30 April 1980

Nourishing body and mind in Warsaw

Last day of classes. It's not been a hard semester, let me say it once more. But it has been and will probably remain the most instructive semester of our university time. What we have learned living in Poland, meeting our colleagues and just experiencing life here could not possibly be taught.

Parents and Warsaw block of flats
Out for lunch with parents, then some shopping. One of the few items of high manufacturing quality and reasonable prices in the official, non-black market, you can find in Poland is crystal. I love crystal and in the Stare Miasto we can find a few shops that sell beautiful vases for 1,300 to 1,800 zloty, less than fifty US dollars. We buy a few to take back to Rome.

The evening sees us going to the Wielki Teatr (Big Theater) for a ballet performance. For two centuries this has been the most prestigious opera and ballet theater in the country. Mahler, Prokofiev, Bizet. It was not really possible to find tickets in the open market. And I did not really look into the black market. Bogdan however, our head teacher, who has been taking such good care of us over the last couple of months, somehow found them and very kindly provided them to us! The ballet is OK, not great really, but the music is fine and we have very good seats.

After the performance we invite Bogdan and his wife to the Victoria hotel for a dinner at the Canaletto restaurant. It is always a sublime experience to come and dine here. Food, service, ambiance... everyting is perfect. Again quite cheap (for us!) including Italian wine. Two bottles of Grignolino d'Asti and lots of meat for everyone and all for less than 75 dollars.

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