Cj Bane: Jan 10, 2012

The heart of Warsaw

The monument of Frederic Chopin´
in Lazienki park

The palace, known as "The Palace on the Isle" is built on a lake

I read and heard about the story of the mermaid, the symbol of Warsaw. Accordings to the legends( and am telling you there are different version of this legend, but each version were kind of close enough and still its interresting to hear and read. ) there were two mermaids who lived in the Baltic Sea. These half-fish, half-women were beautiful sisters who had spent their whole existence in the sea, apparently both got bored and one day decided to come ashore. The elder sister head to the Danish straits and so she sits at the entrance to the port of Copenhagen to this very day (I don't know yet the legend of Copenhagen mermaid but I'll try to find out). The younger mermaid swam first to the port of Gdansk, from there, she decided to swim to its very end of the Vistula river. She stopped swimming on the riverbank near the Old Town to rest. She found the place so admirable that she decided to stay. Local fishermen living nearby noticed that something was creating waves, tangling nets, and releasing their fish. Although their original intention was to trap the offender, they fell in love with the Mermaid upon hearing her sing. Later, a rich merchant trapped the Mermaid and imprisoned her in a wooden hut. A young fisherman heard the Mermaid’s cry and with the help of his mates, released her, whereupon she declared her readiness to offer fishermen her help whenever it would be needed. Ever since, the Mermaid, armed with sword and shield, has been ready to help protect the city and its residents.

The symbol of Warsaw

Syrenka in Starego miasta/ The mermaid
in the old town square

Here you can read the legend of Warsaw

Warsaw Poland (part II)

...as we continue...here are more photos from Warsaw rainy trip.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw/ Zamek Królewski w Warszawie
The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices
of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from the
16th century until the Partitions of Poland.
In its long history the Royal Castle was repeatedly devastated
and plundered by Swedish, Brandenburgian,German and Russian armies
Nowadays, the Castle serves as the Museum and is subordinated to the Ministry of Culture
and National Heritage. Many official visits and state meetings are held in the
Royal Castle, too. Over 500,000 people visit the Royal Castle every year
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Castle,_Warsaw)

St. Johns Cathedral

The Old town square in Warsaw

Warsaw Barbican

Warsaw Barbican is located between the old and new town square
and is one of the major tourist attraction.

A Rainy day in Warsaw Poland (part I)

Two years ago my fiance and I visited Poland. We stayed four days in Warsaw ...the rain did not stop us from roaming around the city. It seems like the history of Poland is everywhere around the city. Some Polish people adviced us to visit also Krakow because when it comes to history of Poland Krakow has much more to offer. Travel to Krakow is definitely on our list but as of now I'll share some photos of this beautiful Warsaw.

We walked...and walked...and walked... and took a lot of pictures.