Footprints on Cobblestone: I feel like there's a joke about this one...

I guess I've been lucky that, so far in Poland, I haven't had any "what is happening here!!?" moments like I did all the time in Ukraine. Until today.

I started off in the Central Archives, but like yesterday, when I got there, all the machines were being used. However, unlike yesterday, this morning, the security guards wouldn't let me go upstairs until there was an open machine. This meant waiting in the coat room, typing away on my computer. Thankfully, the whole "as soon as you walk away from an elevator it will arrive" trick worked, and as soon as I leaned over to plug in my power cord, the security guard gave me authorization to go upstairs to the reading room. I sat down at the open machine, and just before I clicked on the light, I heard shuffling and mumbling around me. When I tried clicking on the light, I realized that the electricity had gone out for the machines in my row! Strange experience of the day #1. But for some reason I had the feeling that it was a planned electricity outage, since there was a sign on the door to the reading room that mentioned electricity. Oh well. When the power came back on, I began reviewing the microfilms I had ordered, and noticed that I was given one of the films that was being reprographed yesterday (still don't know what that means!). I went up and asked about the other film that was being reprographed, and the archivist responded that it wouldn't be ready until Friday. So that means one last trip to the archives on Friday.

Next I set off for the Warsaw Rising Museum, a museum dedicated to telling the story of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, in which the Polish people of Warsaw started a sort of revolution against the Nazis to take back Warsaw. In the end it failed, but it lasted for a good two months. Anyway, I decided that I would take public transportation to get there, and I would walk back. I went to the stop to catch the tram, but after a half-an-hour, there was no tram. In fact, no trams were passing that stop. I was thoroughly confused, because it was the same stop and the same tram that I've taken many times before. I started walking to the next stop, hoping that the tram would stop there, but there was also no tram there. I began walking to the next stop, and then, coming out of a street perpendicular to the regular route of this tram, was my tram! Strange experience of the day #2, the tram suddenly has a new route. But thankfully it still got me to the museum.

Now, if you just read my two sentences about the Warsaw Uprising, you probably have learned just as much as I did by going through the museum...because it really made little sense. You start off on a "cobblestone street" where, logically, one side of the room describes the beginning of the war. But the very other side describes the end of the war. Then there's a room with children's objects, describing how children were involved in the uprising. But the uprising didn't start yet! Then there's a series of battles, and then the uprising starts. And on the first day of the uprising, the Poles are free (?). Then you enter a huge room that has an airplane in the center. Then you watch a movie about the extent to which Warsaw was destroyed after the uprising. Then you watch footage of the uprising, and then you enter a room that describes how Nazis gave the order to destroy Warsaw after the uprising. Then you go upstairs, where the uprising is still going on. Then it ends (again), and then Pope John Paul II speaks. Then you learn about paratroopers. Then you manage to find your way to the exit. Now, I don't know if it was just me, because all of the other people visiting the museum seemed to understand what was going on. But for me, it was definitely Strange experience of the day #3.

Then I walked over to the Palace of Culture and Science, the tallest building in Warsaw that was a "gift" from Stalin to the people of Warsaw. I heard that it has a nice view from the top, so I ventured over to check it out. I bought a ticket from the ticket booth, and little did I know that I would also be buying a ticket to the natural history museum also inside the building. You start in an exhibit about gorillas and Charles Darwin, and then ride an elevator to the 30th floor for the nice view. Then you ride down to the 6th floor, and you're in an exhibit about Neanderthals! Then you go to the next room, and there's a display of cave paintings. And a Ford advertising area complete with flat screen panels and touchscreens. Then you figure out that to exit, you need to take the elevator down again, and then walk up the stairs to the door. Strange experience of the day #4. But on the way out, I had my best experience of the day! And that was finding a freshly-squeezed-orange-juice-vending-machine. It's exactly what you imagine: a machine squeezes oranges and pours the contents into a plastic cup. A good way to end the day! (and I guess a little strange, too).