Visiting Poland, Ukraine’s Friend

Visitng Poland, Ukraine’s friend, was uppermost in my mind, when we booked a fourteen-day bus tour through Central Europe. After three long years of being super vigilant, due to Covid regulations and health concerns, it was wonderful to get out into the world again.

After four lovely nights in Bruges, Belgium, Robert and I flew from Brussels to Warsaw. So come along on our journey.

What’s in a Name?

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was the first stop on our tour. I was especially interested in this city, because it’s the city that my baba, Lukia Mazurets, stopped at when she left her village of Kivertsi, (then in Polish-occupied Ukraine) in 1929 to immigrate to Canada. It’s the journey I write about in the second book of Lukia’s Family Saga, Lilacs in the Dust Bowl.

When we walked through the Warsaw airport, I was surprised to see the name Mazurek, advertising an airport lounge. When Baba and her children landed in Canada, an official wrote Mazurek instead of her family name, Mazurets, in his log book. And Mazurek and Mazurec became the family name. The Poles also have a pastry and a folk dance by that name. In English, that dance is called the Mazurka.

Tracing Lukia Mazurets’s Route

Visiting Poland, I had hoped to see the Warsaw train station where my baba landed, but it was gone, and Chmielna Street where she walked (featured in my novel) is now a pedestrian-friendly shopping avenue. I’d be hard-pressed to find any connection to what she probably saw back then. The online photo I found shows what Chmielna Street was like in 1929.

First Impressions

After being badly damaged in WWII, Warsaw is now a thriving city. We were amazed at the development, and how vibrant the streets were with well-dressed citizens and bustling activity.

Here are a few photos from our journey. The building in the first photo is worth a look. It was Stalin’s gift to Poland at the end of World War II. It’s a magnificent building housing museums, cinema, and various offices. Because Poland doesn’t want to be reminded of its years under Communist rule, many Polish citizens have lobbied for the building to be torn down. That would be a shame, but I understand their feelings. Though they received an awe-inspiring gift from Stalin, they also got years of domination and fear of living under his rule. I have no love for Stalin, the Russian leader responsible for the Holodomor and other crimes.

Poland’s Support of Ukraine

Because of the war in Ukraine, family members and friends questioned the wisdom of us visiting Poland. Was it safe? And would it be overcrowded with all the Ukrainin refugees the country has taken in? But as we drove through Warsaw, we saw no evidence of Ukrainian refugees, nor any sign of the war happening east of its border in Ukraine. Our tour guide said, “Ukrainians don’t look any different from Polish citizens.” So they wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. He added that many had either used Poland as a route to other places or had gone back to their homes in Ukraine.

Though we didn’t see hordes of refugees, we saw evidence of Poland’s support of Ukraine. And Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora are so grateful for that support. Ukrainian flags flew from government buildings and windows in citizens’ homes. And we arrived the day the Ministry of Defense from Ukraine set up a display in Warsaw’s Old Town Square, showing a Russian tank Ukraine had destroyed. There were also posters stating that Ukraine was fighting not only for her freedom but aso for the freedom of others.

Ukraine continues to fight a nation in an unprovoked war with a miltiary ten times its own. And Putin continues to wage his war through a well-oiled propaganda machine. This war in Ukraine is also in the media.

Touring Europe was a Writing Break

Touring Europe was a welcome writing break. I’d been writing my Ukrainian grandmother and her family’s story for six years now. Before we left for Europe, I had sent the third book of Lukia’s Family Saga, Paper Roses on Stony Mountain, to my formatter. The third (and last) book in the series continues the love story started in Lilacs in the Dust Bowl, the second book in the trilogy, which began with Sunflowers Under Fire.

But when we returned from our trip overseas, I read Paper Roses on Stony Mountain again, and, with my “fresh eyes”, found many places that needed attention. So, I made the changes and sent it back to my formatter. I’m planning to launch this novel on Sept. 14th. It could be available for pre-order as early as this week.

So if you’re interested in learning more, sign up for my Book News. It’s about what I’ve been writing and what’s next in my writing plans.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Visiting Poland was only the first country in our bus tour of Central Europe. I hope to share more of our journey in future blog posts. Any comments are always appreciated.