Kabaty Forest Half Marathon

Ok, so there is no Kabaty Forest half marathon. I just made it up. Originally I was going to do the Warsaw Half Marathon, but that got postponed to the fall and I had already been training so I didn't want to wait. Since the Kabaty Forest is just next to my apartment and I love to run in it I figured I could figure out a 21k distance there and it worked pretty well to do so. I chose a date and time, Friday June 19th to run at a 6:30 start time (actual start time a little after that). I had been running a lot around this time or a little bit later and it seemed a good time as not too many people are in the forest yet so I'd be mostly alone. However, I didn't want to be totally alone so Aya helped me out as my aid station to give me water and bananas at certain points.
It was a fun run and I finished at 1hr 58 minutes, actually a bit better than I thought I would since much of the running was on narrow trails that were winding and muddy, not ideal for a fast pace. Now that the race is over, do I keep training and run the real Warsaw 1/2 in the fall?

Zaduszki - All Saints Day- All Souls Day

Last Sunday on the recommendation of our Polish teacher we went to Powaski cemetery in Wasaw to check out the All Saints Day-All Souls Day holiday and see what Warsowians do on this special day. Seeing as Poland is 85% Catholic you can imagine the feeling of the society celebrating this day special to the Christian calendar. In all graveyards in the country, and abroad, there are graves that are adorned with candles and lamps as well as flowers  and other decorations. People visit their family graves and there are almost no graves that do not get some kind of recognition. People carry on superstitions that believe the souls of the dead visit the family home and, perhaps, stop for a moment to eat or warm themselves. In many ways this reminds me of Obon in Japan as families come together, tend graves, and prepare for the dead to return to them.

 

Powaski cemetary, the largest in the city covering 110 acres and is estimated to have buried 1million people in it's grounds. As we approached the graveyard there were throngs of people, people singing, some playing instruments, others asking for donations. As we entered the walls there were paths around the tombstones packed with people. As we got further and further in the crowds thinned, but were still many. It was hard to actually move fast as every couple of paces another interesting grave could be seen. Tombstones in Powaski Cemetery are beautifully made with loving detail around family tombs. Some small, some quite large and some clearly belonging to families with some wealth. It was very interesting to see the different interpretations of honoring death and to see the names and dates of those who laid beneath. Many of them a couple hundred years old.

Aya said a few times that it was creepy to imagine all the skeletons that were resting in one area, a literal necropolis, which I suppose is true, but I was focused more on the art above ground. Can you guess the profession of the fellow with the cap and goggles?

 

We searched the cemetery for some time and I can imagine that in the future we will return again. As we searched we looked for the Jewish section as we thought it would be interesting to see that area given Poland's history with the Nazi invasion and the treatment of Jews. Unfortunately it was walled off, but a Polish friend told us that there are times when a gate to that area is opened, so we will try to go then. Looking at a map I can also see a Protestant section. The different sections of the graveyard remind me of two graves I saw in a picture, a husband and wife of different faiths whose tombstones were built on either side of a wall dividing the two denominational cemeteries had their tombstones built so they would be holding hands. No such thing here, but plenty of unique sculptures and beautiful artwork. 

The view at night is even more spectacular, though we didn't get to see this graveyard lit up we did see a few smaller ones nearer to us. Here, an aerial photo and video from drone shot above the cemetery. 

Unfortunately there are some not so positive aspects of the holiday, trash! I'm not sure why as many of the decorations are plastic and glass, easily re-used or possibly recycled, but there seems to be bins and bins of trash around the graveyards. On my ride to work each day I go by a graveyard and there are three dumpsters available to throw your trash for what is really a small graveyard. Even Poles are wising up to the negative impacts of the trash created, so maybe there will be change in the future. For now life is not sustainable, but perhaps in the future the decorations will be? 

First Impressions of Warsaw

Aya and I have now been in Warsaw for three months. We've moved into our apartment, toured around the city a bit, been taking Polish lessons and generally getting to know our new home. 

One thing that I knew coming in was that I would not completely escape the air pollution we experienced in Beijing. As I was accepting my new position last year some friends of ours living here in Warsaw warned us that the air gets bad in winter and we watched last winter through our apps to see that happen in aqi data. Then, last week we started to experience it ourselves. While not nearly as bad as Beijing, it is still a bit disappointing to have to again consider if I can run outside or if we should have our windows closed and air filters on at home. 

But let's not dwell on the negative for too long. Warsaw is full of positives. Maybe the best thing that we've experienced is the beer and ice cream. Ice cream is everywhere and Aya has literally been eating it almost every day. The craft beer scene is very strong here and so I too have been indulging almost every day. 

and oh, the food, so much of it and so good. There are many national cuisines around the city and Polish food is pretty good in itself. We live outside of the city center, but there are plenty of places in our neighborhood and it is an easy 15-20 minute metro ride to the center of town. 

You would think that we are gaining a lot of weight here, but there are lots of places to walk and hike and my route to work each day is a 20 minute bike ride each way, so lots of time and place to get out and get moving. 

Similar to China, so far, we haven't made too many local friends but I would say that people here do seem to be more keen to hang out together and its just a matter of time before we make more friends. Poles are known for being a bit shy or unfriendly, I am told, but the latter part has not been my experience. We have noticed that people don't really chit chat with strangers, unlike the US ( a good thing) and that in public spaces people tend to be quiet, like in the metro. People don't really smile unless something is truly pleasing to them, so service staff will not seem as friendly if you are coming from Japan or the US were an effort is made to seem friendly. However, once you break that veneer people are very friendly and kind. We've made a couple friends and generally people seem to appreciate our attempts at Polish, though we usually don't get very far before they answer us in English. We've also noticed a lot of good behavior in public, like giving seats to the elderly, orderly queues, quiet voices, and a general respect for others. One thing to be aware of though is to be prepared to hear a long answer when you ask a Pole how they are doing. They take it seriously, so you won't get the usual, "fine, and you?" Often they will tell you exactly how they are feeling and why. One stereotype that seems to be true is that Poles do like to complain, but don't take it too seriously. 

Getting around town has been quite easy and there is a lot to see. We've been to the Old Town a few times, an impressive place as it was totally rebuilt after WWII from old plans and paintings of what the town looked like. There are lots of nice places eat there or just to sit wand watch the crowds. Much of the architecture in the city is squat and dull colored, though I don't find it ugly some people do. One other unusual site in Warsaw is the Palace of Culture, built as a Soviet gift it is sometimes referred to a Stalin's... because it was a large symbol of the Soviet power during the Cold War era. More recently EU money has been pouring into the city and many new high rises and roadways have been built. Though some of the politicians here deride the EU in Warsaw it is clear to see the benefits. 

 

 

The other quite distinct thing about Warsaw and the Poles are the legacies of the past that shape their lives today. "Pamietan/my" can be seen everywhere, "Remember". No matter where you go in the city there are markers, candles, and remembrances to events past. We were lucky enough to be here at the end of July which marked the remembrance of the starting of the Warsaw Uprising, the largest resistance to the Nazis by a civilian population which left over 200.000 civilian Poles dead and 85% of the city destroyed. On this day every year the Poles stand for remembrance in the streets of Warsaw as life in the city literally grinds to a halt. The war time history of Poland and then the invasion by the Soviets gives the living Poles today a sense of sadness but also a sense of pride in the nation. It is a pride that can be easily seen among Poles of all ages, but unfortunately recently has been morphing into a more commonly seen anti-immigrant anti-globalization movement, part of a greater European trend, and gaining more seats in the parliament. 

With all that said, Warsaw is a lovely place to be even if, like everywhere, it is not perfect. It is quite easy to enjoy a day at the local flea markets, walking along the boardwalk of the Vistula river, or enjoying Chopin in the park. The people of Warsaw love their city and their country and make it a point of pride to help foreigner like us feel right at home.