It's wintertime! And because Warsaw is located rather far north (in longitude it falls between Edmonton and Calgary in Canada, just south of Juneau, Alaska) the sun sets between 3:00 and 4:00PM each day in December. Truth be told, most nights we're tempted to crawl into bed around 7:00PM since it has been dark for so long at that point. But not so fast. "Two can play at that game," says Warsaw. From the streets and alleys to the top of the skyscrapers, this city has truly become a City of Lights. Walking around at night (or even at 4:30PM) feels a little bit like walking during the day and it is gorgeous. Bryan and I went for a stroll around this time on Saturday afternoon, hoping to catch sight of some of the fancy Christmas lights we've seen twisted around lightposts and over storefronts (but never lit) in the Old Town.
It wasn't long before we found ourselves in a medium-sized crowd of people, that, as we walked north on Warsaw's main shopping street (Nowy Świat) on its "Royal Route", grew to a large-sized crowd.
That then grew into an giant-sized crowd, with people from all walks of life (heavy on kids) walking calmly in the same direction. You can imagine how weird a sensation that was for us, some neck tingles and a lot of looking over our shoulders. We had our suspicions (and curiosity to boot!) so we continued on to Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) with what felt like the rest of Warsaw's residential population.
Aside from the usual yellow glow from the streetlights, all was dark until we passed the Presidential Palace, glowing blue and purple, with a Polish red-and-white Christmas tree in the yard (very festive).
We finally congregated around a stage (everything's a production) and watched a few small acts, including elves and a choir, until after chanting (the kids again) for St. Nick ("Mikołaj! Mi-ko-łaj!), Santa strolled onto the scene. Then more music, until the show reached its peak and all the lights in the city were illuminated at once, to cheers and confetti in what was now a roaring crowd!
What a sight! We made our way over to the Rynek (Market Square) where a final surprise awaited us - another tree and lights draped over a skating rink.
Warsaw's winter nights may be dark and cold, but there's magic and beauty to be found in the streets. As long as you know where (and when!) to look!
With love from our City of Lights!
-Emily & Bryan
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