Amsterdam to Warsaw - Saturday, 18 June 2016

That was a night with no sleep. Usually, I can sleep on the plane, but even with the alcoholic beverages for dinner, sleep eluded me. I think it was because it was so hot. Read a bit and watched a few snippets of movies, but really was so restless.

Arrived in Amsterdam on time. Went through passport control and then headed to the gate. We got in about 6:00 and our flight to Warsaw wasn't til 9:45. Very different custom that boarding gates don't open until an hour before departure. So we walked arount to find an appropriate place to sit and while away the time.

Finally, we were on board and airborn on time. It was a short flight to Warsaw and we were anxious to have that flight behind us so we don't have to spend any more time in airports until 3 weeks.

We were met by a representative of GCT and taken to the hotel which will be home for the next. couple of nights.

Freshened up a bit and then out to explore the Old Town Section . We followed Rick Steve's walking tour. You really can never go wrong with Rick.

Our first landmark was THE PALM TREE. Originally intended to be a tribute to the palm trees of Jerusalem, it has become a fixture in Warsaw. Across the street from it was a statue of Charles DeGaulle.

We saw the statue of Coepernicus that the Russians had stolen, but since have given back. Right next to it was one of the Chopin benches. These mark famous incidents in Chopin's life and even play music.

There was a protest march support of abortion rights  that really was spriited and peaceful. Further down the main street, Novy Swiat, were shops, restaurants, and people strolling on a Saturday afternoon. Of course, we had to stop to get one of the Polish treeats, a sweet jelly filled donut at the famous Blikle Pastries.

Further down the street was the Church of the Holy Cross, a beautiful church that has a remarkable carving of Pope John Paul II, the heart of Chopin and a tribute to Polish POWS.

The next prominent landmark on our walk were the gates to Warsaw University.

We went back to the hotel for our welcome drink reception and to wait for Barbara and Charles who were enduring the most horrible trip. They finally got in around 6:30, but without their luggage.
So we headed off to get some dinner at a wonderful Polish restaurant - Zapiecek where we had piergoies, sauerkraut and mushroom stew and a beef goulash with potato pancakes.

 Back to the hotel for some sleep.

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