Quiet Weekend

We enjoyed a quiet weekend this weekend (probably one of our last for a while!). On Saturday night we went to a dinner party at Sarah's house (from the British Embassy). She laid on some lovely food and we had a great time. Another guest, Emma (also from the British Embassy) is also pregnant, so her and Amy sat on the sofa like bookends :)

On Sunday we went to a really nice park near our apartment which has just re-opened after closing for renovations. The afternoon was really sunny, but around 4pm there was a huge storm which seems to have blown down a few trees throughout Warsaw.

Concrete Legacy and Wedding!

Today we went to see an exhibition that had recently opened at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Warsaw called 'Concrete Legacy'.

The exhibition looked at the huge expansion of concrete estates that sprung up throughout Poland both after the second World War and throughout Communist Times. It was incredible to see videos of 'fabryczny domow' (housing factories) which literally built ready made walls - complete with windows and doors!

The exhibition was really extensive and we really enjoyed it. Unfortunately not all of it was translated into English (there were interviews with architects asking them how they felt about their 'work' now for example) but we got the idea.

In the afternoon we went to the wedding of Kinga and Tomek (a couple from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) who Amy knows. The wedding was at 5pm and the church was packed to the rafters. We managed to miss the start of the wedding in traditional manner (the taxi didn't show up!) but fortunately being a long Catholic wedding we didn't miss too much!

Polonia Warszawa v LKS Lomza

Going to a Polish football game when 9 months pregnant would probably not come high on the list of recommendations from any doctor. Especially when the game is in the Polish 2nd division and the match tickets cost 15 zloty (about 3 quid or 6 bucks).

Last night though we went to watch Polonia play Lomza. Fortunately it was quite a nice atmosphere, and we sat two seats away from a similarly pregnant lady (no doubt dragged there by an equally persistent husband!)

The game started with VERY polite applause amongst the 1,500 crowd and I was a bit worried that the atmosphere was going to be a bit serene, but on kick-off people were standing, singing, shouting, waving scarves etc and things livened up a fair bit.

Polonia went behind to a shock early goal, but then dominated throughout much of the match. They were still 1-0 down at half time, but got an equaliser early in the second half and then (despite a very fussy referee) scored the winner in the 77th minute. We were rapt!

Polonia are now 2nd in the league (after 3 games played). It was a nice way to spend a warm summer's evening. Not sure whether we'll be so keen (or able!) on a rainy November night!

To see a few more pics of the evening. Click here.

Wilanow Poster Museum

We took a trip this afternoon (after the doctors) to the poster museum in Wilanow every couple of years they have a big exhibition of all of the latests works by Polish designers. Some of the posters were fantastic (some were just a bit odd) but we really enjoyed the wide variety and clever designs.

Wilanow (where the museum is situated) is a beautiful part of Warsaw. It was previously the Royal country residence. It has long since joined up with the rest of the Warsaw conurbation, but it's still a really nice relaxing spot.

Amy at 38 weeks!

As promised here is a nice snap of Amy on our balcony. As you can see her tum has expanded since last month! All we have to do now I guess...is wait! :)

We had another trip to the doctors this morning (our usual doctor is on her hols). All appears to be fine and Amy is enjoying her first day off work!

Tomasz Stańko

As part of the 63rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, Tomasz Stańko (a famous Polish Jazz trumpeter) performed a free concert on Saturday evening in the Old Town Square.

We went along to watch (complete with camping stools!) and had a really nice evening. The square was really packed and even though we didn't get to see much of the stage it was nice to listen to (v.cool) Jazz on a warm summer evening.

Amy is beginning to feel the weight of our baby now. Fortunately Friday was her last day at work, so we're both a bit hopeful that she'll get a bit of rest before the baby arrives - I'll take another shot of her tummy in the next day or so, which I'm sure you'll be far more interested in....than reading about Tomasz Stańko!

Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising

Today was the anniversary of the Warsaw uprising. It was the blackest moment in Warsaw's history, which was fought over 63 days during 1944. Throughout the uprising around 200,000 Polish civilians were killed mostly from mass murders by retreating German troops. The uprising was only planned to last for a few days until the Soviet forces arrived. But instead the Poles were left to fight with little outside assistance until both they and their city were destroyed.

Warsaw (and now the whole of Poland) commemorates the uprising on 1 August at 5pm (W - hour) which signified the start of the battle.

There is a rather eerie horn sounded throughout the city and absolutely everybody stops in silence to remember. People leave flowers, wreaths and candles on the numerous monuments throughout the city. I was at the Little Insurgent, just outside of Warsaw's medieval walls.