Warsaw - Part 1 (LIT)

Residence of the President of Poland

I am going to take full advantage of the high speed WiFi connection I have in Vilnius.  Who knew!  Hopefully, I will be able to post all of the photos of Warsaw in 2 postings before the end of tonight.  I am just about to go to dinner.

As you may know, Warsaw was totally destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.  The city was entirely rubble! It is a new city since the war, especially the original center of Warsaw was re-created.  Interestingly, a series of painting by the 18th century painter, Canaletto, were  used by architects and engineers to construct the "Old City" as closely as possible to the original city.  It is an extraordinary site to behold.  It is so beautiful that it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The photos in this posting will be primarily from this "resurrected" city of Warsaw.   Everything you will see was built based upon photographs! 

I first visited this part of Warsaw on Sunday.  It was crowded with families and tourists, and had a Mardi Gras atmosphere about it.  It was really thrilling to walk through the streets of this new "old city," bustling with many happy and carefree people, both young and old.

The Royal Palace, now a museum.

The plaza in front of the palace.

The interior courtyard of the palace.

The next few photos are of rooms inside the palace.

The king's bedroom.

One of the throne rooms of the palace.

One of two original Rembrandts in the palace collection of paintings. 

Above the main door of a church in the Old City.

...and on the wall of the same church.

Once again, keep in mind that every photo attached to this posting was of a building, interior of a church, or room  inside the palace which was recreated and built since the end of World War II.