Warsaw Day 2

Jim's photos do not show the hoards of tourists in the Polish capital. Like the rest of Europe, tourism has grown in an enormous way in the past 20 years. Saturday morning's attractions, on another bright, sunny day were twofold. Our tour of the Royal Castle was amazing, particularly since it was totally destroyed by the Germans in 1944 during the famed "Uprising." Parquet floors with 20 different types of wood, marble-walled rooms and two profound, soul-searching Rembrandt portraits are some of the treasures, along with a room containing 22 views of this city by Canaletto. Most of the best rooms were designed and built during the reign of Poland's last king, Stanislas Poniatowski. After the castle, we heard an organ recital in St. John's Cathedral, including works by Bach, Vivaldi and others. After a rest, we walked to the Chopin Museum. In a 17th century palace, this huge collection of sound bites, images and memorabilia (includes manuscripts) highlighted the life and career of Poland's greatest composer. Chopin has been close to my heart for most of my life, and I still think he's the most significant composer for piano, and one of the all-time masters of music. We had a very authentic Polish dinner afterwards, back in the "Old Town." - Dan