We left Krakow this morning at 8:00 am. After several stops, we finally reached Warsaw around 5:30 pm. Below are some of our adventures for today.
Our first stop was the Jasna Góra Monastery founded in 1382 by Pauline monks who came from Hungary. It is the most famous shrine to the Virgin Mary in Poland and the country's greatest place of pilgrimage. The image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is Jasna Góra's most precious treasure. Because today is Sunday, the area was wall to wall people. I did get a quick peek of the Madonna and a picture, but the picture above that I found on the internet was much better.
The main nave of the basilica is the most ornate church I have ever seen.
For lunch, we stopped at Spichlerz Restaurant not far from the monastery. This example of polish folkloristic wooden architecture was built in 1783 and had a beautiful thatched roof.
The restaurant was located at the foot of the castle ruins from XIV century.
Right after we arrived in Warsaw, we quickly got ready for our Chopin recital. Twenty-three of us attended the private recital in the Szuster Palace, built in 1774. Here, the four of us are enjoying a little bubbly during the intermission.
After the concert, we all went out to dinner. Bonnie’s birthday will be in a few days so she was treated to fireworks on her desert. A Polish family next to us was celebrating the christening of their new son. The happy father got up and led his group in singing happy birthday to Bonnie in Polish. He then gave us a shot of Vodka and kissed our hands. What a fun way to end our evening!
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