rd ;)

Close-up of September 28th

The back of September 28th

October 3rd

Back of October 3rd

Some info sheets that are available throughout the museum

I decided just to do more exploration since I was not sure exactly where to go next and thought maybe just to see where my feet took me and what I might see along the way.

... Is it crass if I put this up?

A restaurant that I want to try

It is near a park/garden in a little strip-mall-like building with other small cafes and restaurants

Polish Radio; I also saw Polish Television

Money goose lays golden eggs... Happy Birthday, Mom. ;)

KB

I ended up riding buses to the Galeria Mokotow Mall and back. :-P I tend to end up at the mall when it becomes cold and I don't want to head back just yet.

So... why aren't you here yet, Mom? ;)

This mall has more than one of these bakeries alone (different places/companies)

A neat hamburger (and other food) stand at the mall; there is a "Real People, Real Food" (I think that was it) slogan; reminded me a bit of IKEA food

Hard to see, but this is a Pizza Hut. Yeah.

The grocery store at this mall has the better of the sweet potatoes I have found, plus a direct bus route to my dorm, which is why I tend to end up here. :-P It is a great mall, so I cannot choose between this and the other mall I have been to, but instead I would rather keep going and even check out other shopping places. :)

Now I am relaxing (my buddy even asked me after the museum why I was sad - I guess my face looked that way - and I said oh no, just tired. :-P I practiced some speaking and understanding of Polish with the girls, but I am working on it. They asked me why I came to Warsaw in the winter, but I hear New York and Connecticut were hit more with snow, so maybe I will take my cold and public transport. I had to come to Poland and this is what Fairfield offered. I know now that Spring over Fall Semester was a good choice as well.) I will look more through my "Do It In Warsaw" book since it is becoming dark out already. I hear the weather will stay cold for a bit longer, but while I was out the sun decided to join me. :) I was grateful. It also was not too cold; Friday was the worst recently.

Once again, Sto Lat (100 Years), Mamo (Mom)! :-D I wish you were here. That way you could have nice Polish desserts instead of me being there. :-P