Sunday, June 21, 2009

Warsaw, Poland: Series 2 (part 2)

History of Warsaw 02

Separated by war, Iza’s grandparents struggle to survive each day with the hope of finding each other again… alive. This post continues their fascinating story through World War II.

read part one

01 history 07

Iza’s grandfather decided to join the ranks of the British SAS as a fighter pilot. If he was never to see his family again, he might was well fight in their honor.

02 history 11

Years passed and her grandfather survived mission after mission, taking down Axis planes and bombing strategic targets. Through the horrors of battle, his wife and children were never far from his mind.

04 history 12b

He was staying alive for them.


03 history 26

1945 Germany surrenders. At this point, Poland was obliterated. Millions upon millions of Polish Jews were executed during the holocaust.

05 history 09

But the end of the war also meant that her grandfather can finally go back home. Back to that remote town in Poland, back to his family. Something he had been looking forward to for six long years.

…if his family ever survived at all.

06 history 10

Upon reaching the old town where they used to live, he searched tirelessly until he saw what looked like his children. After six gruesome years of fighting, his children struggled to recognize him.

He was taken to their new home, and there he finally saw his wife.

history 08

It was their first time to meet after being separated for six long years.

history 25

For Iza’s grandfather, nothing has changed. But for her grandmother, life had moved on. She had married someone else for she thought that her husband was killed at sea.

history 13

Her grandfather went back to England and settled there. Perhaps seeing his family alive was well enough, even if he could no longer live them.

history 23

Poland should and always be an inspiration to all the countries who have been or are currently oppressed. The lessons that we learn from its history should never ever be forgotten.

In these photos:
I chanced a photo exhibit called "Warsaw from Above" that featured never-seen-before aerial reconnaissance photographs of Poland during World War II. These Allied planes served as witness to the utter devastation of Warsaw, you will even notice some of its buildings continue to spew out smoke as it burned to the ground.



Garandee mode:
It's such a sad story po...

20 comments:

fortuitous faery said...

i think it's wonderful that the exhibit is outdoors.

kg said...

pwede sa maalala mo kaya ang story! bittersweet! hay naku, buhay nga naman!

the exhibit is so nice. it must have provided new insights for those who weren't there....

Midge said...

That is such a heartbreaking story! After everything they went through, they still ended up apart! :(

Rico said...

Pang movie nga yung story. As kg said, bittersweet. Did her grandfather remarried too? It would have been sad if he'd been alone in England.

Oman said...

that is one melancholic albeit beautiful memorial. one might wonder, if war brought nothing but pain, why still are nations fighting?

mordsith said...

i was expecting they'd end up together again. at least, they all survived, thought not as expected. :)

witsandnuts said...

"For Iza’s grandfather, nothing has changed. But for her grandmother, life had moved on. She had married someone else for she thought that her husband was killed at sea." - Waaaaah! What a twist! But I'm glad that they were reunited to a certain extent. Same question, did he remarry?

Jules said...

Quite sad story. But a great post from you.=D Love to see more here, have a great day.=D

A Writers Den
The Brown Mestizo

Alice said...

I'm really loving all your photos. Thanks for sharing!

jeanny said...

So sad but I ended up loving this story. Thanks for sharing Garando.

Love the photos too. Great job!

Chyng said...

Aaww, but what can the wife expect di ba? She should move on. On the other hand, I think the grandfather's hope kept him going on too...

Di ko maciado natingnan ang photos, maciado ko tutok sa story. :D

Yoj said...

Loved the photos and the story, just as everyone else did... Oh, the bittersweet ending was just... *sigh*

Unknown said...

Harsh life.
War kill people so it's pretty normal to think that someone who went to a war died. Also is pretty normal to think the worst when you don't have news nor any source of reliable information.

Life keeps going, some people move on, some don't. Who's at fault? Is someone at fault? Hard question to answer, as if there is an answer to it.

And nice pictures you took there. I should learn from you how to take good shots :P

Garando said...

Fortuitous Faery:
Yes, that was good call provided that the theme was very gloomy.

Kg:
Yup! Kaya sobrang nag stick din sa isip ko yung story. I still kept thinking about it weeks after my trip ended. Na i-imagine ko siya na parang hollywood movie... :D

Midge:
True...and I guess that's what makes the story hard to forget.

Rico & Witsandnuts:
Her Grandpa married a Super Model in London, kaya ok lang din. lol!
Kidding! not sure na what happened to her grandpa. Sayang, I should've asked Iza! tsk tsk.

Lawstude:
Hmmm I can think of a lot of reasons: greed, territory, power, self-defense... Sigh, it's a very complicated world. :(

Mordsith:
Yeah, I guess that's what matters most.

Summer & Alice Teh:
Thank you! Glad you liked it.

Jeanny:
You're most welcome, glad you liked the story as much as I did sharing it! And thanks for the compliment too. :)

Chyng:
Hehe... yeah, ang hirap kase you can really understand both their situation di ba? Neither of them was at fault, it was just fate talaga siguro.

Yoj:
Glad you liked it. :)

Shadowmoon:
Very true. Nobody was at fault in the story, I guess it was purely fate.
Thanks for the compliment, I will be glad to help if you need tips on taking photos. Though I'm no pro. :D

ms firefly said...

naman, i was expecting a sappy love story in the end, but then again, that's real life. i think the grandmother married again so someone can help her raise her children. practical and true to life. but i feel so much for the grandpa, as in. i feel like giving him a big hug now. argh. affected eh. ^-^

great pics again!

escape said...

i cant say that this is coincidence because ive just been reading a lot about world war II recently.

so i can so much relate to this.

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

It's a sad and touching story...

caryn said...

awww...this is so sad! but i love the outdoor exhibit ... were they printed on tarp?

Garando said...

Ms. Firefly:
True! And that's why I loved this story so much. The bittersweet ending and all... Real life.

The DonG:
WWII was all over Warsaw. It's amazing how much the Polish made sure that the next generations never forget what they went through. The place was full of monuments talaga.

Dodong Flores:
True. A story I found that is not easily forgotten.

Caryn:
I'm not sure if it's printed on tarp kase it had a matte finish, and it didn't have the same texture the tarp had. It must have been a different material I guess...?

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