Warsaw Pt 2

Well, the time in Warsaw is nearing an end. Tomorrow afternoon all us folks will be taking the train to Krakow. Its been a long and tiring week, but it has also been rewarding and incredible. Sickness has also been a central theme. I'm still getting over whatever it is I have, Tim has been in rough shape, and two of the students have come down with similar symptoms over the last couple days.

On Wednesday we visited the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, the Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning, and Youth Social Democrats. Tim and I also dined on pirogies and had a couple beers while I got to take my first look at the re-built Old Town.

Thursday we visited Caritas (a Catholic social aid org), the Historical Museum of Warsaw, and the Campaign Against Homophobia. I had delicious Chicken Masala and disgusting Chicken Kebab.

Friday began with a three-hour session at the Committee for European Integration. Over an extended lunch break I took a trip to the top of Warsaw's most famous monument, the Palace of Culture and Science. Our group reconvened for a two hour chat with the Norwegian Ambassador to Poland. Pat Mulvihill, Director of Operations at HECUA, arrived. He'll be joining our course for the next two weeks or so. We finished the week with a visit to the intense Warsaw Uprising Museum. I brought the group, sans Tim, to the Indian restaurant I had enjoyed the evening before. My night ended fairly early, but I still had a drink with the students in our hostel.

Today was a day off and I've been getting some needed rest. An easy morning and just walking around different parts of the city: the city center, the new town, and a neighborhood across the river, Praga. I picked up a book: Murakami's "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle." I also had a delicious chocolate eclair from the famed pastry-shop Blilke. Don't know what tonight will hold...