Shava

Shava is the mermaid who helped a knight named Wars to found the city.  It is named after both of them, Warshawa (pronounced Varshavah, 'w' makes a v sound).  The legend goes that after she was captured by a fisherman, she pleaded with the people of the town to help her, and pledged to always defend them if they did.  So, they rescued her.  She is usually depicted with a sword and/or shield to show that she defends the city.

Minor Basilica of the Holy Cross

Not far past the Presidents Residence on the Royal Route is the Minor Basilica of the Holy Cross.  I didn't want to take many pictures inside because Mass going on and I didn't want to be a distraction.

St. Michael and Florian Cathedral

A short walk from the hotel I stayed in is the Cathedral of St. Michael and Florian, where I went to Mass Sunday morning.  Here are a few shots:

Dinosaur At O'Hare

Back In The U.S.

Back safely in the US, in Chicago waiting for my final flight, to Philly.

I left the hotel at about 6:30 this morning, and made sure to get to the airport in plenty of time.  Unfortunately, the flight to Frankfurt Germany was delayed 40 minutes because it hit a hawk or some other large bird on the way.  My connecting flight to Chicago was only hour after the scheduled arrival of the flight from Warsaw.  I thought for sure I would miss.  But I got off the plane with 15 minutes to go.  Ran through Frankfurt airport, and zipped though pass control (fortunately there was no line) and made it!

When I get to Philly that will be three flights in one day (although my body thinks it's Tuesday morning already).

Anyway, I have many more pictures and stories to post from the trip.  I will try to knock all those out over the next week.

Benedictines

On my last night here in Warsaw I paid a final visit to the Benedictine chapel where I attended the divine office and adoration on Thursday.  Mass was in progress so I didn't go in, but could here the nuns chanting the Gloria in Latin.  I was glad to see the chapel was quite full.

Like most things in Old Town it was rebuilt after being destroyed in the war.  They had some pictures posted outside that I hadn't noticed before:

remember you can click to enlarge.

And right near that is a statue of St. Benedict:

I was glad I had one last chance to stop by there and hear the nuns a little.  In my short experience there, I grew quite fond of it.

Correction

In the post Stare Miasto, I indicated that the statute on the tall pillar is of King Jan Sobieski.  It is actually Sgisimund III.  I correct the post below.  It's there because Sigisimund III is the one who moved the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw in  1596.  One note about the column, it was originally solid marble, but when the communists rebuilt it after the war, they made the column out of concrete, and simply covered it with marble.