convinced it was wrong, but the phone and computer both agreed with it. No
window to look out of, just a skylight above. Not much help. I could hear
voices to looked out my door and saw folk all dressed up in outdoor clothing.
Ah- still confused but when I finally found a local TV station it confirmed the
early time. This is a TV lovers place there are literally hundreds of channels
available via satelite. Plenty I had never heard of and all the Asian, Middle
East and European channels I pick up at home and so many more. But so far I
have yet to find one in English.
Breakfast is provided from 8:30 to 11 am. A couple cereal choices, Polish cold
saussage, cold boiled egg halves, two cheeses, a mixture of bread and rolls and
tomato. Filtered coffee as well. Breakfast is included in the cost of my private
room whereas dorm guests have to pay extra for it.
There is a very pleasant radio station being played in the dinning room with a
mixture of classical, film sound track music and that's about it. I like it and
they do not seem to have any adverts either. The guy on reception was whistling
along with one of the classical tracks this morning, so obviously it is his
choice of music.
When I went out about 10am, the streets were not that busy. But during the day
the number of pedestrians got much bigger and when I came back to the hostel
about 8pm the place was really humming with lots of walkers and lots of people
eating out – and I mean out – in the multitude of resturants with areas of
outdoor seating.
During the day I was interested to notice the large number of orderly school
groups moving around the Old Town. There were also hundreds of other young
people, including many small groups of teen age girls. All very fashionably
dressed and all seemed to be photographing each other. Quite anumber of these
were setting up fashion magazine type poses. All very interesting to watch.
Lots of young couples, often sitting on steps or seats happily entwined and
obivious to the passers by. Later, after 6pm I was wandering around a very
pleasant city park and noticed that each park seat had a couple on it of a
variety of ages. Some were same sex pairs but all seemed to be happily
chatting. Some were also watching their young children playing near by.
Park had enough trees to be a woodland. They all had fresh young green leaves
and there were lovely flower beds and several fountains playing. Actually the
city area I have been in is full of flowers. There are rows of raised planter
boxes along the curb as well as window boxes often added colour to an otherwise
drab side street.
At the park gate I was able to watch a changing of the guard. Two soldiers are
on duty at the eternal flame shrine and an officer and the two replacements
came marching across the plaza with Russian like marching and heavy foot steps.
Near the Old Town, in front of the Presidential Palace there was a series of
large poster boards forming an exhibition about the recent plane crash and the
resulting return of the bodies and the funeral just a week or so ago. People
wandered around them reading captions and being quiet and reverential. Along
the fence a hundred or so red oil and candel lanterns were burning and being
added to. Therre were also some flowers. The sense of national sorrow was still
there.
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