Day 342: Chopin and Dolly
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
342 — Chopin and Dolly
09-Jul-1972
(Sun.)
TRANSCRIPT
Warsaw - Old Town Square
POLAND
Warsawa
More walking around. Old part of the city is not too
bad.
Rotten luck (I usually do something stupid.) I lost,
or it was robbed, my camera cover. Not only does it
make traveling with it harder, but I also have to buy
one. Expensive. Later on, even lost my tie. Must have
fallen out of my coat.
Chopin concert by the Chopin Monument
Chopin concert by his
monument in the rose garden. Very nice concert.
Pianist was very good. Some acoustic problems,
naturally. But still, very nice. This park area is
the Schönbrunn of Poland. Walks and wooded areas.
Also saw another concert of men’s choir. Choir wasn’t
so bad. Enjoyed it.
About food. Ate a kielbasy. If you don’t get it from
your own farm, it isn’t so good. The kilebasy is the
worst I’ve ever tasted. There are a million places to
get a drink, but never water.
Not only have I lost my tie and camera cover, but I
have frayed my burgundy pants.
“Hello
Dolly” in the fantastically
beautiful and modern Congress Hall. In Polish, of
course. Really enjoyable. Didn’t like the clarinet or
trumpet players. Dolly was only so-so. But everything
else was extremely good. Audience was pretty mild—no
wild laughter.
About to leave for Berlin. Already you can tell the
difference with trains. Comfortable, second class.
Comfortable seats.
REFLECTIONS
Old
and new Warsaw. I
mention yesterday how the 1972 Warsaw skyline was
pretty drab compared to today’s modern city. Walking
around tourist Warsaw also presents the same
contrasts. The Culture Center is a typical high-rise
government building—rather drab. The new Congress
Hall, in which I saw Hello
Dolly, was an
incredibly beautiful and modern concert hall. Much of
old Warsaw has beautiful streets and gardens, just as
the modern gardens of the Chopin park and monument
were very nice. Tourist Warsaw in 1972 was a very
nice town (except for the food and lodging). I wonder
what Warsaw is like today?
Another old town street in Warsaw
Poor John. I seem to
have a little trouble today. My camera “cover” the
leather hood over the camera is lost or stolen, I
lose my tie (I actually wore a tie?), and my burgundy
pants are frayed. (I remember those pants.) Pretty
soon, I’ll be a ragged vagabond.
Walking.
I have
some pictures below to which I don’t know where they
belong. They look like some type of palace grounds,
arches, and waterways. I stumbled across a men’s
choir concert in this area in an outdoor
amphitheatre. Nice.
Chopin park and concert. This was an enjoyable early evening concert. There are plenty pictures today which show the park and Chopin monument. Outdoor summer concerts are fun and enjoyable. This was no exception.
Off to Berlin. Finally, a decent train. Thanks to the Germans, no doubt.
Photos. As you can see by the photos, much of Warsaw is a beautiful place.
Park area and Chopin Monument
Hello
Dolly in the modern Congress Hall
Barbican
Castle in Old Warsaw
Beautiful
walkways and paths
Men’s
choir in outdoor amphitheater
Artist’s
bazaar
Walking
the Warsaw streets
Warsaw
Palace of Culture
John
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