After the Death Camps

On Thursday morning after yesterday's visit to the death camps it was time to recover after a very long day, reflect, write up the blog and have a relatively quiet day. However we knew that there was more to see in Warsaw. Our first visit was just across the square from where we were staying and we climbed to the top of St Annes Church Tower and later we walked to The Palace of Culture and Science. An imposing tall building apparently donated by the Soviets to the people of Poland. That was kind of them bearing in mind the control that they exerted over their dominions. A lift took us up thirty levels where we could view the city.

Then a two tone beer in a jug. A novel idea

Then Hard Rock Cafe it just had to be done. It should not be missed! Michelle ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. It looked very drab to me when it arrived and I ordered a Hurricane. Well, it is supposed to be tall and strong and it proved to be very colourful. It tasted very good too.


We bought T shirts from the shop and moved on.

We found an Irish Bar with repetitious Irish ballads, very dreary interior and not good Guinness and we left after one glass.

Returning home we poured ourselves a drink and reflected on the day and what the objectives for tomorrow we will achieve.

On Friday 17th at 11am we started out. It has been along time coming, but eventually I stood at the door of 32/34 Rasblat where relatives on my mother's side once lived. A strange feeling, but looking at he surroundings they were not poor. They survived because they were not Jewish and were possibly Catholic. The research goes on.



And now some birding at last. We met Dorota our guide for the afternoon on the other side of the Vistula from our Old Town apartment. This side of the river does not have an embankment and has a sandy beach with an area of trees that runs along the river for 130 kilometers and is now a national park. I wanted to do the local birding trip on our first day, but this was not possible. If we had the local knowledge on our first day then we could have done - possibly - more local birding.

We enjoyed our stroll along the riverside and with Dorota's keen eyes we saw and correctly identified the following:

Hawfinch and we saw one more later - a first for MME
Siskin
Pied Wagtail
Great Tits were calling and seen.
Blue Tits as well
Field Fares flew
Male Chaffinch
Tree Creeper
Male Goosander on the river, then two more later on.
(Another first for us)
Mallards
Black-headed Gulls
Wood Pigeon
A Cormorant and a Grey Heron flew down the river.
A Sparrow Hawk flew as it was being mobbed by the Hooded Crows.

Dorota knew where a Peregrine Falcon can be seen. We were lucky because after a kill one was perched on a church - stunning views through the scope. This was not a nesting site and it appears to be a wintertime perch.

One hundred and fifty geese flew over, but not identified and they were flying the wrong way!

There was a lot of evidence where a Black Woodpecker had been stripping bark to feed on the insects beneath and where a Beaver had chewed into trees. Also footprint of a Wild Boar in the sandy shore. Obviously the river acts as a wildlife highway. She also said that Beaver can be seen at night and sometimes Elk.

Up river and down river of Warsaw there are sandy islands which are protected reserves where birds can breed.

On the down side there is a minister that is not eco friendly and is one of the hunting, fishing and bloody shooting brigade. It is what we have to keep fighting against.

Then a short tram ride into the Old Town and opposite our apartment the best bar in Town. Green Lager for her tinged green for Paddy´s Day and a dark Polish beer for me.



After so many or three we ate and returned for another early night,

On Saturday we travel east to Bialowieźa and the Biebrza Marshes with Wild Poland to see what the primeval forest and Marsh can show us. Then we return to Warsaw and overnight in a hotel then return to Spain on Sunday.