Not so far from Warsaw

We're actually in Nowy Targ today, but I'm writing about our time near Warsaw last week.  I've been without access to internet since then.  


On Wednesday, Zach and I took the train from Gdańsk to Warsaw. Coming into Warsaw at night was exciting, as the train passes right next to the new stadium, all beautifully lit up in red and white. Our cousin, Andrzej, and his son, Jakub, were waiting for us on the platform. We had not seen Andrzej since 1995, and had never before met Jakub, whom everyone calls “Kuba.” The family thinks Zach and Kuba look like twins, and if Zach had not cut his hair and shaved off his beard right before leaving Madison, maybe they would!  What do you think?

Kuba's father, Andrzej and Marie Therese, whom we visited in Lyon, had the same grandmother. Marie Therese’s mother was the sister of Andrzej’s father. 

Andrzej and his family live about half an hour out of Warsaw in Międzeborów, which is near Żyrardów. When we got to their home, we were greeted by Andrzej’s wife, his sister, brother-in-law and nephew, and his father. You’ll see pictures of all these cousins in a bit. I totally forgot to take photos on that first night, so you’ll have to imagine the dinner table.  There were at least five platters of different kinds of pierogi, and a platter of chicken. Andrzej’s father, Tadeusz, made a lovely peach cake. 

The next morning we were presented with a spectacular Polish breakfast.

Here are the two members of the breakfast culinary team — a father & son team:

Kuba and Andrzej

After breakfast, we went outside to explore the yard and to hunt for mushrooms.

Andzrej took care to leave much of the landscaping wild and natural.  We walked through wild blueberry bushes!

This one's edible!

Andrzej is an artist, an architect and an interior designer.  He designed this most beautiful home. 

One of my favorite nooks inside the house is in the downstairs bathroom:

We had only one day here, and had to choose between seeing the sights in Warsaw or exploring the area right around here, near Żyrardów. We decided to stay local, and it was a good choice.

This part of Poland saw heavy fighting between German and Russian troops during World War I. We visited a cemetery where fallen German soldiers were interred. 

Polish people taking care of German graves.... Reminded me of the Confederate soldiers' graves in Madison, WI.

This lovely vine with berries clung to the wall of the memorial.

We drove into Bolimów, a little town just west of Żyrardów. This was the place where chemical weapons were first used by the Germans during World War I. An old canister that had contained poison gas has been painted red and made into a bell. 

Today the bell functions to summon firefighters when there's a fire.

Around the corner from the canister-bell is an old church that still has bits of WWI artillery sticking out of its walls. 

We weren't certain whether it was Russian or German soldiers who fired at the church.

We drove on to Nieborów to see the palace that for years was owned by the Radziwill Family.  At the entrance, we were greeted by this somewhat puzzling sign:

No diagonal line through the circles...  Still, it means no bikes, no loud music.

The Radzwiłł Palace in Nieborów

We took an audio tour of the fascinating interior.

There are over 300 tiles in this stairway, each unique and hand-painted.

Wandering around the grounds, which include a manicured French garden, we came across a friendly grasshopper!

A short distance away from the palace, the Radziwills built an English garden called Arkadia. Throughout this relaxed and leafy park are fragments of antiquities brought up to Poland by the Radziwills from Greece and Rome. 

Andrzej shows us a Roman column in Arkadia.

Roman and Greek artifacts are scattered throughout the garden. These are not copies; they're the real thing.

Zach is trying to decipher the French inscription written into the side of this tomb.

The Radzwills were Freemasons. They held secret meetings here in the Temple of Diana.

Zach and Kuba descended into an underground passageway. 

Wedding photo op!

Note wedding couple seeming to hover above my head!

Back at home, the family gathered again. On this second night, we were also joined by Andrzej’s brother, Janusz, and his wife and daughter. We sat down to another fabulous feast and laughed and 
talked until nearly midnight.

Until this visit, all these people — with the exception of Andrzej — were just names on a family tree.
It felt so warm and wonderful to be so embraced by them all.

Looking at the Bienia Family Tree
L-R:  Ania, Bozena, Janusz, Wioletta, Piotr

Adam and Wioletta (Andrzej's sister)
Check out their website:  http://www.pil-art.pl

Zach with our excellent hosts: Kuba, Małgorzata and Andrzej

Here I am with Andrzej's brother, Janusz, his wife, Bozena, and father Tadeusz

Adam and Wioletta with their son, Piotr

Phyllis with Tadeusz, the father of Andrzej, Janusz and Wioletta