Warsaw - surprisingly interesting

I had little expectations from our visit to Warsaw.  Originally, I had suggested that we did not spend much time there, as I had thought it has just a large, grey, dry city.

How wrong was I  .

Warsaw is vibrant, full of people.  And to think that most of the city was completely destroyed on 1944 and it's population of 1.3 million people either relocated, net to concentration camps and killed or some stayed back and lived in the ruins.  

The city is now full of large, shiny, new(isg) tall buildings spread amongst a fe emty blocks and apartments blocks of varying styles build in the soviet ar between 1950's and 1980's.

Now, there is a lot of building going on.  Tall skyscrapers, new residential blocks, older buildings (pre war, if still standing) renovated.  Older monuments being re built from the ground up to look exactly like the old ones.

Vibrant streets, lots of cafés, restaurants.  People everywhere.  Lights, shops, brand names on display.  

Most people seem happy.  Some are not, and obviously have so few possessions that they ar reduced to asking others for help.  A few old ladies have a couple of items on display on the ground that they hope to sell.  A few flowers(most likely picked from the park), a couple of glasses, a pair of old shoes.  Nothing of real value, but they are trying to raise a few zlotys to keep themselves going.

We walk past one such old person (I thought it was an old bloke) and I thought, I should give them some money... But the moment had passed and we moved on.  But Therese said, no, go back.  So I did.  I took 10 zlotys (around $3) and dropped it in one of the glasses they had been trying to sell.  The lady (yes, it was an old lady) looked up and said some world which I took for thank yous.  Her face beamed, and she again expressed here real gratitude.  Probably, the most money she had been given that day.  

Perhaps she now had enough to eat a meal tonight.

Warsaw.  A very vibrant city.  Full of people, history and hope.