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I marveled, twice, about the fact that the sun sets later in Indiana than it does in Rhode Island (i.e. because it's on the western part of the Eastern Time Zone). Therefore, after Ruth, Christi, and I parted from Jen, Cathy, and Sarah, I detoured to the banks of Lake Winona to take this photograph. (I believe I took it around 9:50 p.m.!)

We kind of lost track of time at dinner because the six of us were having such a good time. However, as I noticed the following night when Ruth and I were working on our NCTE Presentation, it's easy to lose track of time in Indiana since the sun sets so late (Hence the reason we ate dinner at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night).

If you'd like to take part in Photo Fridays, then click here.

If you've ever been to the small college town of Warsaw, Indiana, you might know a few interesting facts about Warsaw. For example, Warsaw is the home to Grace Theological Seminary, it's known as the "orthopedic capital of the world" and just last year, the new A&E documentary, American Teen, which takes a look at high school students during their senior year, was filmed in Warsaw.

However, you may not know that in the past few years the Village at Winona Lake has sprung up as a great area with unique shops and restaurants. Literally minutes from downtown Warsaw, Winona Lake has been a quick retreat for citizens of Warsaw for years.

One of my favorite new additions at the Village at Winona Lake is Cerulean Restaurant (pictured). Cerulean opened two years ago and serves an unique mix of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Plus, their sushi is top-notch! We actually mentioned Cerulean in our 2008 Indiana Travel Guide (Order a copy here, or check out the PDF version here).

Have you ever been to Warsaw?

(Also posted at Indiana College Towns)

DJUR I BUR

Förra veckan skrev jag om min senaste arbetsresa till Warszawa, när min äldsta son gjorde mig sällskap. Efter mitt arbete var slutfört ägnade vi en extra dag bara åt varandra. Vi hade bestämt oss sedan länge att vi skulle besöka vackra Warszawa zoo. Där levde vi oss in i våra turistroller fullt ut; vi sprang från plats till plats, med kameran i högsta hugg, i jakt efter spänningsfyllda moment.

”Där! Där ligger en flodhäst! Hallå, kan du titta hit lite… gärna med ett öppet gap också?”

Ingen reaktion.

”Ditåt istället! Jag ser ett stort lejon! Hmm… han ligger också ner.”

Vifta, vifta med armarna.

Ingen reaktion.

Sådan var vår rutin: springa runt; vifta med armarna; peka och skratta; ta fler bilder. Men när fötterna till slut började värka av utmattning började vi inse fakta: Djuren hade inget intresse av att vara med på något prisbelönt foto, hur mycket vi än fjäskade för dem.

Sedan smög sig en välbekant känsla på. Jag kände mig en smula olustig inför den upprepade synen av inlåsta varelser. Dessa djur i fångenskap, tänkte jag, är ingenting annat än en dunkel spegelbild av sin sanna natur. Här kan de aldrig bli det de är ämnade att vara.

Men samtidigt som man vill plädera för djurens sak, kan man inte förneka att det faktiskt finns fördelar med en del djurparker, bland annat bevarandet av utrotningshotade arter och i viss mån spridandet av viktiga miljö- och djurrättsfrågor .

Ironiskt. För att frigöra djur fångar man in dem.

När vi lämnade djurparken frågade jag Johannes vilken djur han helst skulle vilja vara.

”En späckhuggare,” svarade han.

”Men de finns ju inte här på zoo?” undrade jag.

”Nä… just det!”

Johannes med stor apa. Obs: Apan är till höger.

Alla Zoo-bilder

1. City center clock tower. This was really the highlight of Warsaw. I swear my buddy and I took 20 pictures out of the tower (out of a total ~80 shots of Warsaw). We didn't even go in, but it was a cool site to have large modern skyscrapers in the background with an old school clock tower right smack in the middle.

2. Gnats. Yes, I hate these so called various small, flying insects that usually approach in the formation of a swarm. There was a specific 'neighborhood' of Poland where I encountered these hostile insects everywhere. I take it was because of a lake nearby..and I think this was a part of 'old' Warsaw. Very annoying to say the least.

3. A Capitol isn't always grand. Yeah, I said it. And if you're Polish, this is in no way intended to make any offense. I just wasn't that impressed in comparison to the rest of the European countries I visited. Perhaps, I saw all the wrong things? Or didn't give it any chance? I honestly think the highlight was the 'ghost' lady I encountered at our hostel, Okie Dokie (which was staffed by very pleasant ppl). But I'll save the ghost lady story for another post.

Overwhelming or Underwhelming? You decide:

Click here for Warsaw's Official Travel Webportal and the Official Website of the City of Warsaw.

Evidence of What The Nazis Did To The Jews In Warsaw / Video

A banda nasceu em 1976, com o nome originado de "Warzawa", faixa do álbum Low, de David Bowie. Nessa época a influência punk estava tendo seu auge, com o aparecimento de grupos como o tão famoso Sex Pistols.

Em Warsaw, álbum com mesmo nome da banda, contamos com um som cru, sujo e rápido, de instrumentos não tão bem dominados, com raízes no punk/rock e vocais despreocupados. Destaque para as faixas They Walked in Line, Failures, The Drawback e Warsaw. Algumas músicas como Transmission e Shadowplay tiveram novas versões, já na época do Joy Division.

Sintetizando, Warsaw é a alma inicial do que um dia seria uma banda com atmosfera espectral, letras geniais e identidade única: o Joy Division. São dois sons distintos, mas que não deixam de ser bons. Vale a pena conhecer e notar o amadurecimento.

[Warsaw - 1977]

01 - The Drawback
02 - Leaders of Men
03 - They Walked in Line
04 - Failures
05 - Novelty
06 - No Love Lost
07 - Transmission
08 - Living In The Ice Age
09 - Interzone
10 - Warsaw
11 - Shadowplay
12 - As You Said

Pode ser difícil superar os traumas do segundo grau. Algumas pessoas jamais conseguem sair da escola, e ainda continuam tentando conquistar a amizade dos alunos mais queridos. Com American Teen, que estréia nesta sexta-feira nos Estados Unidos, Nanette Burstein pode alegar certa experiência sobre o tema. O filme lhe valeu um prêmio como documentarista no festival Sundance de cinema este ano, e gerou uma guerra entre exibidores pela aquisição de seus direitos.

Burstein co-dirigiu com Brett Morgen dois documentários muito respeitados - On the Ropes, sobre três jovens boxeadores que sonham escapar da pobreza pelo esporte (o filme recebeu uma nomeação ao Oscar); e The Kid Stays in the Picture, uma biografia do extravagante produtor cinematográfico Robert Evans. Mas o que a inspirou a realizar American Teen foi algo de mais pessoal: a intensidade de suas experiências como secundarista, duas décadas atrás, em Buffalo.

Para produzir o filme de 90 minutos, Burstein se mudou para Warsaw, Indiana, e, usando múltiplas câmeras, registrou mil horas de imagem nas vidas de quatro alunos de 17 anos que estavam concluindo o colegial na moderna escola da cidade.

Leia mais clicando aqui.

If you've ever been to the small college town of Warsaw, Indiana, you might know a few interesting facts about Warsaw. For example, Warsaw is the home to Grace Theological Seminary, it's known as the "orthopedic capital of the world" and just last year, the new A&E documentary, American Teen, which takes a look at high school students during their senior year, was filmed in Warsaw.

However, you may not know that in the past few years the Village at Winona Lake has sprung up as a great area with unique shops and restaurants. Literally minutes from downtown Warsaw, Winona Lake has been a quick retreat for citizens of Warsaw for years.

One of my favorite new additions at the Village at Winona Lake is Cerulean Restaurant (pictured). Cerulean opened two years ago and serves an unique mix of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Plus, their sushi is top-notch! We actually mentioned Cerulean in our 2008 Indiana Travel Guide (Order a copy here, or check out the PDF version here).

Have you ever been to Warsaw?

The line would start at from Warszawa Zachodnia station, west of the central area. There it would connect with the cross-city line, and with the proposed northern ring metro or northern ring S-Bahn.

....

From there, the line would run south-east to the Rondo Jazdy Polskiej (interchange with metro line 1, Politechnika station). Two possible alignments are shown below, the southern variant seems to be the better route.

From Rondo Jazdy Polskiej, the metro would follow the Trasa Łazienkowska, an east-west road alignment built in the 1970's, and cross the river Vistula (Wisła). The variant shown here then follows the roads Ostrobramska and Marsa, to Warszawa Gocławek station on the line to Otwock (rail line 7).

From Warszawa Gocławek station, the line could be extended alongside or under Ulica Marsa, to Rembertów station on rail line 2. In that case it would allow interchange with all the lines of the proposed urban-regional metro network.

If the line was primarily intended as a ring line, the line could turn north after crossing the Vistula, to Warszawa Wschodnia station.

What do Warsaw and Tehran have in common?

Poland is one of the most stalwart European allies of the United States, supporting Washington not only diplomatically, but where it matters most - by placing boots on the ground in dangerous places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran on the other hand is, for all intents and purposes, the archenemy of the U.S. - and arguably after the fall of Iraq and apparent progress in North Korea, the only part of the Axis of evil still standing (a point of evil?).

And yet, just as Turkey did not hesitate to deepen its strategic relationship with Iran, Poland may find its need for energy security paramount to keeping Washington content in its efforts to isolate Tehran.

This subject is thoroughly and succinctly explored by Adrian J. Erlinger (the guy who runs Leopolis) in World Politics Review commentary: Poland Balances U.S. Missile Defense Plans and Energy from Iran.

14th July, Warszawa

Dear Mr Tusk,

Some of my friends were telling me that your country can't afford to build new roads (Euro 2012 & all that) because your country is poor. Nobody ever helps you and the money coming from the EU is not enough. Apparently. So, I got to thinking about some great ideas on how you could cut expenditure in other areas and then divert it to projects that will really help. My first idea is about traffic lights.

I couldn't help noticing that your country has some traffic lights. Admittedly not in the countryside (I'm told cows are colour blind, is that true?), but in all the cities and towns you can find these strange devices with three different coloured lights on them - red, amber (pomaranczowy) and green. I have placed a picture at the top of this letter because as you normally whoosh through town in your big black BMW surrounded by 24 security cars with lights flashing you might be forgiven for not noticing them or realising that normal people are supposed to pay attention to them.

I come from a country with a 140 year history of traffic management. The world's first traffic signals were installed close to the houses of parliament in London in 1868. These were based on railway signals but even the red/green electric signals have been around for 80 years or more, thanks to your potential missile partners. It has to be said then, that these are not a new-fangled idea designed to confuse ordinary folk. They are the world's best, tried and tested method of regulating traffic.

The idea is very simple. Red means stop, green means go and amber means get ready to do one or the other. I see Poland has adopted the four-state system that includes an amber light both ways, i.e. before the green and before the red. This might have been a good idea at the time but the thrust of this letter is that I don't really think it's working and this might give rise to a cost saving opportunity.

I've been here for a while now and, irrespective of whatever your traffic advisers are telling you, I can state categorically that the amber light is a complete waste of money! When being used to advise people to prepare to stop it is totally redundant. Nobody wants to stop. The light was green and it is a source of some anguish to think that they have to stop just so some other idiots can get where they are going faster! No no. It is the red light that means 'get ready to stop', not the amber. You only need to look at the number of accidents that happen at light controlled junctions to realise that stopping at a red light is more a question of whether the driver feels so inclined, than an imperative action.

Now, looking at the amber meaning "get ready to go". I'm pretty sure that someone was engaged in a giant leg-pulling exercise here, or perhaps the four-state system was decided on an April 1st? Either way, people are treating it as the joke it is and don't even start thinking about going until they see green. That means the traffic actually gets going about 20 seconds after the green light appears (what seems like 5 minutes after the amber light appeared) which all means that roughly 25% of the traffic that should have moved on, actually did. I'm not certain what is causing this delay. It could be that people are well aware of their own habits as regards red lights and therefore want a safety margin after the other traffic is supposed to have stopped. On the other hand, it could just be the old chestnut of "who's got the right?". If I move off on an amber light, would it be my fault if something happens? As I'm rather confused about this aspect of the law, I shall ignore the amber light and wait until I see a green light before engaging brain to be followed some time later by legs and arms. Everyone knows that green means go, that much is clear. I have a feeling that the UK is a three-state system with the light going directly from red to green without an amber. It is perhaps this that has made me over sensitive, according to the Polish value system, to the need to get moving immediately the red light is extinguished.

The conclusion therefore, Mr Tusk, is that the amber light should be done away with. The snail-like state of traffic-flow thanks to accidents caused by red-light jumpers and delays caused by green light procrastinators is not helped by this amber light in any way. Just install a two light system - red & green - people will stop at some point when the red light is on and will go eventually sometime after the green light appears. Everyone will be happy and you will save 33.3% on all future road traffic systems.

You might go even further by saving on electricity costs and switching all the lights off at the weekends. Nobody on the road at the weekend knows how to drive anyway, so having the lights off completely, especially in the summer months, is just plain common sense!

Yours truly,

Jasiek

En primer lugar hablemos de los billetes, porque comprarlos es una odisea. Se venden en una especie de kioskitos que hay por toda la ciudad, pueden ser de la marca Crunch pero en otros también los venden. Además de eso, en las tiendas cercanas a las paradas de metro que venden revistas y demás también se pueden adquirir. Hasta este mes que han cambiado los precios y han subido,  podías adquirir un billete semestral por unos 80 euros (ni comparable a los 230 y pico que pago yo en Bilbao y sólo para el metro…) que era válido para bus, metro y tranvía. También existen billetes mensuales, anuales, semanales, de 3 días y de 24horas. Eso sí sale más rentable coger uno de 3 días que 2 de dos de 24 horas, y lo mismo sucedería con uno semanal etc. Ni que decir queda que salvo excepciones los quiosqueros no hablan inglés y que un boli y papel vienen que ni pintado en estas ocasiones para hacerse entender y para entenderles el precio.

El metro, la verdad es aunque no es muy viejo, acostumbrada al de mi ciudad que es uno de los mejores de Europa y más limpios, me costó hacerme a este pero no tanto como ver el de Madrid, Barcelona o Ámsterdam que se asemejan más al tren de cercanías que a un metro.  Para entrar con un billete normal han que meterlo en la máquina para entrar pero si ya tienes una tarjeta semestral o anual simplemente con pasar la cartera o bolso por el lector ya se abría, bueno se abría a todo el mundo menos a mí.  El metro de Varsovia sólo tiene una línea, de XX km pero sólo una línea, las dos direcciones posibles son Kabaty o Mlociny. La entrada de las estaciones puede ser o normal, unas escaleras simples, o bien una entrada cuadrada con cristalera o una clavadita a las de aquí, los fosteritos de Bilbao. Por cierto, algunas estaciones son tan bonitas como la de Plac  Wilsona y mencionar dos datos curiosos, uno por un lado la gran idea de poner pantallas de televisión en los andenes para hacer más amena la espera y que te indican cuándo llega el tren aunque aún no estaban en todas las paradas. Segunda mención a los indicadores de tiempo de espera y repito, de tiempo de espera que llevas para coger el metro, es decir, en vez de mostrar cuánto tiempo queda para que llegue el próximo, era todo lo contrario, te decían cuánto tiempo llevabas esperando pero salvo que conocieses los horarios era prácticamente inútil por muy puntuales que sean los transportes varsovianos.  Eso sí, por lo menos si te entran ganas de ir al excusado existen varios en las paradas del metro a los que puedes acceder. Del mismo modo, también hay otros servicios como teléfonos y hasta una comisaría de policía por si se dan incidentes.

Los buses amarillitos y rojos como la bandera de la ciudad suelen ser bastante puntuales. Como en todos los sitios hay algunos que parecen unas carracas, viejas y oxidadas con las paradas en una plaquita metálica o de cartón y hay otros nuevecitos con pantallas guía con la siguiente parada y el recorrido etc. bien a un lado o en la parte delantera. Por cierto tanto en estos como en el tranvía, si has pasado el billete tras comprarlo no hace falta pasarlo cada vez que se entra, hecho más que eficiente que me pareció una gran idea y que evitaría las malditas colas que se montan aquí para entrar y pagar el autobús. Porque allí era impensable e imposible pagar un viaje al conductor al que en algunos casos ni siquiera veías.  Eso sí, yo creo que se debe a la confianza polaca porque aunque suene muy cruel, eso aquí lo veo imposible porque se colaría en el autobús todo el mundo sin pagar, a pesar de que pusieran revisores. Ah! Encima hay autobuses nocturnos todos los días de la semana (los que empiezan por N en el número)… demasié!!

Del tranvía que se puede decir, es súper cómodo y ocurre al igual que los autobuses, los hay viejos y nuevos pero es de vicio.

Para todos ellos la parada es Politechnika para ir a la universidad. El metro y el bus te dejan a unos 200 metros en una plaza próxima (en frente de mi residencia) y el tranvía justo enfrente.

El taxi, bueno, pues los hay oficiales, privados de ciertas compañías, y extraoficiales. Mi recomendación es fijarte en el precio por km que suelen indicar en la ventanilla. En general son muy baratos, pero es gracioso comprobar que algunos intentan timarte al ver que no hablas polaco dando más vueltas de lo normal por lo que en alguna ocasión hemos tenido que replicar y suelen reconocer su error abaratándote la carrera o también podéis toparos con algunos que ni siquiera saben llegar dónde les pides y he tenido que guiarles en más de una ocasión (bastante cómico) y bueno… todo esto si te entienden porque no son muy duchos con el inglés. Si tenéis que pedir un taxi os recomiendo que llaméis al XXX, son eficientes y hablan en inglés.

Y bueno por último algunas recomendaciones más, alquilar o comprar un coche (porque comprar un Fiat Polski por lo que valen, una porquería, como lo que son, es una tentación) pero se debe tener en cuenta que las carreteras polacas dejan mucho mucho mucho que desear, ergo, cuidado con los pasos de cebra que hay que ir mirando el suelo para no matarte en un bache. Además aunque realmente tengan preferencia los peatones en los pasos de cebra y el semáforo esté en verde para ti, de eso nada, no hay nadie que respete los semáforos y hay que andarse con mil ojos. Y por supuesto nada de  cruzar los pasos de cebra en rojo, porque  te puede caer una multa considerable si te ve la policía. Sin embargo, aparcar es fácil porque todos aparcan en cualquier sitio aunque no haya plaza y parezca impensable que se pueda aparcar ahí. Sólo vi una vez una grúa y tenía tantos coches para llevarse que no sabía por cuál empezar.

La bicicleta es una opción, pero no podría decir si es buena o no, dado que no la he probado y por ello mantengo una duda razonable al respecto, carriles bici existían pero tampoco cuantiosos.

Los trenes son otro punto fuerte para viajar por Europa desde Varsovia. Los hay normales o de alta velocidad que a su vez pueden ser con cama. Yo opté por esta combinación para ir a Praga y a Cracovia y la recomiendo vehemente, además merece la pena pagar un poco más y optar por uno rápido porque la diferencia no es excesiva y te ahorras bastante tiempo para disfrutar en el destino. Encima por ser estudiante los descuentos en los trenes (bueno y en los demás medios de locomoción excepto taxis) son generosos.

El punto masivo de concentración de transportes es los alrededores de la estación central. De hecho, de la estación central salen los trenes a toda Europa y Polonia y a su lado los autobuses hacia toda Varsovia. En el lado contrario del espacio situado enfrente del Palacio de la Cultura y la Ciencia está la parada de metro Centrum (foto de la derecha), punto de encuentro de funambulescos personajes varios y entrada de acceso a las galerías subterráneas cercanas. 

Como último consejo, andar es sano y si no siempre podéis probar con dar una vuelta en barco por el Vístula.

The S-Bahn line would start at Warszawa Zachodnia, possibly at the existing Warszawa Wola station. The existing line would be 4-tracked, to provide sufficient capacity for other services. There are stations at Warszawa Kasprzaka and Warszawa Koło (interchange with the future metro line 2). One or two new stations are possible, on the section to Warszawa Gdańska. After that station, the line crosses the river Vistula (Wisła), to Warszawa Zoo station. From there, trains would run over the upgraded link line to the Rembertów line, with a new station at Aleja Solidarności.

At its western end, the line could be connected to line 8, north of Warszawa Służewiec station, by a tunnel. In that case, the most logical option is a service to Warsaw Airport, over a short new line. Two possible alignments for that line are shown.

....

This proposed S-Bahn line connects well with services through Rembertów, and the proposed north-south right bank S-Bahn line. but not with the line to Zielonka, or to Warszawa Wschodnia station. An alternative is to build a light metro from Warszawa Zachodnia, alongside line 20, which would then turn south into Warszawa Wschodnia, alongside an existing curve. This option would allow more intermediate stations. The rail line itself would then have only one station, at Warszawa Gdańska, for regional and long-distance services.

W dniu 12 lipca 2008 w ramach Warsaw Summer Jazz Days miał miejsce Dzień Grecki. Koncert odbył się w Amfiteatrze Bemowo pod Patronatem Honorowym Ambasadora Republiki Grecji w Polsce, Pana Pantelis'a Carcabassis'a. Wystąpili trzej liderzy greccy ze swoimi zespołami jazzowymi: Apostolis Anthimos Quartet , Jorgos Skolias Trio, Drum Freaks - Milo Kurtis'a

Apostolis Anthimos Quartet

Jorgos Skolias Trio

Drum Freaks - Milo Kurtis

Crunched under increased energy prices and internationally isolated (Venezuela and Russia are the few exceptions), Belarus is planning to build a nuclear power plant to meet its energy needs, writes Anya Loukianova for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in an article "Belarus takes a second look at nuclear energy."

That's worrying. Not only should this bother Belarus' neighbors, but this is a major concern for its citizens who in the aftermath of Chernobyl's (Chornobyl) explosion - on April 26, 1986 - saw 23% of the country affected by the nuclear fall-out.

Two decades after the accident, the majority of the Belarusian people still don't want nuclear power--28.3 percent approved of the nuclear plant project and 46.7 percent disapproved, according to a 2005 country-wide government poll DOC.

The three sites under consideration for the future nuclear plant are near Russia, Lithuania and Poland, in Mogilyov (2) and Grodno (1).

Loukianova provides the details:

Belarus' authoritarian president Aleksandr Lukashenko is seeking to build a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant to reduce the country's reliance on imported energy sources, particularly Russian natural gas. His government has indicated that the plant, expected to cost $4 billion, will consist of two generation III water-cooled, water-moderated reactors.

Aside from ignoring the public sentiment which is highly against nuclear power plant construction, Lukashenko's media campaign is shocking for its cynicism:

His public-relations campaign has centered on the idea that the reactors would be safer than those of Belarus' heavily nuclear-reliant neighbors--Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia.

Lukashenko's insistence on going at it alone is puzzling. He hopes to raise the funding from international institutions and some friendly sponsor states, but $4 billion dollars is a lot of money, and the estimate is no doubt on the lower end of the final cost.

Perhaps recogmizing the volatility of the subject, Minsk is paying attention to the mood of its population. Here is how the regime has attempted to manage public opinion:

Oddly, although Lukashenko could move forward with his nuclear agenda without public consent, his government has carefully monitored public opinion on the issue. Data from the 2005 poll on the issue [see previously cited analysis DOC] has given the government clues about how to tailor its message in order to preempt and co-opt potential public opposition. Therefore, it's no surprise that the government has repeatedly stressed IAEA support for the project--polling indicates that the Belarusian public trusts the information provided by the agency. Similarly, as polls have indicated that the public trusts scientists, Lukashenko has sought to actively (and bitterly) rebut anti-nuclear comments from Belarusian scientists opposed to his nuclear plans.

Loukianova is right: unless an organized front opposing Lukashenko's nuclear ideas emerges, Belarus and its neighbors in Warsaw, Kyiv, Moscow, Riga, and Vilnus may soon find a new nuclear reactor in the region that is based on a Soviet design and ran by a government unaccountable to its people.

Warsaw has suburban/local services on the main lines radiating from the city. The first line of a future S-Bahn network began operation in 2005, operated by a seperate company, SKM. Most services are operated by the Koleje Mazowieckie, owned by the PKP and the Region of Masovia. By line, anti-clockwise:

• along line 3 to Berlin, to Łowicz Główny from Warszawa Zachodnia
• to Pruszków, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, and Skierniewice: suburban line 447 / 448, part of line 1 to Katowice
• from Warszawa Zachodnia via Piaseczno, along line 8 to Radom
• along line 7 to Lublin and the Ukraine, to Józefów and Otwock
• to Rembertów, Sulejówek Miłosna, and Mińsk Mazowiecki, along line 2 to Terespol and Brest
• link line 449 connects Rembertów to Zielonka on line 21
• to Zielonka, Wołomin, and Tłuszcz, on Line 21 to Zielonka, continues as line 6 to Białystok, part of the 1333 km Vilnius and St. Petersburg line (1862), starting from Warszawa Wileńska
• line 9 to Gdańsk via Legionowo, regional services starting at Warszawa Wola, via line 20 to Warszawa Gdańska, and then joining the main line 9 at Warszawa Praga.

The 4-track east-west cross-city line carries urban and long-distance services, but there is no corresponding north-south line. Lines 9, 6, and 8 are connected to the cross-city line, by link lines outside the city centre. The cross-city line links the western Warszawa Zachodnia station, and the eastern Warszawa Wschodnia station. A new central station, Warszawa Centralna, was opened in 1975. Next to it is the suburban central station, Warszawa Śródmieście PKP.

A link line, line 20, from line 9 to lines 1 and 3, passes north of the central area, through Warszawa Gdańska station. This is no longer regularly used by long-distance trains. The Warszawa Wileńska station is small (3 tracks): the line to St. Petersburg was originally Russian gauge. Because of the break of gauge at the Polish border, which is also the EU border, it is no longer operated as a single line.

The first proposed new line would connect line 9 and line 7, through Warszawa Wschodnia station. Two alternatives are shown below, the easiest one follows Jagiellońska, with two stations at Zoo, and at Aleja Solidarności near the bridge (Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski) to the Old Town. The other alignment (green) would be more difficult, but closer to Wilenska station. Some demolition will be inevitable near Warszawa Wschodnia station, see the detail. That can be combined with the improvement of the curvature on the line form the station to the river (shown blue). The link allows the creation of a new north-south line, from Legionowo to Otwock, with full interchange at Warszawa Wschodnia.

....

The second proposal is to link the Zielonka line to the cross-city line, by a tunnel to Elsnerów, starting at the eastern end of Warszawa Wschodnia station. An approximate alignment is shown below, with a station to serve recent development in the area.

These two connections allow a simplification of the urban-regional network, to three lines on existing alignments.

A possible addition to this pattern is a second north-south line, west of the central area. This would start near Warszawa Służewiec station on line 8. The new alignment, in tunnel, would follow Aleja Żwirki i Wigury (the main road from the airport) toward Ochota Station on the cross-city line 448. From there, the tunnel would follow the line of the streets Towarowa, Okopowa and Popiełuszki, to Marymont, on metro line 1. From there it would follow highway 630 northward to Lomianki, a completely new rail alignment.

....

The proposal assumes the necessity of an S-Bahn to Lomianki, which would need to be confirmed. There is also a problem with urban-regional service on line 8, south of Warszawa Służewiec station. The urban development follows the main road, Ulica Puławska / highway 79. An alternative is to extend metro line 1 under this road to Piaseczno, to connect with rail services there, and to use line 8 through Służewiec station for long-distance and regional services only.

The line north of Służewiec could then be connected in tunnel to line 20, via Warszawa Zachodnia. This tunnel would be primarily for regional services.

The retelling of this trip is going to be an ongoing project; there is so much to tell and so many pictures to show that I am really going to have to pace myself.  Since my first somewhat stressful experience was the fact that the whole trip was almost cancelled before it even began, I thought I would begin there.

Any Saint Johners reading this blog will be extremely familiar with the picture shown above.  Yes, it's good old Saint John fog.  And because that good old Saint John fog almost ended my trip before it started and wreaked havoc with my arrival home afterward, I thought it deserved a nice picture and story here on the blog. 

It's Monday morning, June 30th.  I have been packing frantically, hoping beyond hope I haven't forgotten anything crucial.  I have a case of the nerves and I'm not sure why, I've travelled before, maybe I forgot to pack something for Kennedy, maybe I'm worried about being away from my family for a week, maybe I'm uneasy because I'm usually super organized and we didn't get our final itinerary before leaving - I do not know where I am sleeping tonight...who knows?  There could be any number of reasons for these nerves.  I feel a little silly. 

It's an 11:30am flight, which is really nice.  Usually to get to Toronto or Montreal from Saint John, you're leaving at 6am.  I arrived well-rested and with some time to spare, as Graeme had to be getting down to work in Pennfield.  After checking in, getting rid of my checked bags and doing the obligatory bathroom break, I began reading Faye Schulman's book, "A Partisan's Memoir: Woman of the Holocaust."  Reading about her early life in Poland, the Jewish life that was there before the war, her friends, family, and the rituals they engaged in has somehow calmed me down.  It has reminded me of one of the purposes for the trip, to learn about the way of life, such as that of Faye Schulman's, and how it was taken from them to help me appreciate what they lost. I know the feel of this book will change when she will describe her next phase of life as a Partisan who helped fight against the Nazis, but the early chapters about life & family have had a soothing effect on me as I no longer feel the nerves I'd had as the morning began.  I guess I chose the right book to bring along with me. 

And then...

Just as the calm was setting in, I'd gone past security and settled into the glass wall-encased room to await my boarding call, the following announcement comes over the loud speaker: "For those of you traveling on flight 8947 to Toronto, your flight has been cancelled, please report back to the ticket counter."  So much for calm.   My heart jumped right up into my throat, I thought to myself, "If I don't get to Toronto, I'm not going on this trip - I won't be able to fly to Warsaw on my own and find them!"  I waited in the long line-up thinking about the fact that the trip was going to be over before it began.  I knew it was foggy out, but didn't realize it was that foggy!  That was one of the longest line-ups I'd ever waited in.

It was decided that they would bus us to Moncton, for a later flight to Toronto.  Instead of now arriving at 12:45pm and going to the orientation with the rest of the March of the Living group, I would be arriving at 5pm, with enough time to grab my bags and rush over to the Polish LOT airlines area to meet up with them and check in for the 6:30pm flight to Poland.  It would be a stress and there would likely be some running involved, but at least I would make it!  I called Graeme from a pay phone and had him call Michael, who was the director of the program, to tell him about the mix-up and Michael assured him they would have someone waiting at he baggage carousel when I flew in to meet me. 

Arriving in Toronto, I met up with the group, who had already all had the opportunity to get to know each other over the course of the afternoon and discovered the next bit of travel news:  our flight to Poland was delayed...FOR EIGHT HOURS!!!  Yep, we were now not leaving until 2:30am so we had the evening in Toronto to do whatever we wished.  Because Holly had never been to the CN Tower, we took a shuttle bus into town and did the tower, it was actually nice to have a breather before jumping directly from one plane to another.  We all met up again at midnight and took off at 2:30am for the long, eight-hour flight to Poland.  I didn't manage to get much sleep on the flight as there was a large group of pre-teens sitting just next to me who decided they wanted to party all night, which was disappointing, but what can you do?

So, here we are, pretty darn tired, sitting on the floor of the Warsaw airport, waiting for the other group to arrive (some of the members of our group had to fly out of Newark, NJ - they were also delayed!).  We arrived the next afternoon, Polish time.  We were pooped after having been awake for about 24 hours but hey, WE MADE IT!!!  (little did we know, it'd be 5:30am the NEXT MORNING before we made it to our first hotel stop, but that'll have to be the next post)

Let's have just general overview. Pictures were taken near University Library and from roof of Palace of Culture and Science [PKIN]. In other posts we will focus on more details.

Warszawa to miasto kontrastow. Obok nowoczesnych szklanych wiezowcow mozna zobaczyc stare domy pamietajace czasy II wojny swiatowej, a zaraz po drugiej stronie ulicy komunistyczne blokowisko.

Ponizej kilka ogolnych widokow na miasto zrobionych w okolicach Biblioteki Uniwersyteckiej i z PKIN.

A short journey in August, 2003 to Warsaw. I visited friends I had met earlier in Krakow. Warsaw was almost totally destroyed during WW II, so it is more a modern city than other European capitals. Still it is nice and people are really cool.

The album is here.

Érase una vez que se era dos chicas estudiosas de Erasmus en Varsovia encerradas haciendo una revista científica en inglés en mi habitación de la residencia. Era sábado, y llevabámos todo el día Zaida y yo sin parar de trabajar; a pesar de que Vero se hallaba en la habitación sin querer salir, y venga a hablar con su novio, su madre y sus amigas vía Skype y desconcentrándonos. Pero eso no es todo, de repente llaman a la puerta dos chicos hablando inglés y preguntando si tenemos azúcar, a lo que contestamos afirmativamente y se lo dimos. Cinco minutos y vuelve a sonar la puerta (increíble porque nunca nadie llama a nuestra puerta y menos si, como era el caso, Magda no estaba en Varsovia). Los mismos chicos pidiéndo café y una sartén, y explicando que no había nadie más en el pasillo y que estában cocinando y se les había olvidado eso, así que accedimos a sus peticiones. Pero al cabo de otro lapso de tiempo vuelven a golpear la puerta, esta vez no eran los chicos sino una chica que se meaba y nos pedía usar el nuestro. Por fin ésta nos explicó que había una concentración de los representantes del ESN (Erasmus Student Network) de Europa y que estaban haciendo cena para todos y nos invitó a la misma, así que como nos quedaba poco, ni cortas ni perezosas allí nos presentamos. Comimos tiramisú y algunas delicias que no conseguimos descifrar en qué consistían pero muy buenas. Después volvimos a finalizar el trabajo y para la medianoche ya habíamos acabado.

Entonces llamó Serap intentando convencernos para acudir con ella a la fiesta Erasmus; porque no conocía a nadie de los que íban etc. Y yo caí en la tentación y ahí me fui con Serap a una discoteca (Club 55) en la parte de abajo del Palacio de la Cultura y la Ciencia.  La fiesta divertida y plagada de españoles, vamos que al entrar entre turcos, españoles, italianos y franceses hacíamos el 90% de la gente. Y como era de suponer ahí aparecieron los de la fiesta del ESN europeo.

El tiempo y las cervezas fueron pasando y todos íbamos algo perjudicados. Cuando por fin terminó yo salía la última con Serap cuando se dio cuenta de que su bolso no estaba donde lo había dejado. Su bolso con la cámara digital nueva, 300zl, y toda su documentación, la llave de la habitación, móvil 3G última generación y sus tarjetas de crédito turcas y polacas. Ella estaba hecha un mar de lágrimas; así que me tocó hacer de pañuelito y ayudarla; porque para eso están las amigas, y más en un país extranjero donde casi no conocemos a nadie. Como no sabía que hacer, llamé a Kamil, un componente de nuestro ESN y uno de nuestros angelitos de la guarda particulares. El cuál me aconsejó acudir a la polícia y nos indicó dónde se hallaba.

Así que a las 5 y pico de la mañana ahí estaba yo junto a mi amiga turca en una comisaría de policía polaca en la cuál nadie hablaba inglés. Pero casualidad, me encontré con dos españoles que estában allí (por razones que no me acuerdo) pero que afortunadamente habían conseguido que la policía les trajese una traductora de español-polaco. Así que gracias a ella y tras una espera de varias horas nos enteramos (no por la no-políglota comunidad policial) que para que Serap pusiera una denuncia debía de haber una traductora oficial de inglés o turco para hacerla y  no estaría disponible hasta la una del mediodía siguiente.

En vista de que la fortuna no nos sonreía, y que la compañera de Serap de habitación, Marta, estaba de viaje con su familia a Cracovia y no volvía hasta la noche siguiente, decidí llevarme a Serap a dormir a mi cuarto en la cama de Magda. Llegamos al cuarto a las 8 así que dormí más bien poco, y Serap no digamos... Al día siguiente fuimos a la una en punto y nos enteramos de que hasta las 4 la traductora no vendría, ¡viva la formalidad!. Así que nos fuimos a su resi, donde intentamos infructuosamente ir a la administración o a su habitación. Así que acabamos comiendo macarrones en la habitación de Zaida (gracias) y ella llamando a la embajada y cancelando las tarjetas.

A las cuatro volvimos y a las cinco nos atendieron. Decir amables es mucho, papeleo y más papeleo y no precisamente amigables y la traductora más pendiente de la hora que de traducir y eso cuando no teníamos que repetir las cosas ocho veces porque no nos entendía…A ver, que si, que mi acento es una porquería y Serap tiene un acento tremendo también, pero si entre nosotras nos entendemos, ¿cómo no nos va a entender una polaca que se supone que sabe inglés a la perfección?. Vamos un show…además nos trataron como si fuesemos delincuentes; me dio vergüenza cuando Serap no paraba de llorar y ellos no dejaban de recriminarle que era su culpa por tomarse 2 cervezas sin estar acostumbrada al alcohol. Ahí mi cabeza retornaron las imágenes de películas como Torrente (que hasta parecía más competente comparado con lo que ví ahí)…¡Ay! unas clases de psicología, no les vendrían mal, os lo aseguro.

Pero como todo cuento tuvo un final feliz, o digamos semifeliz. Al finalizar en la policía volvimos a mi habitación, a que ella chequeara el email y hablase con su familia; y allí se percató de que le habían mandado un email desde el Club 55 diciendo que encontraron su bolso en el baño (baño que no habíamos pisado). Cuando llegamos comprobamos que el dinero, la tarjeta de transporte, la cámara digital y el móvil habían volado pero por lo menos el pasaporte y demás se hallaban en el interior, algo es algo. Así que la acompañé a su residencia tras llamar a su familia y avisar a Kamil, Marta y Zaida del hallazgo.

Por cierto, no fuimos los únicos Erasmus que tuvimos contacto con la policía; porque otros durante una fiesta cuando iban muy borrachos se fueron a continuar la juerga al centro y (según su versión) unos polacos empezaron a meterse con ellos y claro, contestaron y acabaron a puñetazos, patadas y rodillazos hasta que vino la policía (civismo puro y duro, si señor!!). Los Erasmus dieron su versión a los agentes y  no saben si bien porque la policía no les entendió o por no querer tener problemas internacionales se llevaron detenidos sólo a … ¡los polacos! La verdad es que, no entiendo mucho de leyes, pero aunque sea para tomar declaración creo que lo más lógico hubiese sido llevarse a todos.

En conclusión, si por algún motivo tenéis que veroslas con la policía polaca, mi único consejo es que tengais paciencia y os deseo mucha suerte porque os hará falta.

For a historical novel to work, it needs to focus on the individuals or on how something came to be. If it relies on a well-known event to generate tension without focusing on how that event touches the people involved, we know the fundamental outcome and that it cannot be changed. The Spies of Warsaw doesn't transcend its focus on the pre-war atmosphere, and we know the efforts of Mercier to raise the alarm in France have to fail. Sure, a perfunctory romance blooms from nowhere and everywhere between Mercier and Anna, and it happens with as little surprise as the invasion of Poland, but nonetheless tries to generate authentic feeling from too small a base; I'd take the James Bond, anti-Romantic mode of spy romance, in which the characters reflect the cold of international politics instead of acting as counterpoints. I could imagine a great novel with love as that alternative, but The Spies of Warsaw isn't it.

That isn't to say The Spies of Warsaw is unredeemed: the beginning and end move with swiftness the middle lacks, and bits of description are wonderful in their accuracy: "From some distant century, an ancient waiter in a swallowtail coat moved toward them, parchment face lit by a beatific smile, parchment hands holding a silver tray, which trembled slightly, bearing two glasses of champagne" (50). The word "ancient" might be overkill, but otherwise the subtle resonance between the elegant but decrepit waiter and the horror of Europe being overtaken by the barbaric young who don't understand the lessons of past wars is strong, and the theme is well-developed. Others aren't so carefully done, and when Mercier says, "You work for people, madame, and I work for people. Maybe they're not so different, the people we work for" (165), the long shadow of John le Carré falls across another spy thriller that could be improved by dropping the now-obvious implication that the methods of the free West are similar to those employed by its authoritarian enemies—a subject that could make a great paper for college sophomores but is by now a standard trope of the spy novel. Whether the equivalent between Western and authoritarian regimes is an intentional or subconscious allusion to current events in Abu Ghraib and other black sites I don't know, but the point has been made so many times elsewhere that to have it so bluntly reiterated is mere repetition, both from other books to The Spies of Warsaw and within it: "None of us are saints, my friends; we all watch each other, sooner or later" (181).

Elsewhere, the quiet dread and pathos of a letter from Jews elicits this: "Mercier read it more than once, thought about answering the letter, then realized, a sadder thing than the letter itself, that there was nothing to be said" (117). The alliteration of the "t" sound doesn't give the sentence the musicality it could otherwise have, but the sentiment of a futile desire for decency is nonetheless powerful. Boring parties are well-described, especially given the stultifying rules so often governing them. The spying machinations are clever enough to be worth following but not so clever as to be cartoonish. Somewhere in Alan Furst there is, I think, a better novel gestating, and I hope one day to see it. Night Soldiers showed potential, but I fear that potential has yet to be fulfilled, and I can only hope it will be even as I suspect it won't.