June 25, 2015 (Warsaw, Poland)

Today was one of our last days in Poland. Today we toured around and visited church members. We first toured the museum of the History of the Jewish Poles. The museum was HUGE, and had very unique and cool architecture. Inside the museum they had a replica of an old synagogue. It reminded me of other religious buildings we  had seen with its bright colors and painting of animals and symbols. Before WWII Poland had the most Jews throughout all of Europe. This is because the Polish kings were the most tolerant to the Jews. 

During WWII Poland was taken over by the Nazis who hated the Jews.The Nazis made the Jews wear an armband showing who was Jewish and made them cut their beards and curls to try to humiliate them. The Jews were treated worse than everybody! The Nazis killed 6,000,000 Jews, 3,000,000 of them were Polish.There were 11,000,000 Jews in Europe before the war. Hitler and the Nazis killed over half of them. 

We ate lunch with the mission president, President Edgren and his wife Sister Edgren.’ We ate at a little restaurant that Kendall really loved on her mission in Warsaw. The Edgrens were from Southern California and were in Poland for three years. President Edgren was Kendall’s mission president throughout most of her mission. I liked talking to the president about biking, he was a fellow mountain biker too.

Around half an hour later we met back up with Sister Edgren at her mission home. The mission home was pretty big, and got the job done. All they brought from California were their clothes, a custom chest and their pictures. Sister Edgren drove us to a nice pottery shop named Kim’s. There Kendall bought many blue and orange pieces of pottery, like a pie tin. We later drove back to her house and caught a Taxi to the old town.

At the old town we took a super fun Segway tour around town. Twists, turns, bumps, and speed, loads of fun on the Segway. We also learned some history about the old town and the Warsaw Uprising. Anyways it was tons of Fun.

That night we were back near Stallin' tower, where we saw Kendalls missionary apartment! Her apartment was several stories up and one of the nights she had slept on their deck with her companion, haha! Her apartment was literally right next to the Jewish ghetto wall from the 40s. I thought it was neat to look at where Kendall had stayed for part of her mission.

Next we listened to a strings concert outside. There wasn't any more seating left so we tried finding a restaurant near by. The outdoor seating for some of the restaurants was not opening up #overit. After a little we hailed a Taxi and ate at a sushi restaurant a ways away, Izumi Sushi. The inside of the restaurant was really cool. it was like a indoor jungle/restaurant. The sushi was tasty! When we took a Taxi back to the hotel there was another Izumi Sushi LITERALLY right across the street!

We were tired! That night we slept pretty well in our own beds.

 Jewish Ghetto Uprising Monument

 Inside POLIN Museum of The History of Polish Jews

Bridge that connected the 2 Jewish ghettos during WWII

 Warsaw was completely destroyed after WWII and the Uprising in 1944

 Mom outside POLIN

 Outside Kendall's mission president's home

 Inside the only church left standing in Warsaw after the War

 The Mermaid in the Old Town Square which is the symbol and protector of the city

 I walked around the bell 3 times for good luck

 Uprising grafitti

 New Old Town and the symbol of the Unicorn on the water fountain behind Kendall

 Home of the Polish chemist who received two different Nobel Prizes

 Uprising Monument

 Outside the tomb of the Unknown Soilder

 Kendall in her old neighborhood where she lived in Warsaw while on her mission.

 Looking through lenses in what represents the old bridge between the Jewish ghettos where we could see images of those who lived here and were forced to use this bridge between their walled ghettos