Wet and cold again, by 5pm quite dark and the cold was getting more intense, seeping into my bones and stinging my fingers through my gloves. Some tell me snow is expected later in the week - how does that work - does it have to rain first or stop raining first?...
Got on the subrban bus and rode it to its end at a huge park "Wilenow" where there is also a museum/palace of the same name. Lots of golden leaves falling into mush on the paths, a river slinking along with a secret current pulling under the surface, dark black clouds that parted briefly to reveal the sunlight and reflect off the remains of red roses, lavender and white wisteria.
Arbour pathway to the river - perfect for couples
The parks are quite beautiful but empty at this time of the year. The garden beds are being mulched over and maintenance work carried out. Who'd want to be a landscaper or plumber in the winter... Haven't seen any squirrels or other animals in the parks either. Some bird calls, but no bodies visible...
There were many paths winding through tree arbours with the green and golden leaves joining overhead. Strategically placed statues, benches, bridges and waterways all kept the eye interested. I can imagine the lanes full of couples in summer, wandering hand in hand. And then I walked out onto the river bank with the park to my left, ducks swimming at my feet and right at the apex of the view were four HUGE industrial chimney stacks...
Nature meets industry
Travelling out on the bus was very interesting. Obviously I only saw the main streets that the bus ran along, but the housing was all 4-6 story apartment buildings with a few higher. Everything post war of course. Grass and trees between the buildings but no gardens - they seem to be reserved for in the parks. Some units had tiny balconies. Most had small stores in the ground floor selling necessities. A bit of a cross between a convenience store, newsagent and clothing outlet. Most had security grills like in NT and many were closed up. In some spots graffiti and vandalism were bad and in others there was significant refurbishment underway.
Right next to a huge modern shopping mall and cinema complex was a hotch-potch of slum-like lean-tos with dirt floors and plastic weather protection selling all manner of market goods - could have been Peru, South Africa, Bali... the contrast between have and have-not was stark. I think people actiually bought from the market on the way to, or from, the shopping mall. Two distinct economies...
Near to the city and surrounding the central parks there are some beautiful stately buildings - not sure if they are homes, businesses, apartments. Some seem to be empty, some beautifully maintained... Certainy I noticed some are embassies.
I think it's the equivalent of the Queensland Club - Palace Sobanskich
The bus on the way back in the late afternoon got more and more crowded with the peak hour workers. My impression of the people was that the young women are generally very slim and well presented. Jeans with boots and coats but no head wear was the standard. The older women were more size 14 and a real mix of skin types. Generally not wrinkled in the face but aging through jowels and tissue paper skin. But then someone would get on with heavily weather affected skin like us and I could only think maybe they had worked in rural outdoor tasks.No-one seemed old enough to have been alive during the war years. In fact I haven't seen any really old people, but then would I on public transport and walking in the street? Probably not... The young men are a mixed bunch. They still favour those jeans that look like they are about to fall off. Few working men on the bus. I guess they drive, but where they park is a good question... And few grandfathers... Men did mostly wear hats of some type.
Far more women than men visible in the streets. Not particularly tall people. And quite a varied group of facial features. All hair colours, and face shapes. Very few Asians or Africans. I haven't yet noticed any identifiable Jews but this may change tomorrow when I go to the Jewish Cemetery.
The Wilenow Palace is an interesting collection. While it is actually an ornamented palace and quite gregarious in decoration it is heavily orientated towards museum in its displays. 100's of portraits of all the past royalty and important people from 1600's on. It was ransacked and damaged by the various regimes (both Genrman and Soviet) and when restoration work commenced quite a bit of original decoration - reliefs and murals - was discovered behind cladding. The Chinese wing was glorious and the formal rooms on the ground floor quite magnificant. Hard after seeing some of the English and French Palaces to enjoy this without comparison. Restoration work is ongoing and interestingly in the list of sponsors was "Iceland" - hope they got the cash up front....
Wilanow Palace
PS Crossing the street in Warsaw as a pedestrian is very safe. At the lights you not only have a green man but a pedestrian crossing marked. And cars DON'T cross until EVERYONE is across. And I had to cross a normal pedestrian crossing today without lights, on a four lane road with no median strip... All four lanes stopped for me - they were probably doing 80klicks and no screetching or rushing through. Amazing!
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