Adventure in Warsaw

4th post on the Europe's trip 'series' - Warsaw.
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Being the capital and the largest city of Poland, Warsaw has plenty to offer. In fact, Warsaw only became Poland's capital in the 16th century, and it was almost completely destroyed during the World War II. Interesting to see how the city rebuild itself, without losing its historical value and its Polish culture.



The Łazienki Park, one of Warsaw's best gardens.



Near to one of its entrance is a monument of Frederic Chopin. Sculpted in 1908, the monument depicts the Poland's most celebrated composer sitting under a willow tree, seeking inspiration from nature. :)



The Łazienki Park is huge, it would be nice to take an afternoon stroll around the park. Just like how the people (especially the grannies) sit on the benches under the shades, enjoying the afternoon sun. Sadly, we were all rushing through the itinerary. Something I hate.



Nevertheless, we managed to walk past some key sights within the park, such as the Theatre on the Island, and the Palace on the Water.



The Palace on the Water was actually a bathing pavilion that was later converted into a royal summer palace. My guide book says that it is one of the finest examples of Neo-Classical architecture in Poland. Somehow I felt the many statues around and on the rooftops of the palace were more spectacular than the architecture.



But the park is really beautiful. Flowers and Neo-Classical buildings everywhere. Nice place for photoshoots. :)



The Royal Route of Warsaw is a must-go. It starts by the Castle Square, and runs along Krakowskie Przedmieście and Nowy Świat (New World Street).



Krakowskie Przedmieście is one of Warsaw's most historic streets, featuring many buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly churches and palaces. There was one church that stood out, and it was the Holy Cross Church.



The exterior of the church is magnificent, and the entire building is just too huge to be captured nicely into a photo. I suppose the interior would be as grand, but a pity that we didn't get to see it, as there were wedding celebrations going on.



Notice the car plate? :)



Next to the Holy Cross Church is the apartment where Chopin lived during his childhood years.



Perhaps that is why Chopin's heart is being contained in one of the side pillars of the nave in the Holy Cross Church. Close to home.

Interestingly, the adjacent building has been 'modernised' by graffiti. I suppose as long as it's not a state-owned building, it's fine to doodle on the wall. hahah..



Along Krakowskie Przedmieście are some important and significant buildings, such as the President's Palace, with a monument of Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski right in front of it.



St Anna's Church was initially a Gothic church, but destructions to the building during Warsaw's turbulent years made the church undergo various facelifts into Baroque and then Neo-Classical design.



I realised that there are many blooming bright red flowers in Poland. Why are flowers in Europe so much prettier?



I spotted a tombstone along Krakowskie Przedmieście. Not sure whom it belongs to, but there was a flag placed there, so perhaps he/she was a historical icon, or a war soldier.



There were interesting sights along the Royal Route, that somehow portray the different facets of life.



Pity.



Happy.

Further down the Royal Route into the Old Town, the Zygmunt's Column stands in the centre of the Castle Square. This 22 m tall monument is the oldest non-religious memorial monument in Warsaw, dedicated to King Zygmunt III Waza.



You won't be able to miss the Royal Castle, unless you don't get to go to the Old Town. The Baroque architecture and the imposing façade is brick red, and is 90 m long. How to miss that? haha..



When we were there in Warsaw, the weather was hot, I think Poland was experiencing heat wave then. Maybe it's a brisk business selling shades. :)



The Old Town was an interesting sight to behold. All the unique buildings and houses seem to congregate into one small area.



All the portals of the Old Town Burgher's houses are in different architectural styles, from Gothic to Renaissance, from Mannerist style to the Baroque. None of them seem to be identical!



And you will never fail to find an artist in any of the Old Towns in Europe. And they can draw well, very well!



There is a statue of the Warsaw's mermaid as the centrepiece of a fountain in the Old Town Market Square. The mermaid, feminine yet ferocious (armed with a sword and shield), is said to be the perfect symbol for a city in which so many battles have been fought.



And when there's a fountain and water, you will find kids there. :)



While kids are fun to look at (I love their playful expressions), old people would just be in their peaceful world, as if they are telling me that we should take things slow in life.



Somewhere in a corner of the Old Town on Freta Street, there's the Marie Skłodowska Curie Museum, where she was born in that apartment.



I didn't buy any postcards during this trip, because I wasn't into writing postcards. Besides, I didn't spot any nice ones. haha..



As the sun was setting, our day tour around Warsaw was coming to an end. I was looking forward to the free time after dinner, because I knew I would have much more freedom, much more space to explore. :)



Opposite the hotel we stayed in (Hotel Intercontinental!) is a huge monolithic building. The Palace of Culture and Science was a 'gift' from Soviet Russia to the people of Warsaw, whom have extreme reactions over the building. Some admire it, some wish to demolish it.



It measures at 230 m tall, and serves as an office space, a cultural centre with theatres, a museum, a cinema and a congress hall. There are also 28 statues around the building, representing themes such as Science, Art and the Collective Economy.



I also took a walk down to the train station, a short distance away from the hotel. I think I would need a guide if I ever need to buy train tickets in Warsaw. Look at all the schedules!



Warsaw serves more as a business centre than a tourist attraction, hence there aren't as many tourists as compared to cities like Prague and Vienna. There are many beautiful buildings and unique places within Warsaw, and yes, it's a pity we didn't have enough time for that.

Perhaps the view of the sunset from the hotel's window could compensate for that. :)

Adventure in Bydgoszcz and Toruń

3rd post of the Europe trip 'series' - Bydgoszcz and Toruń.

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Despite being in Bydgoszcz for 5 days, I never really had the opportunity to explore the place. The Old Town Square, the super huge shopping mall Focus Park and the Minor Basilica of St Vincent a Paulo were the only places I've been to.



The Minor Basilica of St Vincent a Paulo, the largest church in Bydgoszcz, is a Roman Catholic church of a neo-classical architecture. In 1997, the church was elevated to Minor Basilica status by the Pope John Paul II.



Here are some statistical facts about the church: it has a height of 65 m, a length on the NE axis of 81 m, surface area amounting to 2700 square metres, and a total capacity of 135 000 cubic metres. :)



The architecture of the church is a contrast with the other churches I've seen in the Old Town Square, which most of them are of gothic designs. I prefer baroque and neo-classical buildings. :)



And I love the blue blue sky. :D



What I like about Bydgoszcz and Toruń is that both places are relatively peaceful, with no hustle and bustle of the tourist crowds. Unlike the other cities.



Toruń is a city near to Bydgoszcz, about 30 minutes bus ride away. This medieval old town is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, the famous astronomer that proved that the sun is at the centre of the Universe. Toruń is listed as a World Heritage Site in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.



It was suggested by Laura and Artur that we should visit Toruń, because it is a beautiful place. I couldn't agree more. :)



Our first stop in Toruń was the Old Town Hall, with a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus.



We climbed up the tower of the Town Hall, to catch the panorama of Toruń.



Beautiful. :)



I always find street buskers fascinating. More so when they are in the old towns, dressed in ancient yet fanciful costumes.



I think these street buskers hold on to their missions and aspirations to bring smiles to the people, rather than earning those little pennies. But hey, who knows, their special talents might be able to bring them big bucks. :)



Laura and Artur brought the group around the old town of Toruń, and we visited the Cathedral of St John, and bought the famous gingerbread biscuits.



Iris and I then went on to walk around the outskirts of the old town with Laura, and we came to the city walls, where the Leaning Tower was. The Leaning Tower is one of the characteristic sites of Toruń, and it was named so, because this 15 m-tall tower has a deviation of 1.4 m.



The sun was setting, but I love the warm hue. Makes photos look so much nicer. Haha..



I remembered we walked quite a distance, around the old town and the outskirts. By then most of the shops were closed, but the things we saw along the streets were much more interesting. :)


'Little Bastard'

The three of us decided to give our feet a rest, and to feed our hungry stomachs at a rose-themed cafe hidden away in a corner of the old town.



I love the ambience of this cafe. Away from the buzz, behind the brick-red city walls, under the cool shades of the trees. The tables were decorated with roses, even the crockery and napkins were with rose designs. A hidden garden. :)



Laura had her tea, Iris had her hot chocolate, I had my iced coffee. :) We had their speciality pork salad and apple crumble. And I must say that their apple crumble was damn delicious! Yummy! And the ice cream that came along didn't seem to melt much! :D



The day in Toruń ended on a nice note (and dessert). The cool weather, together with Laura and Artur as our superb guides, made it even more enjoyable. Honestly speaking, the day in Toruń seems to be more memorable than the other cities that I've been to. I always believe that the connection and interaction with the people is the key element of a memorable experience.

Laura has been a very wonderful guide and interpreter. The help she has rendered during our stay in Bydgoszcz and Toruń was something we could never be thankful enough for. Despite the many problems we had faced during the festival, she was always in smiles and helped us seek for solutions. She is part of our success and achievement in Bydgoszcz.

It is nice to have known a friend like her. :)

Performances in Bydgoszcz

2nd post on NUSCO's Europe trip series - performances.

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The main objective of this trip was to compete and perform in the 32nd Bydgoszcz Musical Impressions.

The competition was held on the mornings of 1 and 2 July 09, at the Music Academy. Frankly speaking, it was quite tiring, having to wake up early, get dressed and be ready at the venue before 9am.

There were a total of 10 groups participating in the competition, and we were the first to perform, and the biggest group of all. :) To be honest, the repertoire we presented was something different to the ears of the audience and the judges, which I believe is one major factor that contributed to our achievement.



The competition was tough. The other groups also displayed great showmanship of talents in their performances. The diversity of the performances was also pretty fascinating, some of them were so amazing, that just left me in awe.



I like the flute band, Brevis, from Belarus. I've never seen so many recorders that come in different pitches and sizes. The boys were versatile, they could just exchange their recorders with one another for different pieces. Oh, don't remind me of the saliva. Haha..



But seriously, I've never heard music so beautifully played on the recorders. Very soothing to the ears. :)



A couple of groups performed on the accordions. But this group, the Victoria Trio, also from Belarus, was of high standards. The accordion is quite a complicated instrument, I don't understand how all the little buttons work. And their fingers seemed to glide all over the accordions. Haha..

The competition also featured some interesting sights as well. Like this violin-trumpet (or is it a trumpet-violin?). A combination of the contrasting brass and string instruments. :)



There was also a rock band participating in the competition. The music was good, no doubt. The tune of the Polish song is still in my head. But somehow, the setting was so wrong. A rock band in the hall of the Music Academy. So out of place.



We had our own concert on 2 July 09, also in the Music Academy. I think we enjoyed our own performance and had fun. Afterall, the competition was over, and the audience was enthusiastic. We even received a standing ovation. :)



It was quite scary for me though, because I had to be the emcee, and I never liked being the centre of attention on stage. Poor Artur had to be our interpreter, but I must say that he did a great job. Not easy for a 15 year-old kid to be standing in front of the audience and translate whatever that was on my script. :)



The gala concert held on the last night was a splendid performance put up by all the participants of the festival. Almost 800 Bydgoszcz people came to watch the concert held at the Opera Nova. It was really a showcase of the diversity of the cultures. (Video can be viewed here.)



I didn't get to watch the first half of the concert. All of us were at the backstage, waiting for our turn to be up on stage. The kids had fun though, interacting with the Latvian group and even learned their Latvian dance. (Video can be viewed here.)



I was at the audience seat during the second half of the concert. Some of the performances were familiar, because I had watched them during the competition period. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable to hear some of my favourite pieces.

Towards the end of the concert, things started to get exciting, because it was the prize-giving ceremony! It was quite scary, to see hundreds of participants gathered on stage, but it was grand as well, because everybody was dressed in their bright and colourful costumes.

As they announced the various prizes and the respective receipients, anxiety started to show on everybody's face. The voice of the interpreter was muffled by the cheers from the audience and participants, and that sent us guessing what prizes were already awarded and what were left.

One by one, names were called out, but not NUSCO's. The chairlady of the European Krzysztof Penderecki Music Centre then made a long speech (which of course was in Polish), it just left things hanging.

Then, 'NUS (she pronounced it as 'noose')... Chinese Orchestra'. Loud cheers filled the entire hall. We won. The Grand Prix – The prize of the Minister of Education and of the European Krzysztof Penderecki Music Centre. :)

I wasn't on stage to feel the high spirits of the orchestra, but witnessing the winning moments from the audience seat was equally satisfying.









A milestone for NUSCO. :) A happy ending for NUSCO in this festival, which also meant an ending to our stay in Bydgoszcz. This festival has added vibrancy and colours to the city, but I think it holds even stronger meaning to all participants, no matter how the results turned out to be. The interaction, the fun, the showcasing of one's own talents and cultures, would be something memorable, and perhaps unforgettable.