Introduction
As with quite a bit of my travel, the trip to Poland involved a Habitat for Humanity (HFH) project and I also added a few extra days to do some personal exploring. In my previous trip to Poland, I was in the south part of the country including the city of Krakow. While I would gladly return to Krakow, the project with HFH was in Warsaw so I decided to take a few days to head north to the port city of Gdansk.
This post has sections on Warsaw, Gdansk, our R&R and the HFH project.
Arrival and Initial Impressions of Warsaw
Traveling to Warsaw from Canada is straightforward with the flight route being Victoria-Toronto-Frankfurt-Warsaw for a morning arrival in Poland's largest city. My luggage also arrived at the same time, which is always good on any flight, especially the intercontinental journeys.
While the overnight flight meant I arrived in Warsaw somewhat tired, it also meant having a full day ahead as a great way to be introduced a city for the first time rather than going to bed. After checking into the hotel (centrally located), I set out for a walk in nearby areas. The weather was sunny and quite warm which encouraged me to be outside. It was great to be back in Europe!
The buzz in Warsaw was the upcoming NATO summit there a few days later (July 8 & 9). On the flight from Frankfurt, the one celebrity on the
flight was Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State and US
Ambassador to the United Nations.
My initial impressions of Warsaw were good and the day passed quickly. After a flavourful dinner with large portions, it was time for another walk and then early to bed for some well-earned sleep before heading to Gdansk the following day.
Why Gdansk?
It was important for me to spend several hours at the museum to gain a better understanding of the critical role played by the dockworkers in Gdansk in the Solidarity Movement and the huge effort and risk required to gain freedom from Soviet control.
After a short flight from Warsaw, I was very pleased to arrive in this historic Northern European city. Ever since seeing the dreary images on international TV news reports about striking Gdansk dockworkers in the early 1980s, I have been intrigued by those events and the city where these events occurred.
Based upon research and recommendations, I focused on two areas - the Royal Way and the Gdansk Shipyard with the top-notch European Solidarity Centre. The museum associated with the latter has a series of well-documented and informative displays/presentations about the events that lead to the solidarity uprising (Solidarnosc) in Gdansk as well as concurrently in other parts of Poland and Europe. In 2015, the museum was voted as the best in Europe.
In combination, the uprisings were instrumental in helping lift many Eastern Europe
countries out of Soviet control. As I methodically worked my way through the
displays, videos, etc., I was constantly reminded of how little I knew
about the details of what happened there and the incredible effort and amount of time it
took for Poles to gain their freedom. It was a long-term struggle,
which always seems to be the case in securing all forms of human rights - racial, women, indigenous people, workers, sexual preference,
religious, vulnerable people and more.
In August 1980 the inspirational and determined Lech Walsea led the Gdansk shipyard strike which gave rise to a wave of strikes over much of Poland with Walesa being seen as the leader. Authorities were forced to capitulate and negotiate with Walsea and the workers movement with the Gdansk Agreement being signed in August 31, 1980. The agreement gave the workers the right to strike and to organise their own independent union.
The Catholic Church supported the movement and in January 1981 Walesa was cordially received by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. Walsea then went to a number of countries as a guest of international labour organizations. While he was elected Solidarity Chairman at the First National Solidarity Congress in Gdansk in September 1981, the country's brief encounter with a bit of freedom was short lived, coming to an end December 1981 when General Jaruzelski, fearing Soviet armed intervention among other considerations, imposed martial law, suspended Solidarity, arrested many of its leaders, and interned Walesa in a remote country house.
Almost a year latter (November 1982) Walesa was released and reinstated at the Gdansk shipyards, but kept under surveillance. Nevertheless, contact was regained with Solidarity leaders in the underground and the movement was far from dead. Workers' spirits were lifted in July 1983 with the announcement of Walesa's Nobel prize.
As economic conditions worsened in Poland, the Jaruzelski regime became even more unpopular and was forced to negotiate with Walesa and Solidarity. The result was the holding of parliamentary elections which led to a limited establishment of a non-communist government. Under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union was no longer readily prepared to use military force to keep communist parties in power in satellite states. Walsea took opportunities to meet with world leaders and he was elected chairman of the Solidarity second national congress in April 1990. He went on to be elected as the President of the Polish Republic in late 1990 and served until defeated in November 1995.
The European Solidarity Centre does an excellent job of documenting and creating the drama associated with a myriad of historic events, some of which were covered in TV newscasts around the world. After what I would describe as an emotional and intellectual half day, I made my way by foot into the main town, which includes the Royal Way, and simply walked for a few hours surrounded by beautiful architecture and buildings constructed well over 500 years ago; older in many instances. While many of the building had been seriously damaged by bombing in World War II, there has been remarkable restoration and one would never know that much of the main town had been demolished.
The weather cooperated for walking - nice mix of sun and cloud - so there many people outside doing exactly the same thing that I was. After a couple of days in Gdansk, I certainly concur with travel writer Rick Steves when he says there is more to Gdansk than shipyards and that this Baltic city is second only to Kraków as an appealing destination in Poland.
I had a relaxed day in Warsaw....preparing for arrival of the rest of the Habitat for Humanity team. The weather was great so I went out for a long walk to explore a bit of the beautiful old and impressive modern architecture. With all the team in place, except one person, we had a wonderful welcome dinner hosted by HFH Poland.
Our Build
As always, day one of the HFH project was one of meeting new people, learning and familiarization. We were picked up at the hotel in the morning and driven to the work site about 25-30 minutes away. We worked on the renovation of three large second floor rooms in a facility operated by the Revita Foundation that housed 16 vulnerable people at the time. Parents of the residences created the foundation and funded the purchase of the facility. After completion of the project, the facility would be able to house 20 people. All the residents are adults with varying degrees of mental challenges. We had opportunities to meet and talk with some residents, with one man warmly welcoming us every morning and noting that we were from Canada.
Throughout the entire build we were guided and supported by a number of local tradesmen and the volunteer coordinator for HFH Poland. The coordinator used a couple of flip chart pages to draw picture of our Polish co-workers and also a few Polish language expressions. These people were fantastic hosts! Even though it was hot (about 30C) and humid most days, everyone jumped into the work without hesitation.
Our work focused on preparing three rooms for the installation of new drywall for the walls and ceilings. Two rooms were being converted to bedrooms and the third room would become a bathroom when completed. Some effort was expended on the removal of old trim and baseboard. Then our attention was focused on measuring and installing metal tracks as framing and adding a couple of varieties of clips that would be used to attach drywall. We made good progress in the first few days and quite quickly got to the point where we were ready to install drywall. There was a great deal of measuring and cutting metal framing for the walls and ceilings. The ceiling preparation was a bit more challenging than the wall prep because we had to install hangers and ensure these were level before attaching drywall - more difficult than it sounds.
By the end of the build we had installed the drywall in two rooms along with taping and getting the walls/ceilings pretty much to the point of being ready to paint. The third room had all the framing installed. Probably the most physically demanding task was on the last day when we carried more than 50 sheets of drywall up a long flight of circular stairs which would be used to finish the project.
Lunch and coffee/tea breaks were taken each day at the build site in a room on the main floor especially set up for us. We were treated with very tasty home cooked food and always left the table filled! The cakes and sweets were amazing in taste and volume! The manager of the facility was an incredible host. Despite the language barrier - she was warm, welcoming and created a very positive atmosphere. I have many warm memories from the break and lunch time of the conversations among our team along with the great food.
Despite the language barrier, we tried to use some of the basic phrases from the flipcharts and a few other words we learned. Of course, our efforts often resulted in lots of laughter and the camaraderie among all of us was excellent. It was a happy workplace.
At the end of our last afternoon at the build site, we were treated to a traditional Polish bbq featuring chicken, sausages and beef complemented with salad, sauerkraut and many sweets! In concluding our time, the facility manager expressed sincerest appreciation for our efforts, thanked us for coming so far to help them and presented each of us with hand-crafted thank you cards. Our Polish construction colleagues were very pleased with our efforts and it was heartwarming to hear the construction manager praise us as another Canadian team for our hard work and positive attitudes.
Rest & Relaxation
Midway through the build, we took a break day and were taken on guided walk by a local Polish man who has lived much of his life in Canada after his parents had emigrated here. We spent quite a bit of time in the old town centre, which has lots of character and attractive architecture. Similar to Gdansk, it is amazing that extensive restoration had taken place after an estimated 85-90 % of the old city was destroyed during WW 2. Highlights included seeing the "narrowest" house in Warsaw and a fantastic lunch of several varieties of pirogi.
After enjoying the atmosphere of the old city, we took public transportation to see another HFH Poland project that had just been completed and was ready to occupied. The site is on the top floor of an apartment building that has been transformed into good quality living units for young adults - a highly successful project involving a number of partners who have provided funding, expertise, appliances and more. Combined with our project, this is an excellent example of the kinds of creative solutions of local HFH affiliates in various countries to address housing needs.
The last two days (July 17 & 18) of our time in Warsaw passed quickly as we did some interesting exploration. On July 17, we left the city at 8:00 am for the two-hour drive to Kazimierz Dolny - a small town on the Vistula River known for its Renaissance architecture. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as we encountered fairly heavy rain for much of the day, which meant that we weren't able to fully appreciate the attractive town square. Being a Sunday, we didn't get more than a glimpse of the church of St. Bartholomew and the Franciscan monastery because services were in progress.
We attempted to explore what seemed like an interesting area called the "root tunnel" but our walk was thwarted because of very slippery walking conditions was resulted in a couple of falls. After some free time to explore the many galleries and shops, we had a fine lunch at a local restaurant and then wrapped up the touristy stuff with a short cruise on the Vistula River. The drive back to Warsaw was long as the highway was extremely busy with heavy Sunday evening traffic returning to the city. Despite the weather and long trip, the troops were good natured and we finished the evening with a very fine dinner.
On Monday (July 18), one person departed for home, while the rest of us gathered to visit a well-known historic Warsaw site - the Palace at Wilanow. The palace is considered a gem of the Polish baroque style when built near the end of the 17th century for King Jan III. The palace and furnishings have undergone many changes over the years depending upon the occupants. In addition to the palace, the huge grounds include beautiful gardens, fountains and sculptures - a perfect place to take a break while still remaining within the city.
So long Warsaw
Our final event was another excellent dinner hosted by the volunteer coordinator from HFH Poland and one of her colleagues. We were presented with a certificate of appreciation and a beautiful t-shirt in recognition of our contribution to their work.
This was my 17th Global Village trip (16th as a team leader) and I am grateful for many things - a great team, interesting project, excellent support from HFH Poland and GV Canada, our local work colleagues with their patience and good humour, excellent meals and snacks in both quality and quantity, interesting cultural experiences and a fine hotel in an excellent location!!
I always find it humbling to be the recipient of praise and such recognition as I feel like I get more from the experience than what I could ever contribute. The way a project like this comes together is a great example of building the human community across borders and distances. I so much appreciated the efforts of the local HFH folks and was again blessed with a team of hard working, good natured and interesting people who I hope to have on a future build.
As with quite a bit of my travel, the trip to Poland involved a Habitat for Humanity (HFH) project and I also added a few extra days to do some personal exploring. In my previous trip to Poland, I was in the south part of the country including the city of Krakow. While I would gladly return to Krakow, the project with HFH was in Warsaw so I decided to take a few days to head north to the port city of Gdansk.
This post has sections on Warsaw, Gdansk, our R&R and the HFH project.
Arrival and Initial Impressions of Warsaw
Traveling to Warsaw from Canada is straightforward with the flight route being Victoria-Toronto-Frankfurt-Warsaw for a morning arrival in Poland's largest city. My luggage also arrived at the same time, which is always good on any flight, especially the intercontinental journeys.
While the overnight flight meant I arrived in Warsaw somewhat tired, it also meant having a full day ahead as a great way to be introduced a city for the first time rather than going to bed. After checking into the hotel (centrally located), I set out for a walk in nearby areas. The weather was sunny and quite warm which encouraged me to be outside. It was great to be back in Europe!
Palace of Culture & Science
Mix of contrasting architectures
Legacy from Soviet era
My initial impressions of Warsaw were good and the day passed quickly. After a flavourful dinner with large portions, it was time for another walk and then early to bed for some well-earned sleep before heading to Gdansk the following day.
Why Gdansk?
It was important for me to spend several hours at the museum to gain a better understanding of the critical role played by the dockworkers in Gdansk in the Solidarity Movement and the huge effort and risk required to gain freedom from Soviet control.
After a short flight from Warsaw, I was very pleased to arrive in this historic Northern European city. Ever since seeing the dreary images on international TV news reports about striking Gdansk dockworkers in the early 1980s, I have been intrigued by those events and the city where these events occurred.
Based upon research and recommendations, I focused on two areas - the Royal Way and the Gdansk Shipyard with the top-notch European Solidarity Centre. The museum associated with the latter has a series of well-documented and informative displays/presentations about the events that lead to the solidarity uprising (Solidarnosc) in Gdansk as well as concurrently in other parts of Poland and Europe. In 2015, the museum was voted as the best in Europe.
Tribute to workers
Entrance to Gdansk shipyard
Tribute to Solidarity Movement
Tribute to shipyard workers
In August 1980 the inspirational and determined Lech Walsea led the Gdansk shipyard strike which gave rise to a wave of strikes over much of Poland with Walesa being seen as the leader. Authorities were forced to capitulate and negotiate with Walsea and the workers movement with the Gdansk Agreement being signed in August 31, 1980. The agreement gave the workers the right to strike and to organise their own independent union.
The Catholic Church supported the movement and in January 1981 Walesa was cordially received by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. Walsea then went to a number of countries as a guest of international labour organizations. While he was elected Solidarity Chairman at the First National Solidarity Congress in Gdansk in September 1981, the country's brief encounter with a bit of freedom was short lived, coming to an end December 1981 when General Jaruzelski, fearing Soviet armed intervention among other considerations, imposed martial law, suspended Solidarity, arrested many of its leaders, and interned Walesa in a remote country house.
Almost a year latter (November 1982) Walesa was released and reinstated at the Gdansk shipyards, but kept under surveillance. Nevertheless, contact was regained with Solidarity leaders in the underground and the movement was far from dead. Workers' spirits were lifted in July 1983 with the announcement of Walesa's Nobel prize.
As economic conditions worsened in Poland, the Jaruzelski regime became even more unpopular and was forced to negotiate with Walesa and Solidarity. The result was the holding of parliamentary elections which led to a limited establishment of a non-communist government. Under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union was no longer readily prepared to use military force to keep communist parties in power in satellite states. Walsea took opportunities to meet with world leaders and he was elected chairman of the Solidarity second national congress in April 1990. He went on to be elected as the President of the Polish Republic in late 1990 and served until defeated in November 1995.
The European Solidarity Centre does an excellent job of documenting and creating the drama associated with a myriad of historic events, some of which were covered in TV newscasts around the world. After what I would describe as an emotional and intellectual half day, I made my way by foot into the main town, which includes the Royal Way, and simply walked for a few hours surrounded by beautiful architecture and buildings constructed well over 500 years ago; older in many instances. While many of the building had been seriously damaged by bombing in World War II, there has been remarkable restoration and one would never know that much of the main town had been demolished.
The weather cooperated for walking - nice mix of sun and cloud - so there many people outside doing exactly the same thing that I was. After a couple of days in Gdansk, I certainly concur with travel writer Rick Steves when he says there is more to Gdansk than shipyards and that this Baltic city is second only to Kraków as an appealing destination in Poland.
Gdansk main town
Gdansk main town - original gate to enter the city
Gdansk main town
Gdansk main town
Back in Warsaw
After two very good days in Gdansk, it was time of the one hour flight back to Warsaw. When landing in Warsaw, the presence of the meeting of NATO country delegations was evident from an array of planes grouped together at the airport - planes used to fly Canada's prime minister, US Air Force One and several others. This helped explain the notable security and police presence in many areas near my hotel. In fact, there are many embassies located a short walk from the hotel.
After two very good days in Gdansk, it was time of the one hour flight back to Warsaw. When landing in Warsaw, the presence of the meeting of NATO country delegations was evident from an array of planes grouped together at the airport - planes used to fly Canada's prime minister, US Air Force One and several others. This helped explain the notable security and police presence in many areas near my hotel. In fact, there are many embassies located a short walk from the hotel.
I had a relaxed day in Warsaw....preparing for arrival of the rest of the Habitat for Humanity team. The weather was great so I went out for a long walk to explore a bit of the beautiful old and impressive modern architecture. With all the team in place, except one person, we had a wonderful welcome dinner hosted by HFH Poland.
Our Build
As always, day one of the HFH project was one of meeting new people, learning and familiarization. We were picked up at the hotel in the morning and driven to the work site about 25-30 minutes away. We worked on the renovation of three large second floor rooms in a facility operated by the Revita Foundation that housed 16 vulnerable people at the time. Parents of the residences created the foundation and funded the purchase of the facility. After completion of the project, the facility would be able to house 20 people. All the residents are adults with varying degrees of mental challenges. We had opportunities to meet and talk with some residents, with one man warmly welcoming us every morning and noting that we were from Canada.
Throughout the entire build we were guided and supported by a number of local tradesmen and the volunteer coordinator for HFH Poland. The coordinator used a couple of flip chart pages to draw picture of our Polish co-workers and also a few Polish language expressions. These people were fantastic hosts! Even though it was hot (about 30C) and humid most days, everyone jumped into the work without hesitation.
Our work focused on preparing three rooms for the installation of new drywall for the walls and ceilings. Two rooms were being converted to bedrooms and the third room would become a bathroom when completed. Some effort was expended on the removal of old trim and baseboard. Then our attention was focused on measuring and installing metal tracks as framing and adding a couple of varieties of clips that would be used to attach drywall. We made good progress in the first few days and quite quickly got to the point where we were ready to install drywall. There was a great deal of measuring and cutting metal framing for the walls and ceilings. The ceiling preparation was a bit more challenging than the wall prep because we had to install hangers and ensure these were level before attaching drywall - more difficult than it sounds.
Building we worked on
Our team from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta & BC
By the end of the build we had installed the drywall in two rooms along with taping and getting the walls/ceilings pretty much to the point of being ready to paint. The third room had all the framing installed. Probably the most physically demanding task was on the last day when we carried more than 50 sheets of drywall up a long flight of circular stairs which would be used to finish the project.
Lunch and coffee/tea breaks were taken each day at the build site in a room on the main floor especially set up for us. We were treated with very tasty home cooked food and always left the table filled! The cakes and sweets were amazing in taste and volume! The manager of the facility was an incredible host. Despite the language barrier - she was warm, welcoming and created a very positive atmosphere. I have many warm memories from the break and lunch time of the conversations among our team along with the great food.
Despite the language barrier, we tried to use some of the basic phrases from the flipcharts and a few other words we learned. Of course, our efforts often resulted in lots of laughter and the camaraderie among all of us was excellent. It was a happy workplace.
At the end of our last afternoon at the build site, we were treated to a traditional Polish bbq featuring chicken, sausages and beef complemented with salad, sauerkraut and many sweets! In concluding our time, the facility manager expressed sincerest appreciation for our efforts, thanked us for coming so far to help them and presented each of us with hand-crafted thank you cards. Our Polish construction colleagues were very pleased with our efforts and it was heartwarming to hear the construction manager praise us as another Canadian team for our hard work and positive attitudes.
Director of the facility & the HFH Poland construction manager
Our team & local HFH folks
Midway through the build, we took a break day and were taken on guided walk by a local Polish man who has lived much of his life in Canada after his parents had emigrated here. We spent quite a bit of time in the old town centre, which has lots of character and attractive architecture. Similar to Gdansk, it is amazing that extensive restoration had taken place after an estimated 85-90 % of the old city was destroyed during WW 2. Highlights included seeing the "narrowest" house in Warsaw and a fantastic lunch of several varieties of pirogi.
After enjoying the atmosphere of the old city, we took public transportation to see another HFH Poland project that had just been completed and was ready to occupied. The site is on the top floor of an apartment building that has been transformed into good quality living units for young adults - a highly successful project involving a number of partners who have provided funding, expertise, appliances and more. Combined with our project, this is an excellent example of the kinds of creative solutions of local HFH affiliates in various countries to address housing needs.
Statues are common in many public locations
Try pronouncing these street names
Our walking tour guide
Narrowest house in Warsaw - entrance door in the corner
Old city square
Old city square
The last two days (July 17 & 18) of our time in Warsaw passed quickly as we did some interesting exploration. On July 17, we left the city at 8:00 am for the two-hour drive to Kazimierz Dolny - a small town on the Vistula River known for its Renaissance architecture. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as we encountered fairly heavy rain for much of the day, which meant that we weren't able to fully appreciate the attractive town square. Being a Sunday, we didn't get more than a glimpse of the church of St. Bartholomew and the Franciscan monastery because services were in progress.
We attempted to explore what seemed like an interesting area called the "root tunnel" but our walk was thwarted because of very slippery walking conditions was resulted in a couple of falls. After some free time to explore the many galleries and shops, we had a fine lunch at a local restaurant and then wrapped up the touristy stuff with a short cruise on the Vistula River. The drive back to Warsaw was long as the highway was extremely busy with heavy Sunday evening traffic returning to the city. Despite the weather and long trip, the troops were good natured and we finished the evening with a very fine dinner.
Kazimierz Dolny
Kazimierz Dolny
Memorial recognizing the long-time Jewish presence in the area that had their gravesites destroyed
in WW2; the wall is comprised of original headstones
Vistula River & the boat we rode on
On Monday (July 18), one person departed for home, while the rest of us gathered to visit a well-known historic Warsaw site - the Palace at Wilanow. The palace is considered a gem of the Polish baroque style when built near the end of the 17th century for King Jan III. The palace and furnishings have undergone many changes over the years depending upon the occupants. In addition to the palace, the huge grounds include beautiful gardens, fountains and sculptures - a perfect place to take a break while still remaining within the city.
Palace at Wilanow
Palace at Wilanow
Gardens at Wilanow
Palace at Wilanow
Gardens at Wilanow
Gardens at Wilanow
Our final event was another excellent dinner hosted by the volunteer coordinator from HFH Poland and one of her colleagues. We were presented with a certificate of appreciation and a beautiful t-shirt in recognition of our contribution to their work.
This was my 17th Global Village trip (16th as a team leader) and I am grateful for many things - a great team, interesting project, excellent support from HFH Poland and GV Canada, our local work colleagues with their patience and good humour, excellent meals and snacks in both quality and quantity, interesting cultural experiences and a fine hotel in an excellent location!!
I always find it humbling to be the recipient of praise and such recognition as I feel like I get more from the experience than what I could ever contribute. The way a project like this comes together is a great example of building the human community across borders and distances. I so much appreciated the efforts of the local HFH folks and was again blessed with a team of hard working, good natured and interesting people who I hope to have on a future build.
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