SLIDE SHOW
I liked Moscow — the ladies not so much. All the hotel staff were very friendly. The waitress even brough Karen a gift of a small ceramic angel — wishing us a safe flight!
The streets were being washed as we stepped out of the hotel. Later we saw a smaller vehicle washing the sidewalks. It turns out they do this daily — early each morning. It is a clean city.
We experienced the first glitch of the trip this morning — our transportation did not show. No problem — we called a van taxi and were underway 30 minutes behind schedule. Traffic is light on a Sunday morning. I really like their red or green lights that the count down the time remaining. Marc said they saw one that with heavy traffic present that lasted 180 seconds THEN renewed for another 180. A green light (red for the cross street) that lasted 6 minutes!
We see rows and clusters of tall apartment buildings. Only as we approach the airport do we see a few individual houses. There are many huge monuments but no other public art that we have seen.
Security at the general aviation terminal delay us. He and our driver speak no English. We keep pulling out paperwork — flight plans etc. I take off my jacket so he can see my Captan’s uniform and even pull up a photo of the airplane. Finally we are through and dropped at the private terminal where we go through security. Wrong place sine we are all crew. The whole process of getting out to the airplane took maybe 20 minutes — no big delays just lot’s of steps.
I took lots of photos of the strange Russian airplanes parked on our way to N-1RD. Again the ramp is full of “heavy iron” with all sorts of strange registrations. We order fuel and Marc takes care of the outside details while I do the preflight and load our flight plan. Marc closes the door and we ask for our clearance. There English is hard to understand. We have not been released by immigration. We call the FBO with no results. Finally someone shows up with our paperwork and release. Everyone is friendly and helpful it just takes time. I fire up the right engine because our battery power is low from all the ground time. Opps — they pull a giant tug up in front of us. With one engine running they tow us down the ramp 500 feet — who knows why — we are still a row of parked aircraft. I bet they thought the running engine was an APU (aux power unit). All the airports since Iceland have used “follow me” vehicles which are great to get us in and out of the parking ramps.
Our long taxi takes us right by the main terminal. Finally we are off and running 1.5 hours after our planned takeoff time.
We leave Russia and pass into Belarus airspace. Air Journey has handled the necessary overflight permit. We pass to a controller in Minsk (note Susan B.) The ILS into Warsaw (it is raining however the ceiling and visability are ok) looks like an elongated U-Turn. Except for our landing in Bergen, Norway we have had IFR weather everywhere.
Ground handling is quick and easy in Warsaw. Stepping outside was a breath of fresh air — literely and figgratively. It’s a beautiful day — warm — sun shining — The trees and grass turning green. The air smells good!
Our hotel is old World — The Bristol in a beautiful part of old Warsaw. If you remember Warsaw was heavily bombed during WW II. Many buildings were repaired others restored and others built from the ground up to look identical to the original. On top of that new contemporary buildings by architects such as Foster and Liebenskien have been built. One giant soviet era monumental building is conspicuous. We learned that 16 of these identical building were constructed all around Moscow. We did see them there but thought we were going by the same building each time. The “Getto” was a walled in area of Warsaw where the Germans concentrated all the Jews in WWII. It has been completely rebuilt including an architectually significant holocaust museum.
Our guide is a gallery owner named Zuzanne — recommended by our artist friend Xawery Wolsky. See picked us up in a van and headed off to a lunch place built in an old arsenal where we met Xawery and his partner Nora.
Karen & I — along with my Mother — first purchased Xawery Wolsky’s ceramic work in Mexico City maybe 25 years ago. Ten years ago we rediscovered his work when we visited his home in Mexico City although he was not there. LeBaron’s purchased a piece. Five years later we invited him to our (Duncan’s and LeBaron’s) artists’ residency in Puerto Vallarta. Meeting Xawery and Nora was a very significant step in our long contemporary art adventure. Not only have we purchased several additional pieces — we have become great friends. Although Xawery & Nora (she is Mexican) live in Mexico City he often returns to his native Poland. When we decided that Warsaw was one of our destinations we called and they arranged to arrive the day before our arrival.
This was the best lunch to date by far and away. It was bright, busy and the food was beautiful! Owned by a long time Warsaw family most of the staff was “experienced” — close to our age. It reminded me of the staff at the seafood restaurant in Stockholm — no BS — gimme your order! Everything was delicious — prepared at table side and served family style with sides of carrots, beets, red cabbage, potatoes, wonderful bread and butter. It was a huge amount of food then we ordered a towering dessert. Everyone cleaned their plates — we were stuffed — and it was after 4:00.
We planned to take the van along with Xawery & Nora + Zuzanne to Xawery’s family’s estate was an hour and a half south of Warsaw. We drove by his Mother’s former mansion. We passed by miles and miles of apple orchards. Russia had been the principle market for the apples however Putin ended that when Poland opposed the Russian military action in Ukraine. It has been terrible for Poland.
The 1000 acre Wolsky estate had been in the family for more than 200 years. The farming portion was operated by business partners while the principle buildings were the family’s alone. Xawery’s grandfather was a scientist and an enrtrepuer Xawery and Nora returned about three years ago to find everything in terrible disrepair. They made a decision to split there lives and work between Mexico and Poland. They have spent three years fixing and repairing and they have just begun.
The space and the buildings are incredible. There is a main house — a large guest house — a two story former labratory with a wood vaulted ceiling on the second floor — two very large storage buildings with high ceilings which already contain much of his inventory shipped over from Mexico (three shipping containers to be exact) — a three story grainery building built in the 1800’s and finally a brick vodka distillery built in 1903. UNBELIEVABLE!
Xawery intends to create display space for his work — a place where collectors can visit and purchase art. His work is already hung in the main house and the guest house. We were to be treated to great Polish vodka and a typical Polish dinner. All this was such a incredible experience. Dinner with great friends in a beautiful strange place half way around the World.
We are so lucky!
World Art Adventure 