A 5-Star Solution...

We were surprised when we woke up on Saturday morning and discovered that there was no water. It turned out that there was a water main break in front of the hotel. After breakfast, we headed into town to go to the market. We hoped that the water would be back on when we got back to the hotel, but it would still take hours to make the repairs. We were happy to learn that the hotel had arranged to transport us to another hotel so that we could shower for our big party that evening.

As nice as our hotel was, we were brought to an even fancier and more exclusive hotel up the hill. We were give a room and allowed one hour to shower. It was very strange that we had to share a room with another guest. Luckily we already knew her so it wasn’t too awkward walking around in our towels in front of each other.

Sentier du Liittoral Coastline Path...

After the game, Jimmy and I set off to walk part of the Sentier du Littoral Coastline Path. The trail started along the coast near the fort.

The first bit meandered through a neighborhood...

...and then past a massive cemetery. Some of the gravestones had very elaborate ceramic wreathes on them.

The majority of the trail was along a boardwalk between the beach and mansions. Just past the yacht club and harbor, there was what looked like a graveyard for boats but perhaps it was just because the water level was very low.

The path then headed a bit inland. I loved how the sun shone on this massive tree.

In an area with lots of mansions, this one definitely stood out.

Jimmy convinced me to trespass onto a dock so he could take this photo.

We were in a race against time to make it back to St. Tropez before it got too dark to find our way back.

We made it back in time to see the ending of another World Cup game.

World Cup in St. Tropez...

Another new feature the hotel added was a free shuttle into the center of St. Tropez. Amy joined us for a ride into town so we could watch the French play in a World Cup game.

The cafés were quite packed with fans.

Luckily Jimmy managed to scrounge up some chairs.

It was very cool to be in France while their team won. Hopefully some of these folks had more luck than me in catching photos of the celebration.

What a View!

The following day we caught an early flight to Nice. Five years after we stayed in St. Tropez at the Kube Hotel, we were back again as Terri and Chris’ guests to celebrate Chris’ 60th birthday. The view from our room was spectacular. 

This pool was part of an addition since our last visit. We enjoyed a long soak in it that afternoon. 

The sculptures around the pools were pretty kooky...

...but the views from the pools were awesome. 

Palace of Culture and Science...

The Palace of Culture and Science is the tallest building in Poland at 778 feet (237 meters). It was a gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland. It took only three years (from 1952 to 1955) for the 7,500 Russian and Polish workers to finish the tower.

Inside the building are several theaters, movie theaters, museums and a swimming pool. 

On our final afternoon, we paid to take the elevator to the viewing terrace on the 30th floor.

While the views were very nice...

...the statues surrounding the tower weren’t particularly beautiful.

Warsaw Zoo...

Last year I read The Zookeeper’s Wife, a true account of how the zookeepers saved dozens of Jews by helping them get out of the ghetto, hide in the zoo and then move to safety. My memory is so bad that I forgot about it until I was in town and Veronica asked if I was going to the zoo to see where it happened; unfortunately that meant I was too late to organize a tour.

The zoo opened in 1928. It was bombed in 1939 and then closed in 1940; the remaining “valuable” animals were moved to Germany and the rest were killed. The zookeepers’ home called the Crazy Star Villa was built in 1931. It was the only building in the zoo that wasn’t destroyed. The villa’s basement as well as animal enclosures were used to hide Jews.

Frankly, I wasn’t that impressed with the zoo itself.

We enjoyed visiting the Cathedral of St. Michael across from the zoo. Originally built in 1904, it was blown up by the retreating Germans in 1944 and rebuilt in 1972.

Neon Museum + Urban Art...

Another day we crossed the river to go to the Neon Museum, which is dedicated to preserving Cold War era neon signs.

It was a small, but cool museum.

This was a particularly cool example of urban art as it was impossible to tell from across the road if there was actually a giant hole on the side of the building.

I don’t know the significance of the individual parts, but thought this mural was quite cool, too.