Zamek Królewski

Yesterday I took a little trip to the Royal Castle. I wanted to see an exposition of Polish and Saracen arms and armor, but (can you believe it) not enough people frequented the show, so its open hours had to be reduced. Of course no one bothered to post the change on the website! Not being interested in their permanent expositions (sorry, the rooms and furnishings of the Polish government in exile after WW2 seemed even lower on the general interest scale than arms and armor) I decided to check out the Castle another time. Nevertheless, I got this pretty cool shot of the Castle and Columna Zygmunta (King Zygmund's Column) in front. I've overheard a tour guide saying that should the King lower his saber the city will fall. I don't really know, but I would place that story's credibility right up there with the architect of the Sechenyi bridge purported suicide over lion tongues.
Instead of the Castle, I checked out this pretty cool cafe in the old town recommended by one of Olga's friends. The place is called Same Fusy, which refers to old tea leaves as well as a slang name for rejects. The cafe is a door front that quickly descends into the cellars, where the tables are located. The atmosphere there was amazing. I tried to capture the feeling of the place. A cool thing that you may be able to see is that the tables are made of some translucent stone and are lit from below.

Bar Mleczny

Grandpa and I went on another one of our walks through Warsaw. This time in to the Southern Centrum and Northern Mokotów. While we were talking about cars and fast women, we passed a number of cool buildings and streets. The first picture is of a very important circular church, which's name I forget. The cool thing about it, besides the circular layout, is that it extends underground to about where the picture was taken from.
A picture of a typical pre WW2 Warsaw street (or its rendition after the post war reconstruction).









A pretty cool restaurant front. The restaurant is called "Under The Giants."










We've also found one of the relics of the Socialist era - a milk bar. In these places you can buy for next to nothing all kinds of dairy based dishes, like pirogies, crepe pancakes with cheese, all kinds of noodles, and creme soups. Students and poor people used to attend these regularly before the dollar menu lowered the bar with grade F meat.
A unique thing is the way one orders. You chose your dishes from the menu and pay at the register, they give you a ticket, which then you carry to the kitchen window. A woman there rudely grabs it and disappears without a word. Some minutes later she appears with a plate of something and yells out the name of the dish. Now, since everyone is waiting for similar things people have to discuss who ordered first, though if you're quick you can simply swipe the dish before other people claim it.

Rybka

Last Wednesday we took a little trip into the country to get some fried fish for lunch. Driving on some of the 10miles of highways in Poland, we got a pretty nice view of the old town from the river Vistula.






A little further North, we crossed the river to get an equally unobstructed view of one of the largest water heating plants in Poland. The Żerań plant used to heat all of Warsaw at one point, though I think now there are more plants. The smoke stack is so high, I used to be able to see it from my old house on the other end of the city.


Way out of Warsaw there is this really cool looking restaurant build in an architectural style reminiscent of Polish buildings from the golden age of the Commonwealth. We haven't been there, but I've heard that the food is spectacular.





Driving back we saw some pretty great views of the countryside. I like seeing the contrast between the old fields and the "new" power grid installations.








And finally back in Warsaw. A view of the grand Socialist architecture. I must admit there is something pleasing and peaceful about these buildings to me. The sort of look like a formation of starships moving through space.

Łazienki

The Royal Gardens behind the presidential residence. Apparently the park these days is mainly frequented by tourists. I used to live just outside the park until I was four, so I'm not gonna count myself in their ranks. The clay paths you see become riddled with puddles after rains. Apparently when Mom would take me on walks in the park back in the day, my favorite thing to do much to her dismay, was to plop face down in these puddles and then have Mom carry me home dripping with mud.


The Royal Parks are also known for their peacocks. They are practically everywhere. We couldn't get any of them to open their fan, but got to listen to their calls which sound like something between a crying baby and a stepped on cat.






And of course, I couldn't leave the parks without taking a picture of the famous Chopin statue.















Across the street from the park are the offices of the Premier. For the past three days Polish nurses are camped out in front in a national strike. The strike is all over the Polish news, as the Premier is refusing to meet with them. On the other hand the nurses' delegation is refusing to leave the Premier's offices until he meets with them.


And just in case the nurses rowdy...

Szermierka

I was invited to a fencing practice and I finally made it out there yesterday. The practice conditions were a lot better than at kickboxing, though that prolly has to with the private nature of the institution. I did get to fence a little bit, though it was kinda frustrating - my body wouldn't do things exactly as I wanted. I took these pictures at the end of practice when everyone was warming down playing hockey with this little white woofleball. I remember playing this at my old elementary school, so I guess it's fairly common - yet very funny to watch.

Praha

Just got back from a weekend excursion to Prague - the beautiful city of old buildings, old buildings with tourists, and old buildings with, oh wait, more tourists. Not that I'm really in a position to complain (by now I'm quicker with the shutter button than a Japanese tourist), but really, I think I've heard more Polish, German, and English this entire weekend than Czech! Nevertheless, Prague is truly beautiful. Not having been bombed in WW2 like most European cities, many of the old buildings not only still exist, but are not riddled by old bullet holes. Here's a shot of Praha Castle as seen from the Charles Bridge. The Cathedral of St. Vitus is inside the castle itself.

Here's one of the pictures taken from the top of the Cathedral of St. Vitus bell tower. To get to the top one must climb up a continuous, narrow, winding staircase of 287 steps. The staircase is very dimly lit and in some places one has to climb up in total darkness, bumping into people climbing down. One quickly loses count of the steps and after a while has no idea how far off is the top - its a real relief to finally get there. On the way down, a few turns from the top, I found perverse pleasure in telling some Polish tourists they were only a third of the way up :)





Prague has many churches, especially in the old town. From the main square one can see this one. I'm not sure which Saint it honors, but it doesn't detract from it's Gothic beauty in my eyes. I made night shot of it as well, but here I love the contrast between the dark multi-towers and the bright summer sky.



As part of our sight-seeing we've wondered into the Museum of Communism. It was interestingly set up starting with the dream of Communism, the next sections showing the reality, then the nightmare of an authoritarian state, and finally the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia. One of the stories was that of Jan Palach, a student who burned himself alive on the steps of the National Museum to protest the Communist government. He was followed sometime later by Jan Zajic. The monument of a molten cross spanning two mounds was placed in their memory in front of the museum.





On our way to see the Bodies exhibit, where you can see human bodies dissected in the strangest way to show the anatomy of the human body, I saw this really cool sculpture. I guess after seeing about 50 sculptures of kings, knights, and saints, one yearns for a little humor.




On one of our crossings of the Charles Bridge, we've been caught by an incoming summer storm. Here's an awesome picture of the approaching weather. It doesn't really give justice to the howling winds, but you can get some idea by looking at the water.





Finally my favorite picture of a giant metronome! In the Communist era the Czechoslovakian government has spent astronomical sums of money on a giant head of Stalin overlooking the city. After the fall of Communism, the head has been detonated with explosive and in its place erected a giant metronome. We've climbed up a million stairs to the top of the hill to check it out. The place has an amazing view of Prague across the river and is the Czech equivalent of "lookout point" for couples.

Do Białego Rana

Last night was a big Wednesday night out. We started at Jadłodalnia, which is one of three clubs converted from an old garage complex. The places sell beer and cigarettes, but contrary to the name - no food. That has been provided by an entrepreneur serving gilled sausages by the half.
After a few hours there, these two guys joined us. One of them was Sebuś, the other's name I don't remember (but I'll gladly change this entry should the name come to light). Sebuś (the guy on the left) was truly an interesting character. Besides his jovial and easy going manner, he held the most superb command of Polish I've ever heard. Everything he said came out in a phrase or an unusual juxtaposition of words.
As the night went on, we tried engaging in a sort of party game where people take turns saying really mean (but funny of course) things to each other. I think at that point in the night we were all a little too tired to think of anything clever.
Finally, around 3:30AM it started getting light. As we were leaving by 5AM it was almost full on day light. Pesky Sun, why does it have to come up earlier in the North? We decided some breakfast would be nice, so started talking down Krakowskie Przedmieście (on of the streets leading to old town). Usually swarming with tourists and college students from the nearby Warsaw University, it was very surreal to see the street empty.
Finally we got to our break fast place - a bar called Bistro open 24 hours. Besides crazy mirrors, the place also has other attractions. For example, the menu is painted on the wall, the clients at that time of day are either looking for breakfast or that last 20th drink, and the bar tender/cook is a riot. Besides divulging many dirty secrets of the food industry, he was telling us that the record time anyone has ever stayed at that bar was 36 hours. Apparently the guy walked in, had a glass of wine, then would pass out an hour, wake up an order another one. After 36 hours of this he finally ran out of money and simply left.
On the way home we walked through Saski park with this giant fountain. After a little cajoling from our side (and some active encouragement for a passerby), Sebuś scaled it's parapets for this one of a kind picture. To top the night off, I couldn't help myself from taking another picture of the Palace of Culture in the morning haze.

Tęcza

The weather here has been refreshingly varied, at least as compared to Cali. We've been getting heavy summer storms about every other day, intermingled with 85F heat. Before one of the storms I was lucky enough to make it inside and as I was watching the storm from my balcony I saw the biggest rainbow ever - I couldn't even take a photo of the whole thing in one shot!

Pałac Kultury i Nauki

Here's a few pictures of, in my opinion, the most beautiful building in the world - the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. It was given to Poland by the Soviet Union and while there are other palaces similar to this one, the Polish one is the tallest and most elegant with its single dominating spire.
The story goes that the Russians gave us a choice of whether we would like a subway or the palace. I think we made the right choice, we've built the Metro on our own, but a palace like this one and in this style will never be built again. My favorite thing about the building, besides the layout and general structure, which is so much more interesting than the American sky scraper, is the attention to detail. Every part of the building, inside and out, is adorned in some way. Not richly, but simply and geometrically. I think the Russians had a real ideological problem on how to make something beautiful, but not opulent in the times of reaction against the bourgeois. There is no gold in the ornaments, but a lot of gray and dark gray marble and dark wood inside laid out in geometric designs. Another cool thing about the palace is this little cafe called "Kulturalna," or the cultured one. The inside has kept its original styling with a dark wood bar made to look "modern" in the 50's. You can take your drinks outside and hang out on a balcony looking out on the night lights of Warsaw.

Yesterday I decided to take a trip to my old 'hood. I have heard that much there has changed, but I thought that I still may be able to take a few nice shots where I grew up. Exhibit A is my old apartment building. Our place was the first from top (as can be seen through the perspective of this shot). When we lived there this was pretty much the edge of Warsaw and looking out out balcony you could see miles and miles of forests. The second shot is of the entrance to the apartment building. Above the entrance you can see three rods for flags. During the socialists era, Polish flags would be stuck at every building in threes.
Walking to my old school I took a panorama shot of the neighborhood. While the buldings by themselves are not particularly attractive to most people, the layout of the blocks, shops, parking areas and schools is quite spacious - something the new developments don't pay as much attention to.
The next picture is of my old school. I must say that for the nice graffiti and new athletic fields, not much has changed. Looking through the front door you can see cages on the lower level. Each class (a group of people you move with from one classroom to another for 8 years!) has its own lockable coat room. Next is a picture of a hallway with a ridiculously polished floor. I remember sliding across this floor for good 20 or 30 feet given a good start.
Next to the school is my old kindergarten. The second shot is of crazy playground structure built to resemble a ship. That ship has proven to be my nemesis at age four. In a battle lost I fell from it on my face, breaking my nose!

Since using my T-Mobile account in Poland is prohibitively expensive, I got a pay as you go simcard from a local provider called Play. Their logo is this crazy white and purple blob and they have the craziest adds with it all over Warsaw. Other adds feature the blob as a burger paddy or a cape - it's really nondescript. So I payed 30 PLN and got my card. Of course not knowing how little I actually paid, I was surprised to find my phone out of funds after a week. Theoretically you can replenish your account online, but not having a national ID card (and a credit card or a bank associated with it) that avenue of recourse is closed to me. So, I take a walk to the closes Play store to let cash do the talking. The store is in this super modern mall with a crazy organic room it took them two years to build (or something like that). Even on the way to the bathroom one has to walk down a provocative corridor. I would be pretty impressed, if it wasn't the 50th mall I've been in...
On the way back I found a contrasting example of the old with the new. The metal frame is used for beating dust out of carpets (and gossiping by the maids during the insuing noise). In the old days all the neighborhood kids would hang on these - sometimes even 10 or 15 at a time. No kids today, but now that I know where it is...

Yesterday I went to a BBQ organized at one of the Technical University dorms. Now before you accuse me of hanging out with undergrads, know that every student here graduates with a Masters (being essentially a grad student) :) Anyway, my friend Olga and her man knew some people there and when I heard that there was free food to be had, I just couldn't say no.
The free food was a sad little BBQ, of which I started making fun, until I smelled the many delicious kinds of Polish sausage sizzling on it. You can see the regular sausages, as well as this awesome blood sausage wrapped with onion in tin foil. I haven't eaten food like that in years!
I also took a shot of the people standing around just to give you the idea of the place. In the background you can see the dorms. The nice things about Polish dorms (as if the soviet era architecture wasn't enough) is that there are no restrictions on alcohol. Everyone showed up to the BBQ with a few bottles or cans of beer (curiously not sold in six packs) and some of the students brought out home made vodka they've been distilling in their rooms. That last was actually pretty good at the time, though I had second thoughts about it this morning :) By the end of the evening everyone was sitting around in a circle on the grass telling jokes and making fun of Polish politicians -the butt of local Polish jokes. Finally we've left and stopped at a club. The place was incredibly stuffy which got about 10 times worse when we went to the basement where the dance floor was. The music was pretty good, though an oddly European mix - lots of Grease and Micheal Jackson. Lots of people dancing together something than can be described as a mix of hip hop and swing. The guys were spinning the girls around left, right and around, which in the low oxygen content made me dizzy from just watching them :)

By popular request I'm posting a page about Politechnika Warszawska. The first picture is of the main building finished in 1801. In front of it is a little square named after the school (as is a tram stop and a metro station), really I think the school is the easiest place to find in Warsaw, especially considering the crazy street names. The inside of the building is an huge atrium. The school uses it to boost its budget by hosting all kinds of commercial events. They even hosted a launch of some Toyota model in Poland. How they got the car up and down those steps I'll never know. The top of the atrium is covered by a cool glass roof.
Unfortunately, I don't work in that building but in a communist era behemoth across the street. I took a quick picture of the hallway, which smells very, very clean, to give you an idea of the welcoming aspect of communist architecture. Next is a picture of one of my professors and her office, which I must say are much larger than in the states. I think this is a reflection of the much higher status of professors with respect to the students than is the case in the States. Across the hall is our lab. Each research group is lead by a full professor, who directs a small number of adjunct professors, and a number of PhD students. Each group like that has its own secretary, who in our case sits in a little room on the way to the lab. And finally a picture of the lab itself. The lab has just been remodeled and I'm told its a huge improvement. On the far left you can see my desk and beyond that a tiny wireless test bed. I must say that it is amazing they can produce world class research with as few resources as they have. As far as the students go, they are incredibly bright and motivated. I was showing them some of the simulation tools I've brought with me, and was really impressed with their knowledge of networking protocols and their details. Another thing that suprised me is their work schedule. Students here work about 12 hours a day, which includes an hour and a half lunch, and generally don't work on weekends. I can't even remember last time I haven't done work on Sunday (when I was in the States that is :).