after checking the weather map Mom said we'll be driving west, and we only have to get over those mountains 

 

And look that map was correct

 

so we are in Italy now?  things sure changes quickly around here

  

We are just passed the city of Trieste, a deep-water port, that is a maritime gateway for northern Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central Europe. It is considered the end point of the maritime Silk Road with its connections to the Suez Canal and Turkey. Since the 1960s, Trieste has emerged as a prominent research location in Europe because of its many international organizations and institutions. The city lies at the intersection of Latin, Slavic, and Germanic cultures where Central Europe meets the Mediterranean Sea, and is home to diverse ethnic groups and religious communities.

Trieste has the highest percentage of researchers in Europe in relation to population.^["Città della Barcolana", "Città della bora", "Città del vento", "Vienna by the sea" and "City of coffee" are also idioms used to describe Trieste.

This is now our setup and view

   

This campsite is a luxury for us and  I got a nice bag of goodies to welcome me..............and no muzzle is needed anywhere here.

 

They also had Mom's favorite beer in the store, ( I guess we're staying three days?)

 

The restaurant next door served the best mussels ever.............according to Mom, I didn't get a taste 

Mom said they were way too spicy for me. 

With that a local beer that was just ok

   

Since Mom claims she's the expert tiramisu maker she had to try this chef's version

   

And we both agreed it was yummy, not as good as Mom s though ( I HAD to say that, I'm not stupid)

 

The sun is just peeking over the mountain so we are off for a long morning walk before it get too hot for me.

Life is peachy 

wet kisses to yall

Henry

Good Morning, It has been a very rough night for me, the bright flashes and thundering are very scary. it did feel a little better after crawling under Mom's cover but not great. Mom had forgotten to close the skylight window, so she spent all morning drying the wet mattress. Glad she had the fan

Yesterday we went to Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Slovenia It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political, and administrative center.

 

The city's symbol is the dragon, It is depicted on the top of the tower of the castle, in the Ljubljana coat of arms, and on the Dragon Bridge. It represents power, courage, and greatness.

 

   

The 1901 Dragon Bridge, decorated with dragon statues on pedestals at four corners of the bridge has become a symbol of the city and is regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of a bridge made in Vienna Secession style.It has a span of 33.34 m (109 ft 5 in)and its arch was at the time the third largest in Europe. It is protected as a technical monument.

 

 

 

Can you believe I had to wear one of these to visit the castle? It took us a long time to find a store that sold them 

(Mom said they should sell them right at the entrance to the castle since they have this silly rule)

All the people around us were feeling very sorry for me and wanted to comfort me, which I didn't mind at all. Mom took it off as soon as we got passed the guard

 

 

It was raining off and on so the city wasn't very crowded, we did take the boat ride which wasn't all that exciting, but we were the only ones on our boat (seemed waistful to drive the boat with only us on it?)so I had the run of the place

 

Butchers' Bridge love locks
Decorated with mythological bronze sculptures, created by Jakov Brdar, from Ancient Greek mythology and Biblical stories, the Butchers' Bridge connects the Ljubljana Open Market area and the restaurants-filled Petkovšek Embankment  It is also known as the love padlocks-decorated bridge in Ljubljana.

This bridge is glass, and I don't think Mom would have walked over it if it was a clear day

. It is a transparent glass-made bridge, illuminated at night by in-built LEDs

 

Many buildings are ornate and colorful

       

These race cars were displayed and Mom kept asking if it was a special event  Turned out it was a race from Serbia to Italy? and that's on the regular roads we're all traveling on. I can't even imagine it being legal? 

There have been several times driving on the highway with Lucy always in the left lane driving a comfortable 60-70 miles/hour

keeping an eye in the rearview mirror, there's a car no bigger than a dot, Within seconds it's right next to you, and they're speeding so the wind is shaking Lucy. Many times it's more than one car chasing each other.

Mom shudders think about an accident in that speed

   

       

Lunch was only ok, Mom thought this sausage was way too fatty, I liked t a lot though

 

These purses are work of art and I suppose you'll always know what time it is

 

Here's another work of art, a Bicycle made of wood

 

This is questionable art, which we saw a lot of here..................

     

At the dog store, Mom bought some really great treats for me ( guilt about the muzzle) and I shared them with these cute sparrows that weren't afraid of me at all?

 

the rain made us less interested in walking around outside

 

Inside had some interesting stuff, like this wire dragon

   

and this lightweight canon

 

after a full day in the city, we rested by this gorgeous fountain that spits water when you touch his paw

 

It's 8 am and Mom has been looking at the weather map where the sun is, and that's where we are going.

It does look like the sun will visit here too but it's only a 50/50 chance...........we want 100% sunshine.............so off we go

Sloppy wet kisses fro me to you 

Henry

 

 Ever since we left that castle it has been raining so we have been driving west hoping the weather will get better 

We skipped Bratislava because Mom wasn't in the mood for a big city and I'm glad

Leaving Slovakia going through Hungary driving mostly on highways, (why not ? We paid the toll;-)) Mom has already been to Budapest which is a busy city so she looked for something more relaxing and found Lake Balaton which is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. To us, it was a lake?

 

We were parked close to the lake. There weren't many people but it's because the tourist season hasn't started yet and due to lousy weather. Some of the restaurants were open so Mom had an authentic Hungarian Lango with so much garlic Mom's breath would kill an elephant. It was delicious and very filling

 

In the morning Mom decided we have seen what we want to see in Hungary and continued to Slovenia again mostly on highways and it looked like this most of the way

Mom hates driving in it but continued on

At one time we were passed by these Hells Angels guys from Italy and later at a truckstop, we saw a group with a different name on their vests. Hope they aren't going where we are going.

 

Again we got pretty close to a stork nest and Mom are quite fascinated with these beautiful birds

   

There are many castles next to the road but Mom is not climbing up another one, (That's what she says now because she's still sore)

 

This is an interesting sign we have never seen before. It's at a truck stop that has a special place with stairs so the truckers can sweep the snow off their loads. I know I don't want to be here in the winter

 

Getting closer to the lake we stopped at yet another castle named Sümeg Castle. The fortress features historical exhibits, knights on horseback & medieval feasts  

   

 

Getting closer to Ljubljana which is the Slovenia capital we hit traffic and lots and lots of it. 

According to Alice (she's the lady in the box that tells Mom where to go) we should have arrived an hour and a half earlier. 

When we finally arrived at the parking space Alice directed us to, we met a young couple that was leaving because they had read on an app this place isn't safe. Well, it was a big parking lot next to a train station and a bus terminal nearby. It also had electricity and toilets all free, but Mom also got a bad gut feeling so we found another place that we had to pay for but better safe than sorry.

Campers are parked very close to each other here and our neighbor has a Schnauser. I have never met a nice Schnauser so I barked to let him know I was here first, 

 

Not acceptable said Mom, and ok I'll keep quiet as long as he knows his place.

Mom says not all Schnauzers are bad she did know a nice one but he's in dog rainbow land with Buttons now.

Well, maybe so but the ones I know aren't good

 

It s now 9 am and we're hoping the rain will stop so we can explore the city and stay dry.

Ljubljana is the capital of independent Slovenia, which joined the European Union in 2004

Slovenian history from Google

Socialist period

Josip Broz Tito and Emperor Haile Selassie in Ljubljana in 1959
During the re-establishment of Yugoslavia in World War II, the first Slovenian republic, Federal Slovenia, was created and it became part of Federal Yugoslavia. It was a socialist state, but because of the Tito–Stalin split in 1948, economic and personal freedoms were much broader than in the Eastern Bloc countries. 

The late 1950s saw a policy of liberalization in the cultural sphere as well, and the unlimited border crossing into Western countries was allowed, both for Yugoslav citizens and for foreigners. In 1956, Josip Broz Tito, together with other leaders, founded the Non-Aligned Movement. Particularly in the 1950s, Slovenia's economy developed rapidly and was strongly industrialized. With further economic decentralization of Yugoslavia in 1965–66, Slovenia's domestic product was 2.5 times the average of Yugoslav republics. While being a Communist country, after the Tito–Stalin split Yugoslavia initiated a period of military neutrality and non-alignment. 

 it stopped raining now so we'll head into the city of Ljubljana

wet kisses you all , and Happy Sweden national day

Henry

  

  

We're still in Slovakia and I started to write this last night because we were parked in a really dull place at a truck stop. Nothing to do here other than watch cars go by, ad since it's Saturday there aren't many trucks on the road either

We're safe here no worries

Mom says the history of the countries around here is very interesting and complicated, at least it is for her.......we Googled and we choose some facts to share.

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the southwest, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's mostly mountainous territory spans about 49,000 square kilometers (19,000 sq mi), with a population of over 5.4 million. The capital and largest city is Bratislava, while the second largest city is Košice

Mom did plan to visit Bratislava but she changed her mind after the Castle visit she did today, she came back pooped out after that tour..

more about that later I got a few more things about Slovakia

After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the state of Czechoslovakia was established. It was the only country in central and eastern Europe to remain a democracy during the interwar period. Nevertheless, local fascist parties gradually came to power in the Slovak lands, and the first Slovak Republic existed during World War II as a partially-recognized client state of Nazi Germany. At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia was re-established as an independent country. After a coup in 1948, Czechoslovakia came under communist administration and became a part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc

Are you with me so far?

Attempts to liberalize communism in Czechoslovakia culminated in the Prague Spring, which was crushed by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. In 1989, the Velvet Revolution peacefully ended the Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia, sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce.

Slovakia is also home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The world's largest per-capita car producer, Slovakia manufactured a total of 1.1 million cars in 2019, representing 43% of its total industrial output

 Slovakia became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004 and of the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 1 January 2009, Slovakia adopted the Euro as its national currency.In 2019, Zuzana Čaputová became Slovakia's first female president.

So this morning we left the camp with clean clothes and a cleaned up Lucy on our way to Bratislava, but first, we're going to see a castle the Bojnice castle

 

The idea of setting up a museum in the Bojnice Castle came from its last noble owner, Count Ján Pálffy. In his will dated November 14, 1907, he expressed his wish that the castle be made available to the public and that the works of art remain in their original places for visitors to see. The Bojnice Museum is a specialized art-historical museum with nationwide scope. Bojnice Castle is one of the oldest and most important monuments in Slovakia.

 

So of course this was one of those no-dogs places, I don't get it they used to have horses in there and what can my soft pads do that's worse than a horses hof? 

Mom bought the tour that was starting an hour later, so we went for a walk, and look at this tree!!!!!

just clusters of flowers

 

 The tour of the castle shows the original furniture, various artifacts, and paintings like the late Gothic collection Bojnice altar by a master of Florence from the 14th century. The tour also includes a visit to a stalactite cave under the castle connected with the 26-meter-deep castle well.

The guide was a sweet girl but only spoke Slovak, English, or German speaking guest got a pamphlet to read about the rooms

  

Bojnice Castle is a medieval castle in Bojnice, Slovakia. It is a Romanesque castle with some original Gothic and Renaissance elements built in the 12th century.

Unfortunately, someone thought it was a good idea to add Disney figures  to a 13-century castle and say Disney got the inspiration from this castle ............hmm

Several very ornate tile heaters

   

This tour was going at a very fast speed and there wasn't much time to read the pamphlet look around and take picture

 

gold gilded bed 

  

The golden room is the most famous one in the castle Its ceiling is cut from pinewood and decorated with gold leaf There are 183 angels looking down from the ceiling each one with a different expression. This was a room Mom would have wanted to stay a little longer 

   

 

Lots of beautiful paintings and chandeliers, especially this one. 

 

The numbers are there to mark places where they had found an older painting underneath.........

 

 

   

 This floor is made from yellow and black marble in the form of fish scales

 

 

 Thi painting

    

 

 

 

 

 

The large room is divided into two with a wall with heavy carvings of six animals representing the six deadly sins; gluttony, arrogance, greed, envy, anger, and laziness, and the bed symbolizes the last sin, called lust.

The legend said one owner had the castle built for a French countess with whom he fell in love. She got tired of waiting and married someone else and as an expression of his grief, he crowned the tower with a thorn crown.

 

 

 

There's a well and a cave 26 meters below the fourth courtyard where finds from the stone age were discovered

Many steps later the almost 2-hour tour was over puuh/

 

 

There were no elevators so now I understand why Mom was so beat by the time she came back. The parking lot we were sent to wasn't around the corner either

Right now we are in Hungary but Mom thought we were in Slovenia so she bought a toll vignette for Lucy haha Hope the money goes to filling a few potholes.

We are camping by Hungary's biggest lake named Lake Balaton:  It is a freshwater lake and is the largest in Central Europe and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake,

It's getting late Mom is tired time to go to bed. It looks like a rainstorm is on its way because all of a sudden all the birds got quiet.

great sleeping weather 

 

Wet Kisses

Henry

 

As nice as it was at this camp we had to move on to find a washing machine so we left this place that was named ?

 

We are now driving west admiring the gorgeous snowcapped mountains 

   

A caravan of these green trucks was heading somewhere and we were hoping they will be safe knowing we aren't all that far from the Ukrainian border.

 

We finally found a place where Mom could do her laundry, they had a washing machine, but no dryer so even if this isn't a very pretty sight, it has to do, and Mom loves the way her clothes smell hanging outside

 

The name of the place is Camping Trusalova and is located a bit away from the main roads but it's so beautiful the extra miles were worth it. We stayed here 2 nights just relaxing parked next to this gorgeous waterfall.

It's still low season for tourism here so it's not crowded at all, still the second night someone decided to park between Lucy and the waterfall?

 

There's a small restaurant here and Mom thinking it must be a "Mom home-cooking" type of place decided she MUST have a goulash supper before leaving. It was good but nothing spectacularr

 

No English is spoken and very little German so it's not all that easy for Mom 

I on the other hand have no problem communicating when this pretty girl came to visit.

I sniffed her, she sniffed me

 

and then we were friends

 

Her Mom called so I followed her over the bridge, but then MY Mom called and the obedient dog I am I had to leave her.

But now I knew where she lived so I talked Mom into going to get a beer so I could see her again.

and we did, 

 

Unfortunately, my girl had already left, and only a hissing cat was there 

The beer was still good though

 

It's now 6 am and it's going to be another sunny day 

I don't know how far we are driving today but I'm sure it'll be great 

Good Morning everyone 

We are not in Poprad like Mom planned instead we are at a village about a half-hour outside of Poprad, and that's because Mom found this campsite that on their website claimed they had a washing machine. It turned out they didn't but we stayed anyway, because who can resist this kind of view outside your window?

 

Last night we spent in Zakopane which is a big tourist place and is visited by over 2,500,000 tourists a year. In the winter, Zakopane's tourists are interested in winter sports activities such as skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, snowshoe walks, and Ice skating. During the summer, Tourists come to do activities like hiking, climbing, bike, and horse riding on the Tatras mountain, there are many trails in the Tatras. Tourists ride quads and dirt bikes that you can rent. 

 

Popular tourist activity is taking a stroll through the town's most popular street: Krupówki. It is lined with stores, restaurants, carnival rides, and performers. I did NOT like that stroll, too many people and teenagers were making a lot of noise with firecrackers that frighten me horribly. I didn't matter how much Momm tried to comfort me, I do not like that noise.

   

I did meet a very pretty girl though if the circumstances were different we could have had  a lot of fun together

 

This thing didn't react at all to my friendly hello..............so bye bye

 

The entire street was covered with souvenir junk and awesome restaurants. My nose told me this is the place to eat, so we did. The Porkchop was delicious and Mom liked it too. The potato not so much, not even after scooping away all the goo on top

 

This dude is making money by standing still?  I was more interested in seeing how the light pole is crooked and may fall over him 

 

Places like this let out a heavenly scent

     

I peeked in trying to drag Mom along, but she couldn't eat a second meal she said ??

But I can I said

 

Their beer wasn't that great though                     

There are so many gorgeous restaurants it was hard to choose 

       

So many different settings so it's hard to choose, but Mom says we should go to the place with most people because that means they have the best food...........

   

 In  2006 Zakopane and the Polish Olympic Committee put in a bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics. It was one of six candidates but failed to be short-listed. Turin Italy won

After we ate Mom started to feel sorry for me being so scared so we walked back to Lucy for a quiet night, and I appreciated that.

Regional alcohol? does that mean moonshine?

 

In the morning we continued south and we left Poland and are now in Slovakia and we're back to using Euro which Mom had very little of so we had to find an ATM because very few places take cards here.

So after setting up Lucy Mom decided on an "easy" walk 4km into town..............it wasn't easy at all for either one of us

It LOOKS easy, but let me tell you it was uphill ALL the way and there was a lot of huffing from Mom.

 

We made it and were rewarded not only with an ATM but also the cutest local restaurant with traditional food, And they had good beer.

 

 

The temperature changes a lot here during the day it's around 65 but at night it creeps down below 50 

It's good for sleeping. 

Anyway the views are amazing and we both enjoy this clean mountain air 

   

Today Mom is making it a priority to find a laundry mat or she has to buy new clothes
Wet kisses to yaall

Henry

Good Morning, We are in Zakopane but ready to leave soon and head south because we can't find a place to charge the PC, plus Mom needs to do laundry. We will head south towards a new country, hoping to see what we need.

Yesterday we were in Wieliczka Salt Mine a fascinating world 12 million years in the making. 

I wasn't allowed to go down the mine even though Mom could have used me to keep her calm since she's not very good in closed spaces underground

      +

There was no flash allowed inside so pictures aren't that good.

Opening more than 700 years ago, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is Poland’s oldest business.  There were tens of generations that worked to bring the three square miles of mining tunnels to life, and it’s a testament to the ingenuity and tenacity of the Polish people.  It ceased mining operations in 1996, and then its table salt production in 2007, as one of the oldest continuously operating salt mines in the world.  Today, it opens its doors to over one million visitors each year (which helps to employ 200 miners.)

 

The guide spoke great English and was very funny

   

The Wieliczka Salt Mine reaches a total depth of 1,073 feet and even features an underground lake amongst its rooms and cathedrals.

 

Often referred to as “The Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland,” the Wieliczka Salt Mine has four cathedrals, multiple carvings, and ornate salt chandeliers. You wouldn’t think of a salt mining operation as beautiful, but certainly is. And it’s because of this beauty that it captured the imagination of millions. As such, the salt mine even has a large reception room to host weddings and other private functions. It’s also what’s attracted such notable visitors as President Bill Clinton, Johann Wolfgang, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Pope Jean Paul II.
St. Kinga’s Cathedral is one of the most breathtaking sites in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. You enter near the ceiling of one side and then descend a massive staircase to reach the floor. Most notable are the large chandeliers, as well as multiple carvings (including one of Pope Jean Paul II.)

   

   

A carving of The Last Supper in St. Kinga’s Chapel.

 

Sculptures of gnomes working in the mine are scattered throughout its passages.

 

Very salty brine

 

Built in 2014, the Wieliczka graduation tower, with an area of 7500 square meters, is the largest facility of this kind in southern Poland. Located right next to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and resembling a medieval castle, it attracts tourists primarily for health and recreational reasons. It is a massive structure filled with blackthorn bundles with salt running down the structure's wall

 

Weather is great and at 8 am we're continuing our trip

Wet kisses 

Henry

yesterday in  Warsaw Mom walked 21 095 steps and since I have twice as many legs I walked twice as far right?

It's a bit of a challenge to navigate and find parking in big cities says Mom but first she thought this parking would do, 

 

 but thought better of it and found a more secure space that was very close to the old city

 

There were no facilities but it's ok since Lucy has what we need, ( except charging the PC)

This is an amazing city with so much to see so we started walking early

 

Since its founding in the 10th century, Warsaw has been invaded and occupied numerous times, most notably by the Russians and the Germans. Just before the start of World War II, Warsaw enjoyed a brief period of autonomy.

That rapidly changed in September 1939, when the Germans invaded Poland. The entire Jewish population of Warsaw was herded into the Warsaw Ghetto, cramming between 300,000 and 400,000 people into a 3 km² area.

 

  Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland, and went to college in Krakow. His statue stands in the center of Copernicus Square. Radiating out from the statue are the rings of our solar system.

This is the site of the signing of the Warsaw Pact in 1955. This pact united the Soviet satellite states (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, East Germany, and the Soviet Union) against NATO

   

Pilsudski Square is a large open square located just next to the Royal Way. A large plaque on the ground commemorates Pope John Paul II’s visit here in 1979. we also visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This memorializes the Polish soldiers who fought and died in all wars Poland has been involved in,

We did go back for the changing of the guards and filmed but can't add it here.

In August 1944, Polish resistance fighters launched the Warsaw Uprising, in order to drive the Germans out of Warsaw. The fighting was brutal and despite lesser manpower and artillery, the resistance fighters were able to hold out for almost two months. The Germans won the battle and nearly all of the resistance fighters were either executed or deported to extermination camps. In retaliation, Hitler leveled the city of Warsaw with systematic bombings,

From 1945 to 1989, Warsaw, and Poland, were under Communist rule. Many of the city streets, churches, and buildings were restored to their original form.

These little cars are for rent to explore the city if you can't walk

There are buses cablecars and a metro, all-electric and the buses have an accordion in the middle.............   so if you know your way around it's plenty of different ways so you don't need a car

 

Since 1989, Warsaw has been undergoing a golden age. In 2004, Poland joined the European Union. Businesses came flooding back to Warsaw, along with artists, families, professors, scientists, and tourists. Warsaw may have a gloomy past but it has a very bright future. As of 2023, the city is home to 13 skyscrapers (buildings at least 150 meters (490 feet) tall) and tens of other high-rises, ranking sixth in number of skyscrapers in Europe.

There are 4 in this picture, even though they look like they're all stuck together

   

These roses had the strongest scent ever and gorgeous Mom acted like me and went to sniff them ...........embarrassing

 

This was the building we saw when driving and Mom had decided we should get a closer look so here we are

 

This building was originally known as Joseph Stalin's Palace of Culture and Science but in the wake of destalinization, the dedication to Stalin was revoked. Stalin's name was removed from the colonnade and interior lobby of one of the building's sculptures.

Construction started in 1952 and lasted until 1955 during the Soviet occupation of Poland as an imposed and unwanted "gift" to the people of Poland. As one commentator describes it, the Palace "was a "gift of the Soviet peoples to People's Poland" that Warsaw could not refuse. It was erected with great propagandistic fanfare and named after Joseph Stalin upon its completion in 1955

The Palace of Culture and Science is highly controversial. It is often viewed as a reminder of Soviet influence over the Polish People's Republic, a coalition of veteran and nationalist groups, as well as Law and Justice have called for its demolition. In 2009, then Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski supported the demolition of the Palace noting the expense involved in its maintenance. Other prominent government leaders have continued to endorse demolition plans, including the current Prime Minister

 

what is a major city without a Hard Rock cafe, and no we didn't go inside but afterward Mom thought she should have gotten a Tshirt

We also saw this strange roof when we drove by , and now we know it's a mall called Zlote Tarasy

 

We noticed a man walking on top of it so let's go inside and look if we can see him

 

This place is enormous and they have no issues with dogs coming inside. We didn't feel like shopping but a nice latte and a rest wasn't totally wrong. The nice lady even gave me a water bowl

 

Walking around we both noticed how clean the streets are, no ciggbutts or gum. It's nice to see how Polish people still clean outside their shops before opening.

We also noticed these poles in many places and a closer look showed it's a bicycle fixing station with tools and air.

Actually, it's for all kinds of small repairs on the go

How cool is that?

And sure Mom lied, there's a butt

A nice statue we thought but no explanation

 

A James Dean look alike? no explanation on who he was

  Leaving this area there was time to head towards the old city and looking at the app it showed us walking through a big park. That suited us both great. 

covering 15.5 hectares, this splendid garden, founded in the late 17th century, became Warsaw’s first public park in 1727. Initially modeled on Versailles, but later relandscaped in the more natural English style, the garden is filled with chestnut trees and baroque statues Once serving as the gardens of Saxon Palace, this magnificent park features shady tree-lined avenues, and an elegant 19-century fountain 

If it looks as though the gardens are missing a palace, you’d be right. The Saxon Palace was, like so many other buildings, destroyed during WWII. All that survived were three arches of a colonnade, which have sheltered the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier since 1925. Plans to rebuild Saxon Palace from scratch at fabulous expense, so far, remain unfulfilled.

we were so lucky that we walked into a celebration of some sort, the only thing we could figure out was an anniversary of the park. People were dressed so pretty and there were ompaompa bands

a reporter

   

The ladies all looked amazing 

   

Mom is glad the hospitals have better tools now

 

 

    

Our picture is now hanging on the wall in Chopin's house...............;-)

 

This is supposed to be a bike, but neither one of us could figure out how to ride it

 

These bikes Mom would have known how to ride, but they weren't there to be tried out and there was no place for me anyway

   

we better not try any of these bikes

     

A nice paperboy handed Mom a newspaper, but it's in Polish so we can't read it, It was nice though

 

Looking at how well-dressed these ladies are Mom started to think how much more ladylike women looked in the past. 

   

We had a great time in the park but we had to move on to the old town as planned.

Outside the park were these old cars parked

   

As we're walking on the main street looking behind us is first a police car and after it a mob of people. Oh no, it's a demonstration of some sort? hope it's a peaceful one we thought.
As they're coming closer we noticed all the costumes and were told it was something created on TicTok 

a fur suit walk...............well I have the suit, don't I? WFW = Warsaw fur walk

 

   

This is a very nice costume, but it must have been very hot in there................he was carefully approaching the cop for a high five

   

The streets became very crowded and since there were so many restaurants close by and suppertime why not sit down and watch while having a beer and a bite.

 Mom ordered  Zurek because she had read about it being a traditional soup. It's a rich soup soured with fermented rye starter, served with a boiled egg – halved – and a meaty white kiełbasa. Served in a bread bowl

Honestly, it didn't look so good, but it was delicious and very nicely spiced. I did get a little taste of the kielbasa

 

Finally, we reached the old town and now we were both pretty tired so we just sat on a bench for a while taking it all in
Sitting in the center is the Old Town Market Square.

This large, open square is surrounded by numerous restaurants. In the center of the square, is the mermaid statue.

 

Two Polish ladies came and sat next to me so I did my usual hello kissing, who knows she may have cookies in her handbag.

   

The Ukrainian flag is on many buildings showing support for the people, which is nice. We got one for Lucy too

 

Leaving the square we ran into this guy and as usual Mom can't resist cuddling anything furry or feathery for that matter

 

 

This large, open square is surrounded by more colorful buildings, cafes, and the Royal Castle. Proudly standing in the center of the square, on top of the column, is Sigismund, originally erected in 1644 and is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Krakow to Warsaw.

 

The large, reddish-pink building that dominates Castle Square is the Royal Castle. It looks rather plain on the outside but it is very opulent on the inside.

 .For the first time in Poland, we were told I wasn't welcome............Oh well

We've been kicked out of better places, haven't we?  

   

 

We are both getting tired so we walked back to Lucy and fell asleep. In the morning we continued south and Mom had found this quiet peaceful little town to stay for the night.............and that didn't turn out as expected. There's a carnival of some sort here. We did walk around the lake but are too beat to join in any celebration.

Warsaw is a great city a lot to see and a lot of fun going on

Tomorrow is another day for adventure, today we'll rest

Wet Kisses 

Henry