All the trees are changing colors in shades of crimson, cinnamon, golden yellows and pumpkin orange. Sidewalks and parks are littered with fallen brown leaves. Temperatures are hovering around 50 F (8-10 C) during the daytime and down to 32 F or below (0-1 below C) at night. Brrr!
Before temps get too cold and the trees loose all their leaves, I decided to spend an afternoon taking some fall photos in Lazienki Park (Lazienki Kr�lewskie in Polish). This centrally-located park is the city�s largest at 76 hectares (187 acres). This is the same park that hosted the summer Chopin concerts on Sundays that we enjoyed so much.
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| Here is the Chopin monument where the summer concerts were held. |
Lazienki Park dates back to the 17thcentury, taking its name from a bathing pavilion that was once located here. In 1764, the King of Poland Stanislaw August Poniatowski acquired the gardens for himself and later had a former palace, nicknamed The Palace on the Water (Palac na Wodzie), remodeled for his own residence. The palace is currently undergoing massive renovations, but you can still get some lovely photos of it residing on the artificial lake.
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| The Palace on the Water (Palac na Wodzie) in Warsaw. |
The park is a gorgeous setting for a morning or afternoon stroll. I saw older couples together, young mothers with their children and friends of all ages strolling through the park, picking up fallen leaves and chestnuts and watching the squirrels and ducks.
Speaking of the squirrels�As I was squatting down to take some photos of these rambunctious red squirrels, one of them decided to run towards me and climb up on my leg! I did not appreciate this fellow�s friendliness and may have screamed a bit.
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| These red squirrels sure are cute until they try to climb up your leg! |
After the squirrel incident, I stumbled upon a long path filled with red, Chinese lanterns. Apparently, the King created �Chinese Avenue� in 1780 because of his fascination with the Far East, and this road was only recently reopened after renovations. This wide avenue connects the 18th-century Royal Garden to the 19th-century Belvedere Garden. It�s also another excellent place for photos!
I left the park with a bag full of chestnuts and a memory card full of fall photos.
Happy fall everyone!
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| The "White House" housed the King's mistress for awhile. |
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| Marble busts near the Old Orangerie in the park. |
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| I love the bird just sitting on this statue! |
