Most of us are truly thankful for a good night’s sleep last night. All of us went to bed as soon as we got back to the hotel, and we’re feeling great this morning!
We boarded the bus and our city guide, Jola, was wonderful as she introduced us to Warsaw. We drove by many embassies, including our own and also saw many government buildings. We left the bus and walked through Tazienki Park, the focus of which was a huge statue of Frederick Chopin. The singers had a good time being outdoors and having a chance to run around. There were peacocks roaming the grounds but they didn’t like us much. They would run if we approached them (better than attacking us, I thought!) We visited the site of the Warsaw ghetto where a large Jewish Museum is being built. We heard the story of the relocating of the Jewish community into that small area and then the transport system taking them to the extermination camps
At Treblinka..
We ended up before lunch in the Old Town, and broke into small groups to have lunch. Most of us ate at outdoor restaurants because the weather was so beautiful. Lots of us ate traditional Polish food including perogis, sausages, dumplings and, of course, that famous Polish pizza! We had plenty of time to roam around, shop, and explore the Old Town before heading back to the hotel to dress for the concert.
We warmed up at St. John’s Cathedral at 5:30 and sang through a few of our songs for the concert. The organist/director of music at the Cathedral then asked me if we could also sing for the Mass that was being celebrated at 7:00. Much to our surprise, we discovered that the Archbishop of Warsaw and the Cardinal of Poland (the position held by John Paul II before he was elected pope) were the celebrants. The church was packed with people standing, and the procession of clergy was impressive. We sang “Alleluia” as the processional, the “Kyrie” and “Agnus Dei” portions of the Faure Mass, Schubert’s “Benedictus” and “Panis Angelicus.” I was pleasantly surprised that most people stayed following the mass, and our concert was the best we have sung so far. In fact, the congregation demanded an encore. Wow! We were so touched.
We had a late dinner at a folklore restaurant and the food was great! We started off with a wonderful soup, followed by a large serving of beef stew folded into a giant potato pancake. Dessert was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream served in a huge cookie. Needless to say, none of us are losing any weight!
A couple of us had visitors while we were in Warsaw. Marjorie Luscher’s granddaughter, Meredith and her husband attended the concert so I got to visit with them.
Sandy Miller
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