WARSAW

This city has provided us with an intense history lesson.
In WWII, Poland was invaded by the Germans from the west on 1 Sept 1939 and although Poland fought the attack, the Soviets invaded from the east on 17 Sept. Poland continued to fight on two fronts until it surrendered on 28 Sept 1939.
The Polish people were forced to live in a large Ghetto area, with daily rations set to 669 calories (184 for Jews). Many died of starvation.
In 1943 the Gestapo was given authority to shoot people on suspicion of wrong doing and street roundups and public executions were a daily occurrence.
Our visit to the Warsaw Uprising museum this afternoon provided a graphic insight into the atrocities endured by Polish people. With the fall of communism in Poland the people have erected monuments and plaques to remember the numbers executed by Nazis.

This morning we visited the Old Town of Warsaw, which has been rebuilt following its almost total destruction in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
The area is full of sidewalk restaurants and cafes, along with stalls and stores along the narrow, pebbled streets.
Lunch today was 'pierogo', a traditional Polish food, pockets of dough filled with meat, cabbage, mushrooms or cheese, enjoyed at a tiny restaurant at Old Town.
This evening we enjoyed a Chopin piano recital with a glass of champagne, followed by dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
Poland is generally very cheap. The local currency is zloty. Chicken breast fillet with salad cost approx AUD$5.

It has been a very interesting day!