back in Old Town we take a different route leisurely heading back toward our hotel. the houses are all unique and equally charming as the ones on the other streets. this is Poland so of course there are some jewelry shops featuring amber
lots of amber in all sizes and designs
and every house with different facades and entrances
and so much attention to detail
we arrive back at Castle Square and see people entering what i was sure a government or university building. we had been in quite a few different churches but not any political or academic buildings so we decide to have a look. to my surprise we had entered yet another astounding church. This is St. Anne's church, with the most ornate rococo interior imaginable.
i find myself wondering how much of this is gilded and how much pure gold
first when we turn to exit do we notice the awesome organ. we were told that the church has excellent acoustics so it is a great place for concerts. i can believe that but we were leaving before dawn in the morning so it will have to be on another visit.
obviously the presidential palace has guards that stand watch but we were more impressed with the sculptures of the lions
we pass statues of horses with or without riders and museums and cultural and government buildings as we enter the more modern section of downtown
we make our way toward the Palace of Culture and Science which was built by the soviets as a 'gift of friendship'. you can imagine the nature of that friendship and how it tainted the locals attitude toward the dominating structure. for years it was the tallest building in Poland
but when this towering structure nearby was erected it overtook the prestigious title
anyway the lift up to the 30th floor of the Palace offers a commanding view of the city in all directions
back on the ground we stopped at a fountain featuring lovely dolphin figures
and in the park adjoining the Palace complex there's another larger fountain catching the afternoon sun
a ring of lion's heads shoot jets of water from their mouths and they all converge in the center.
beyond the park lies the old domed church that we saw from above in the tower.
on the way back toward the hotel we dropped into this appealing fun shop
we had an early dinner in one of the many restaurants of plac Zamkowy and by the time we finished Castle Square was lively with street performers, hawkers and folks out for an enchanting end of summer evening.
that concludes our day in Warsaw. thanks for joining us
