Cloudy, windy, warm, and perfect for walking; Warsaw called and we answered. The hostel had laundry service and a free breakfast, so we left full, after a great meal, and looking forward to smelling better on our return.

First, we walked down Krakowski Przedwieceie Street - Margaret obsessed with doing her own walking tour using the hostel's Warsaw in Short. We walked to the Royal Castle and then we wandered back. The kids read out the historical significance of each building, but what struck us over and over again were the words "completely destroyed." After 1945, all of the churches, palaces, buildings, monuments, statues were restored over 20 years. Margaret was overcome by the love of the Polish people for their heritage and how they worked to bring it back to life. So many people said we wouldn't like Warsaw but we would like to disagree and say that the spirit of this city is one of endurance, pride and a pervading mood of truly knowing things can always change. Consider 1987 to 2007; historically, what a change in culture, economics, fashion, fads and politics. Unbelievable.

We finished our tour of the Old Town; it was breathtaking, as far as we were concerned. We were delighted to see our kids enjoy a kebab (donair in Canada) - yes, the larger the repertoire of their menu choices, the more we'll enjoy this trip! Then, we took the tram to Praga, part of the city that survived the 40's. Tess picked out her wedding dress, Barry bought Margaret a replacement wedding ring (she didn't' bring hers in case she lost it or it was stolen), and the kids bought ice cream covered in pop rocks (remember those? We thought they'd pop on the melting ice cream but, no, they had to be sucked on, so it was very cool!). We got back to the hostel and then shopped for food - porkchops, potatoes, a can of corn - and we enjoyed the evening while sharing the common room with several '20 somethings' who were playing a card game and telling each other how the world really works. We secretly laughed at their idealism and strong opinions but enjoyed hearing their take on several topics. Ah, to be young again?

Tomorrow, we head for Krakow, armed with great advice from several Polish friends and the knowledge that if we loved Warsaw, we'll really love Krakow!