Sunday the last day

IWent to mass at the church of a priest in the Solidarity movement, killed by communists. Now beatified

The cross used at a mass in the shipyards

A story of his execution,30 years ago this week

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/paul-kengor/thou-shalt-not-kill-when-the-communists-murdered-a-priest/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thou-shalt-not-kill-when-the-communists-murdered-a-priest

Then free time in the old city of Warsaw for a final shopping run. You can see they are excited

Time for another  group photo

Our last evening in Poland (sniff)

Dinner out to mark the end of a fantastic week

Students gave a gift to Anna for all she's done

And how else to end the evening than commandeering the piano in the hotel lobby for some Chopin? 

A little more Warsaw

The square where John Paul II celebrated mass (at the big cross) asking the Holy Spirit to come upon Poland again, and a year later Solidarity was born 

Marks where the Jewish ghetto was. Whole ghetto destroyed after uprising

Night falls

But maybe enough time for some shopping

Sat pm travel to Warsaw

View on the bus. And a new hotel to check into, this time Warsaw

This is Fr Boguslaw, professor at KUL who was my first contact with Poland and consulted on this program 

The streets of Warsaw

Maybe time for a lunch break (tissue squares for napkins everywhere)

On the streets again

A good guide, once more

Old city center square. (85% destroyed by Hitler to punish Poles for uprising; rebuilt to look like old city again). Outside walls and gate of medieval city

The only way the photographer gets in the picture: mirrors

Sat morning - still at Częstochowa

A good breakfast at another Mercure hotel

Only 10 minute walk to the Black Madonna

Looking Uphill

Looking downhill 

First shopping strike

A Dominican guide through the museum treasury.  (Funny jokes)

Replica of Our Lady icon here

Basilica church behind which chapel located

Fri evening Częstochowa

Here she is. Main subject of this course

Elizabeth found a nice video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTPPBxowQY

Went to mass at 6:30

Not so crowded  then but came back for evening prayer and whole church packed.

Fr Boguslaw brought us through sacristy

Lovely setting and our hotel only 10 minute walk up this entry ramp

Fri pm Birkenau

Even larger

Barracks and latrine

RR cars brought some to work, most to die