Getting to know Warsaw

　　In mid-February, go to Warsaw for a meeting. After staying for four days, there were three and a half days of heavy snowfall, and the cotton-like snowflakes were flying in the air. The whole city was shrouded in white chaos, so that when I left, Warsaw gave me an almost hazy impression. !
　　Fortunately, on that day, when I got off the plane, there was a short sunny day and the sun was shining, allowing me, a first-time visitor, to see a little bit of Warsaw’s true colors. At that time, when I passed the street, I saw quite a few simple buildings that were gray and gray, and the tram that was moving slowly was also gray. This made me feel familiar and kind, and I immediately thought of what used to be common in our country. sight. How similar is this socialist country to us! Coincidentally, recently, a friend of mine went to Sofia, Bulgaria, and felt the same way.
　　In Warsaw, it seems that there is no Warsaw brand car. In the 1950s, the socialist camp was in full swing, and our country imported a large number of Warsaw brand cars, which left a special and even warm memory for those who came from that era.
　　As soon as we stayed at the Radisson Hotel, God changed his face, it snowed heavily, and slowly, with no intention of stopping. Most of our meetings are indoors, so it doesn’t matter how heavy the snow is. However, by the end of the meeting, it would be a pity to want to go sightseeing in Warsaw. We could only wrap ourselves in thick down jackets, put on heavy leather boots, and “crunch” on the thick snow to browse this silver Warsaw.
　　Needless to say, to see the ancient city of Warsaw, see the old palace, see Chopin’s former residence, and see the Chopin Park. According to the introduction of the embassy comrades, these are all must-see attractions for tourists. However, the icy sky and the extreme cold will inevitably affect the mood and reduce the interest in leisurely taste.
　　During the sightseeing, there was one thing that made me feel very emotional and lingered in my mind… The musician Chopin was in Paris due to the national disaster. He was only 39 years old when he died. He asked his sister to bring his heart back to Poland and placed it in the Church of the Holy Cross. inside. I was moved. Chopin held a ruby-like heart for his motherland, or rather, it is a dazzling star worthy of the Poles and even all mankind!
　　We came to the spacious, flat but snowy Piłsudski Square, which was called Victory Square during the socialist era, and I heard that major rallies in Warsaw were held here. On one side of the square is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the torches that symbolize the immortal heroic spirits of the martyrs have been burning brightly. It is guarded by valiant young guards for many years. The two guards were about 200 meters apart, with their heads held high, their guns slung, their bayonets lit up, and they walked towards them with straight steps. They met in the middle, gave each other military salutes, passed by, turned around at the end, and walked towards each other again.
　　When we watched them saluting, we suddenly found that they were very different: they used two fingers—the index finger and the middle finger, while we are used to seeing soldiers almost always salute with five fingers close together. So, a friend who accompanied us told us an interesting saying of the Polish common people: “Workers with five fingers, soldiers with two fingers, and leaders with one finger.” The three sentences express the different characteristics of the three classes. , highly generalized, very vivid, and very humorous, especially the last sentence, which is vivid and ironic.
　　We walked on to Saski Park. It is very open and there are many trees, but they are all bare, and the chaotic branches stand proudly in the snow and wind in winter. If it is summer, it must be a scene of ten thousand trees competing for glory. At this time, we suddenly found a large gray-black wild duck on the snow by the lake, looking for food. Those wild ducks are all strong, some are fat and heavy and even have difficulty walking. I am worried, can they fly? Faced with these tempting wild ducks, some of us couldn’t help but think: “Wouldn’t it be a good meal if it flew to us?” Everyone laughed.
　　A friend from the embassy took us to a Chinese restaurant. I heard that it is quite good in the local area. The owner of the restaurant is from Zhejiang. The name of the restaurant is “The Imperial Palace”. In fact, it is a little big. The “Imperial Palace” is not very stylish, but rather quiet. There are two square mirror frames hanging on the wall. There are two calligraphy in Chinese characters, one is called “Grace Garden” and the other is called “Peaceful View”. There is beauty in that word. The eye-catching thing is that the few Polish girls hired by the boss are very pretty, which makes people feel amazing. Friends said that this kind of appearance abounds in Poland, which is too common. They served us food, and we responded with a Polish word—“see you uncle”, which means thank you. I just learned it and remembered it well, so I sold it now.
　　How is the life of ordinary people in Poland today? It should be said that Poland’s accession to the European Union in May 2004 brought considerable influence to the country. What stands out is that Poland is trying to integrate with the Western system as soon as possible, and state-owned enterprises have closed down one after another, causing many people to lose their iron jobs. Fortunately, the population is allowed to move freely abroad, and Poles can go to EU countries to work. There are 200,000 young people working in the UK alone. In addition, the commodities are very rich, and there are many imported goods, but the prices are also high. I know a Polish diplomat in London and when I ask him what are the benefits of joining the EU? He disapproved and spread his hands, summed it up in two sentences: “prices rise, wages remain unchanged.”
　　The polarization of Polish society is very serious. That day we went to eat at a characteristic restaurant called “Castle” on the outskirts of the city. We saw countless beautiful and luxurious villas on both sides of the way, lined up in a long line. The comrade from the embassy told us: “These are all those Nouveau riche.” The Ladison Hotel we stayed at was five-star. One night, the lobby, corridors, and elevators were full of people, and there was an unusual noise, crowded with men and women in dresses and jewels. When I inquired, I learned that it turned out that a local man was here to organize a wedding and a big banquet.
　　Walking in the streets and alleys of Poland, I found CASIN0 (casino) and SEX SHOP (sex shop) from time to time. Those few capital English letters, either bright red or dark green, are particularly dazzling in the vast white snow, which is also considered to me. a strong impression.
　　In this way, we bid farewell to Warsaw in the snow. I wanted to see the beauty of the Vistula River, but the river was already frozen and covered with thick snow.