Warsaw's Jewish Cemetery
I have to admit, entering the cemetery was one of the more powerful experiences I've ever had in Poland. There is a lot about my visit that contributed to this sensation. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of entering only 45 minutes before closing time. Thus, the minute someone comes to visit me or wants to visit it themselves, I will take or accompany them again without hesitation. At the same time, being there by myself was part of what made the experience unforgettable and admittedly surreal.
The cemetery was initially established in 1806. In it exist over 200,000 graves in addition to several mass graves from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Much of the contents became abandoned after the German invasion of Poland, and the land became overgrown. Several executions also took place on the grounds during the war. Part of the land is still active today, but much of it is left to rest essentially as a medieval forest. It struck me as almost a double-cemetery, where the gravestones are unattended, where mausoleums and morning angels are left to topple and become artifacts in an open and unmaintained museum of some sort, and where, if you believe in them, ghosts roam. This felt to me like one of the most haunted places in the world. At one point, I was entirely alone, only the birds were audible, and I saw a fox crossing the path ahead. It stopped, looked directly at me, and then continued on its way. The superstitious one in me did a little research and found that the fox, in Jewish culture, has a particular symbolism or two. The one I found was related to the color red, an anti-demonic and anti-evil eye. Children would wear amulets of the color to protect them.
--A sLOVEnian Affair with Wine--
So I'm going to make this my last post about the trip. I'll never be able to tell in detail all of our adventures. Nor will I remember correctly all the food and when and where I had it. However, I can clearly tell you I had wine. And lots of it... in moderation. In other words, it's wine country! And there was a festival! I'll never get over the childish joy I got from the ability to walk and drive among the vineyards, easily hopping back and forth across the Austrian border (even walking into Austria to different wine houses)! Plus, the wine was out of this world! They take it all very seriously, even crowning a wine queen. I never got tired of the view, and was so happy during the (too long) 11km nordic walk led by the ever endearing Peter with his red balloons, and facilitated by the fantastically outgoing Pika, who introduced the American to all the vendors and gave me servings of wine and mošt well over the typically allotted amount. In the evening, it was a lot of fun to see an entire region wobbling from a high intake of wine and spritzers, singing along to well known songs and some doing a lovely job at dancing!
That weekend we also visited Jože's very charming sister since they have the same birthday. She lives in a beautiful home through the mountains (again driving through part of Austria and back into Slovenia to get there) with two adorable cats and a giant mountain dog that just wants to be hugged and pet all the time. Oh, and her family. But we spent a lot of time with the pets after the delicious meal.
The whole trip ended with a day in Vienna. I'm not a big fan of the city, despite its incredible architecture. It is so expensive and feels cold-hearted. I guess I am just too used to (aka infatuated) with the Slavic life. The train ride there sure was stunning, though.
