Kościuszko and Me

The day dawned with unusually bright, warm skies, promising a day perfect for cycling. I seized the opportunity to go out--overall health notwithstanding--but as I wheeled 7 of 9 onto the drive for le grand départ , I was seized by an intense longing to ride Kościuszko and see some heretofore-unseen part of Poland. Unfortunately, I have to admit to you, Dear Readers, that my return looks unlikely at this point. Still, I feel compelled to write a few lines, since Poland is constantly on my mind these days. Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo courtesy of Professor J. Aber, Emporia University. But before we dive in, a reader wanted to tap my knowledge of Veterans/Remembrance/Armistice Day with a query. Question: What is the largest memorial or monument to World War One in the United States? Answer: I don't know. I can tell you, however, that the largest and most impressive WWI commemorative structure I've seen is in Kansas City, Missouri. It is called the L...

November 11th is widely celebrated as Armistice Day (the end of hostilities in World War I). In the United States, the holiday that began as Armistice Day morphed into Veterans Day and is an observance to honor all veterans of all American wars. In Poland, November 11th is National Independence Day ( Narodowe Święto Niepodległości ), and commemorates the rebirth of Poland as a sovereign state at the end of World War I. Polish WWI Recruitment Poster. Source . So, while in much of the world the day is one marked by some level of sad remembrance, in the United States and Poland it is much more of a celebration, although in both these countries the celebration issues from the same Great War (Wielką Wojną). When November 11th rolls around I give a lot of thought to that war and everything that it set in motion in the 20th Century.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of that horrific cataclysm. Sadly, that war and its effects has been largely overshadowed by the Secon...

My wife and I have been taking one longer journey away from Warsaw every month. It would have been ideal if Kościuszko could have joined us on these adventures, but to date there was always some consideration that has affected those plans. In the case of Torún, the hotel wouldn’t take him ( see the post ). When we went to Kazimierz Dolny, the roads were simply not suitable for Kościuszko ( see the post ). This month our plan was to travel by rail to Kraków. The roads there would allow for a beautiful ride along the Vistula, but the journey by train meant Kościuszko would be hanging upside down from what were essentially meat hooks in another railroad car, defenseless, alone and separated from us. None of us felt comfortable with this option, so once again, Kościuszko stayed at home. Kraków is a remarkable destination. It was the historic capital of Poland until 1596, and is, perhaps, the most visited city in Poland. Kraków's Old Town and the castle above it were among the first U...

The Royal Route, Our Route. Dear Readers! The remarkable weather here continues and we decided that a trip into the city was appropriate for our next adventure. Since we live very close to Wilanów Palace (it is just across a field behind the house) we would follow the historic  Royal Route (Trakt Królewski) from the palace north to its end at the Royal Castle in Old Town square. Afterwards, we would drop down the escarpment, then make our way back along the river, as in our previous Warszawa Centrum mission. It was forecast to be warm later in the day, but our 7:00 AM start guaranteed that our experience would actually be quite chilly. Long sleeves would be necessary. About a month ago, a dear, former student of mine sent me the first page of a reading she was assigned for one of her university classes.  The thesis of the chapter was: a city cannot be a work of art . Without seeing the entire chapter (the full context), I can't comment on the author's arguments, even t...