Ujazdowski Park

I hope that you have enjoyed our visit in the botanic garden last week. Since we are already on Aleje Ujazdowskie, I though we could go a bit further to the North and see the Ujazdowski Park.

As you probably rememeber, Aleje Ujazdowskie are a part of the Royal Route of Warsaw. In winter it is beautifully illuminated. In summer time it is embellished with flowers.

Between the park and the garden runs a street that connects the left and the right bank of the Vistula river.

This bike station is in fact a rental point of city bikes called Veturilo. If you want to move around the city center of Warsaw without worrying about traffic jams and parking places this is definitely the best solution.

Let's have a look at a plan. It seems that the park is half blue (so covered with water) and half green.

We should be somewhere close to one of the biggest attractions - the little waterfall.

Indeed, it is really small.

Then comes the lake. It was designed by Wiliam Lindley. Rick has shown you some time ago his monument next to the Dancing Fountains.

The best view is from the little bridge in the back.

 

The second part of the park is mainly covered with lawns and flowers.

There are parts were roses are grown almost "wild" ...

... and others where the flowers are well disciplined into "carpets".

The most important monument is dedicated to Ignacy Jan Paderewski. He was one of the most prominent Polish pianists and composers. He was also the Prime Minister of Poland in 1919, at the dawn of its independence.

Next to the park you can find a little pecularity. These are the so-called Finnish houses, built in 1945 to accomade those who came to help rebuilding Warsaw after the nazis turned it into ruins. The houses really came from Finland, as part of war reparations to USSR.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little walk. Next week Rick will be back to take you to some new adventures. For the rest of the afternoon I plan to take another ray of light on one of these nice benches.

Botanical Garden in Warsaw

Hello everybody, it is Ralph again. Rick got a call from Aleksandra with whom he was in Canada and Helsinki. They are now on their way to a new country. Since I was already in Warsaw, he asked me to entertain you for a week or two.

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I will take you today to the botanical garden of the Warsaw University. In May, Rick has taken you to another one, located next to Warsaw, in Powsin. But the one I will take you to is much older, it was founded in 1818.

Next to the main entrance you can see the Astronomical Observatory of the Warsaw University. It is pretty old as well, since it was founded in 1825. At that time it was one of the most advanced observatories in Europe.

After entering the garden you will immediately notice the sweet smell of roses.

They are here in all colours. A little tip at the beginning, if you want to learn more about a plant look for a little information card next to it. The card will show you the Polish name, the Latin name and the origins of the plant. A red tag indicates an endangered species.

In summer time, the garden is full of colourful plants. This part represents the species typically found in gardens in the Kurpie region.

One of the benefits of the fact that the garden exists already for 200 years is that it is the house of many very old trees. Like this beech ...

... or this maple. Looking at its size I can only guess it could give a swimming pool of maple syrup.

Talking of swimming pools. The garden includes a section dedicated to water plants, including my favourite water lilies.

You can also see here little lakes, covered with duckweed. I believe Rick has shown it to you in natural environment, in the Biebrza National Park.

And look, here come lilies again, this time in the ground not in water. I just love this smell.

With so many flowers, the garden is obviously the house of many hard working insects called apidae (or simply bees). To help them, people have created for them small houses where they can lay eggs. I know it does not look like a typical beehive. This is because most of these bees do not live in colonies. They also do not make honey.

This huge green plant in the middle is the biggest of this type in the world. It is called Gunnera manicata and can be higher than a man.

Personally I am not really fond of green plants, I prefer plants with flowers in vibrant colours, like these fuchsias.

Speaking of flowers. I was told at the entrance that in this part of the year, the greatest jewels of the garden are the dahlias. Here they are.

And even more over there.

In the old days people used to come to this garden to find rest and peace of mind. They could then meditate in this little temple.

Unfortunately the temple undergoes now as you see some refurbishment. So I propose we sit next to the fountain.

Let's enjoy the sunlight and think of all the magnificent dahlias blooming just for me and you.

Copernicus Planetarium

I have complained some time ago that I never had time to visit the Copernicus science center. Recently I have received an e-mail from my cousin Ralph.

He has visited Warsaw during the summer break. We did not manage to meet since I was travelling so he took the time to visit the center himself. I hope you will enjoy this little tour. I still hope to see it myself soon.

He wrote me that he really liked the building and its colours. So do I.

The center is located next to the bank of the Vistula river.

If you would take the Świętokrzyski bridge ...

... you would come close to the National Stadium that we have visited together during EURO 2012.

Inside the Copernicus center there is a living robot. When it is angry its eyes turn red.

And when it is happy its eyes are shining and it waves its hand.

The main goal of Ralph's visit was the Planetarium.

I have no clue where this machine could take us. But I am sure Baron Munchausen would love it.

This is the entry to the dome theater.

It is called dome theater because the planetarium is hidden under a dome.

The films are projected from a round-shaped projector.

Unfortunately it is not allowed to take pictures during the movie. So all we can show you is a shot made available at the website of the Planetarium. Love my friends, all you need is love.

Royal Castle of Warsaw

I believe that I have taken you more than once to the Old Town in Warsaw. But it seems that I have never taken you inside the Royal Castle.

Big mistake of mine! I am still on my way - let's keep it as a surprise but I am flying back to Asia now. I have however found out that Mike is still in Warsaw and he has agreed to be your tour guide around this amazing place. So enjoy and see you next week!

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Hello everybody, it's Mike again. Since I am back to Warsaw and the weather is nice, I decided to take a walk in the Old Town, down the city walls.

On the other side of this paved road there is a moat that is more or less the limit of the Old Town of Warsaw in the strict sense, as approved by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site.

The Royal Castle stands, no surprise, on the Castle square, walled by nice residential buildings.

Next to the castle there is a tunnel that leads to one of the bridges over the Vistula river.

The reason why the castle and the various buildings around it are so special is that they were all destroyed by bombs during World War II. Here you can spot the difference.

Its reconstruction started in 1971 and lasted almost fifteen years. Today, we can again admire the castle in its full beauty.

Let's take the gate just below the clock and enter the inner courtyard.

As you have probably guessed, in the old days the castle used to be a royal residence. Today it is a museum that houses the remainings of the past glory. Unfortunately many pieces of art were lost during centuries, stolen or destroyed during many wars endured by the castle. The last one was of course the worst one. Still, you can admire the Brussels tapestries dating from the middle of the sixteenth century.

The candelabras and chandeliers are not always authentic - in some cases only a small part was rescued from bombs and thieves. But you can get an idea of what the place looked like a few centuries ago.

The paintings on the ceilings are of course reproduced recently. No walls remained after the bombing.

Also the paintings and the sculptures are not in all cases historical, at least not entirely. But the employees of the castle back in 1939 made miracles to save whatever they could.

Obviously in a royal castle the most important part is the place where the kings lived. You can see a reconstruction of the royal dining room ...

... and the royal bedroom.

Here comes the chapel ...

... and the gambling room. Great floor, isn't it?

I was however most impressed by the royal thrones. I actually found four of them. But maybe there are some more, who knows? This one is in the Old Audience Chamber. I think it is the most modest of all.

This one in the Council Chamber, a place where the Permanent Council were held. It was a kind of government, with the king as prime minister.

Then comes the Senate Chamber, where of course the Senate or the upper chamber of the parliament was meeting.

And since the king was leading such meetings he needed yet another throne.

I was a bit surprised to find out that the lower chamber of the parliament, the Deputies' Chamber, was also having its room in the castle. But no throne this time. And the banks did not seem very comfortable. Maybe it is a good idea in the end that could speed up the legislative process.

Finally comes the Throne Room. The white eagle is the national symbol of Poland. they were embroidered with silver thread.

In the basement of the castle you can watch some installations and exhibitions about the history of the building and its reconstruction. You can also see what has remained of the original walls. Not so much unfortunately.

But remember the shape the place had in 1945.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little tour. We can leave the castle by the side porch and take a nice walk around the old town - in the back you can spot the Sigismung Column, commemorating Sigismund III Vasa, the king who has turned Warsaw into the capital city of Poland.

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Thanks Mike! See you next week my friends for another exciting trip.