From Old Town to Hard Rock

This blog will be in two parts, the first half will be a tour of Warsaw's famous Old Town, and the second, a report about the performance at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Part 1:

Before Hitler's invasion of Poland, Warsaw had a population of close to 700,000. In 1944 as the Russians were making ground on the Eastern front, a large contingent of Poles decided they wouldn't stand it any more and revolted against the occupying Nazi army.

There is a museum commemorating that event called the Resistance Museum.



The revolt lasted 60 days and the Nazis, showing no mercy, destroyed 75% of the area which was Old Town and the famous Warsaw ghetto. The Russians, knowing that the Polish resistance was pro-English/American, waited outside for the Nazis to take care of the problem so that when they entered Warsaw, they wouldn't have any resistance of their own.

Once that revolt had been put down, the population was reduced to about 100,000.

The Poles decided to rebuild Old Town back to its original grandeur using available photographs of the buildings and staying true to the original architecture. As a result then, most of Old Town is actually relatively "new", having been built since 1945, but it doesn't look at all like it.

Here is a picture of the King's Palace:



and nearby is a picture of the original palace after the Nazi decimation:



A street in Old Town



At the end of the above street is a beautiful square:





There were many cool shops and restaurants. One shop that caught my attention was a jewelry store featuring amber pieces





I seem to recall someone saying there are numerous amber mining areas in Poland. It makes sense as there were several of these stores.

Leaving Old Town and heading back to the Hard Rock, we found this Science and Technology building just across the street. The Russians built it for the Poles as an apology for their WWII hardships.



Warsaw is a beautiful, clean city. In the summer, the sidewalks are filled with cafe tables, people and charm. I'd love to come back here in warmer weather.

***************

Part II

Back at the Hard Rock, we did some final adjustments and before the first set, posed for a photo op with the famous Hard Rock logo in the background.



Some fans from the Embassy showed up early:



And once again, the band was great with a great crowd:





I thought it would be cool to have a photo of each member with the logo, so here goes:













and yours truly



Ben wanted to do his part:



More autographs followed the final set



After packing out we were treated to a delicious Lebanese dinner and once again found our beds to be a welcome sight at the Embassy quarters.

Tomorrow we pack for Brussels.

The adventure continues.

Thanks for being here with us,
Jerry