Departed with United Airlines on June 14, 2005 for Warsaw via Frankfurt. To offset increased fuel costs some airlines will jam as many passengers as is possible in an aircraft. The seat configuration on ours was such that if the passenger in front of you reclined his seat, you needed to be a contortionist to get out of yours. It was a full flight and it made the time on board an absolute torture. We finally arrived in Warsaw the next morning and transferred to the Radisson SAS Hotel. Unpacked, showered, took a nap and attended a welcome dinner to meet our tour director and traveling companions.

June 16, 2005. Refreshed we set off on a Warsaw city tour. The city was virtually destroyed during World War II. The construction and rebuilding that has been ongoing since the end of the war is palpable and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 quite impressive. It is an intriguing blend of historic preservation and progressive renovation. The old town with its narrow streets, charming houses and cobblestone old marketplace is truly amazing.

We drove down the Royal Road which starts from the Royal Palace at one end to Lazienki Park at the other. Shown below are some pictures taken while driving.

Mementos of Jewish life were almost totally obliterated during World War II by the Nazis. In 1940 Warsaw Jews, and those deported from many places throughout Western Europe, found themselves enclosed behind the walls of the ghetto. Its population reached one half of a million people who vegetated under terrible conditions. Mass deportations to the death camps started in 1942. When word got back to the ghetto of what was happening its population had been reduced to 60,000 Jews. Under the leadership of Mordechaj Anielewicz they decided to resist. This became known as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. On May 8th, 1943 after an admirable defense, knowing they could not prevail, the bunker at Mila 18 Street fell, together with their commander to the last man. A Heroes of the Ghetto Memorial a simple slab of dark granite stands in the heart of what was the Jewish Ghetto.

The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was a heroic 63-day struggle undertaken by the Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation. At the time Allied troops were breaking through in Normandy and the Red Army was standing across Warsaw on the Vistula River. Seeing this the Polish resistance decided it was the right time to shed the Nazi yoke. Stalin cynically ordered the Red Army not to intervene and prohibited any Allied aid from reaching the Home Army. He calculated that in letting the Germans smash the uprising it would make resistance to his plans for the post war occupation of Poland easier.  Although Churchill tried several times he failed to get Roosevelt to act. No wonder the Poles feel they were betrayed twice. In 1939 by the English and French and again in 1944 by the English and the Americans. The Heroes Square Memorial is dedicated to all those who fought for their freedom in the Warsaw Uprising.

June 17, 2005 Leisure day. Went to the gym and then shopping. Still jet lagged we rested in the afternoon. In the evening we enjoyed a delightful all Chopin concert played in a XIX century Manor situated outside Warsaw. After the recital, an exquisite dinner was served in this historic manor's dining room .

June 18, 2005. After an early breakfast we drove to Czestochowa for a visit to the 14th-century Jasna Gora monastery. The monastery is a fortified complex of buildings established in 1382 when prince Wladyslaw Opolczyk invited Paulist monks from Hungary to protect the famous painting now known as Our Lady of Czestochowa. It is hard to believe that five million visitors come to the monastery annually to see this painting also named the Black Madona. It has several legends associated with it, including that it was painted by St. Luke on wood taken from a table used by the Holy Family.

We arrived late in the afternoon in Krakow and checked in at Radisson SAS Krakow. In the evening in a private dining room at the hotel a delicious dinner was served. A local group entertained us with folkloric singing and dancing.

June 19, 2005. After breakfast we attended an excellent lecture on "Krakow in the Time of Copernicus". We then spent the rest of the morning on a walking tour of Krakow. The city survived World War II with little damage and the city center stands today much as it did in medieval days. The Wavel Castle is a beautiful complex with a commanding view of Krakow.

June 20, 2005. We steeled ourselves for what we knew would be a very emotional visit to Auschwitz. We learned that at first the camp was used to imprison Poles. Soon thereafter, Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, and prisoners of other nationalities were also incarcerated there. Beginning in 1942, the camp became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity. Perpetrated against the European Jews men, women and children were sent to their deaths in the Birkenau gas chambers, I cannot begin to express my indignation, deep anger, the utter revulsion and disgust it aroused in me again seeing the site where this all happened. Something that warmed my heart was a large number of visiting soldiers in full uniform, representing units of the Israeli Armed forces treading the camp grounds. To me it was a small measure of paradoxical justice and a sense of historical retribution.

June 21, 2005. After breakfast we headed to Zakopane a quaint picturesque little town at the foothills of the Tatra Mountains. It offered some striking wooden architecture and a beautiful church named after Pope Paul II. During and after a delicious lunch we were treated to folklore singing and dancing.

June 22, 2005. After an early breakfast we started our 370-mile ride to Prague. The drive took us through some lovely river valleys and vineyards that produce some of the best Czech wines. Checked in the Don Giovanni Hotel, we met for a welcome drink and then enjoyed an exquisite dinner at a local restaurant.

June 23, 2005. Started the day with a very informative lecture by Dr. Jana Kucerova on "The Czech Republic's 40-year Transition from Communism to Capitalism". While other European Capitals were leveled during World War II Prague survived virtually intact. We began our tour with a visit to Wenceslas Square, the Old Town with wonderful Gothic and Baroque buildings and watched the hourly change of the representation of Christ on the famous 15th-century astronomical clock.

June 24, 2005. This morning we started with a visit of Hradcany-the Castle District. A massive complex of palaces, churches and museums that span six centuries. At the conclusion of our visit we considered Prague the loveliest Eastern European Capital.

A short walk from Old Town is the Charles Bridge lined with statues and ornate lampposts. It affords magnificent views of the Castle and the city skyline.

That afternoon we visited Sychrov Castle an 18th-century royal residence. An extensive reconstruction and restoration of castle exteriors, interiors, and the park has been done with the objective of making the castle look as close to its original form. In 1820 The Duke of Rohan became the owner of Sychrov Castle which remained in the family until confiscated in 1945 by the Czech government.

After a private concert in the castle's chapel we were treated to a delicious dinner in the Baroque Salon.

June 26th 2005. Spent the afternoon visiting the Village of Nosalov. Unique in this area is a type of building that uses special wood as the basic constructional element and loam materials serving as filling between the bars. Craftspeople presented their crafts from - blown glass, leatherwork and dried flowers. After dinner we enjoyed a Polka presentation and had a lot of fun participating .

June 27, 2005. With an early start we began our 300-mile drive to Budapest. We stopped in Bratislava  for a scrumptious buffet lunch. Bratislava looked very interesting and we regretted no time had been allotted for a visit. 

Checked in the West End Hilton Hotel, and joined the orientation walk. For dinner we had a Big Mac Budapest style. 

June 28, 2005. Started the day with an excellent lecture on "Hungary's Political Past & Present". Then on to a tour of Budapest situated on both sides of the Danube River. Buda on the right bank and Pest on the left. We visited the Fisherman's Bastion and enjoyed the spectacular views of the whole city. We then went on to Heroes Square with monuments to all the Hungarian Kings and the National Art Gallery across the street.

Below are some views of the city.

June 29, 2005. Departed from the hotel and boarded a boat for a 12-mile sailing to Szentendre. Here are some views seen from the boat.

Szentendre originally settled by Serb refugees abandoned the city in the 19th century, when it was hit by floods and crop disease. These natural disasters are indirectly responsible for its current popularity because they impeded industrial development. As a result the town's Baroque appearance was preserved intact. Artists rediscovered this picturesque village in the 1920s and turned it into an art colony.

We then continued to the Bend of the Danube where it breaks through the Borzsony and Visegrad Mountains.

In Visegrad we visited the ruins of a 15th-century castle built by King Matthias Corvinus. At a local restaurant we enjoyed a regal lunch attended by our tour coronated King, Queen and some merry loyal subjects.

June 30, 2005. Today we set out to visit the Hungarian Parliament. A very imposing building, which comprises 691 rooms, immense halls and over 12.5 miles of corridors. It has a high central dome which stands out on the city's skyline. Richly decorated it also has on display the Crown Jewels.

July 1, 2005. Last day at leisure. Worked out at the gym then had the luxury of reading my paper at breakfast this morning. Brenda did some last minute shopping and then started the packing process. In the early evening a farewell dinner was held at a very nice restaurant. A variety of Hungarian specialties were served together with the appropriate wines. In addition we were entertained with some awesome Hungarian music, song and dance.

After this very enjoyable evening it was time for goodbyes. We thanked our excellent program director and exchanged hugs with our fellow travelers. Went back to the hotel to finish packing and get some sleep. Awakened by a phone call alarm at 3 am ( a totally inhuman hour I would say ) we started on our return journey home. The odyssey of that very long day needs to be written some other time when fully rested and a changed perspective.