As we approached Frankfurt Airport, I was struck by the beauty of the land beneath. There were acres and acres of lush, hilly farmland surrounded by clumps of forest. There were railroad tracks throughout, and I couldn’t help but think of the millions of prisoners who were transported to their deaths on some of those same lines. As we approached the city, the landscape changed dramatically. My eyes were drawn to the Stalinist Architecture of the Soviet-era apartment blocks. (Known in Poland and The Czech Republic as “Rabbit Boxes.”) This was not like home.
Our flights were long but uneventful. The good news is that our luggage made it, too. (I really enjoyed tracking it with AirTags.) We flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt, switched planes and arrived in Warsaw about 2:30 p.m. I wasn’t too impressed with the German people at the Frankfurt Airport, but the Polish are friendly so far.
We were exhausted but did a little sightseeing after checking in. We are staying in the heart of Warsaw, just a few blocks from the Old Town.
We have only been here for five hours, and I’ve already prayed for you in three different churches. (All of them are within walking distance of our hotel.)
Our first stop was Holy Cross Church. This was the biggest of the churches. The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin’s heart is buried in one of the interior columns.
Our second stop was at The Church of St. Joseph of the Visitationists and, finally, The Church of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, also known as The Carmelite Church. (Mass was happening at The Carmelite Church, so I didn’t take any interior shots, but we’ll return.) Each one was magnificent, but the most impressive thing was that they were all blocks away from each other.
Note: I’ve used the English versions of the names here because I can neither spell nor pronounce them in Polish.
After prayers, we walked to the edge of the original portion of Warsaw and found the monument for the border of the Warsaw Ghetto. We will see more of it tomorrow, but being in that area was remarkable.
Curtis and Linda (my brother and sister-in-law) have arrived in Warsaw (via Dallas and London) and are currently en route to the hotel. We are going to eat a meal and head to bed.
