Warsaw Tour Guide, Ela Rudniak

06/01/2025

Happy New Year! 🎉 I'm beginning 2025 with a post about Gdańsk, and a short clip from my visit to this magical city. I visited it just after Christmas so you'll notice a Christmas tree next to the Neptun Fountain. My main objective was to see the renowned Museum of the Second World War but I simply had to have a walk around the Old Town, and the clip the link you'll find below is a 4-minute moving postcard from this part of the city.

Gdańsk is situated on the Baltic coast in northern Poland. Its Old City Centre is a captivating blend of maritime history (it was a prominent hub of trade in the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages) and architectural splendor. The Old Town's architecture is fascinating, very different from the one in Warsaw. It features ornately decorated townhouses with gabled roofs, Gothic churches like St. Mary's Basilica - the largest brick church in the world - and Renaissance gems such as the Artus Court, a former meeting place for merchants.

Gdańsk is also renowned as the 'Amber Capital of the World'. For centuries, local artisans have transformed amber, the fossilized resin of ancient trees found along the Baltic coast, into exquisite jewelery and art. In workshops throughout the Old Town, skilled craftsmen showcase their age-old techniques, from shaping and polishing to intricate carving, keeping the city's amber-making heritage alive. A quick glimpse into some of the displays should give you a taste.

Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/WWHeFACeRGs

18/12/2024

🌟Here’s a rather heavily abridged version of my Sunday livestream from the Warsaw historic centre. I hope it still conveys the city festive atmosphere, which I tried to share. 🎄🤶✨ Enjoy!

https://youtube.com/live/tW7098P6HVA

15/12/2024

🌟 Is Warsaw ready for Christmas? 🌟 What can you get at the Christmas market? 🌟 What dishes make Polish Christmas Eve unique? 🌟 How to make traditional barszcz or borshch?

🔴 I’m happy to invite you for a livestream Christmas walk along the Warsaw historic centre TODAY at 7 p.m. Warsaw time. 🤶🎄🔔

🔗 https://youtube.com/live/tW7098P6HVA

09/12/2024

Thanks to those if you who joined my Łódź-Ghetto tour yesterday. If you didn’t but would like to see the recording, here is the link:

🔴 https://youtube.com/live/2XPR-l8e_WY

You’ll find the tour details in the YT event description ⤴️. Here are also a couple of photos from the stream.

06/12/2024

My previous livestream was inspired by the documentary "Pianoforte", this one 👆, by the exhibition at the Jewish Historical Institute "To capture ghetto". The exhibition presents paintings, metalwork, other artefacts from the Łódź Ghetto (Litzmannstadt Getto). See a few photos of some of the works. ⤵️

It's taken me several visits to Łódź to get prepared, and… I'm ready!
📅 When? This Sunday!
🔴The live walk link: https://youtube.com/live/2XPR-l8e_WY

As a prologue to the walk, you can refer to the recording from my Piotrkowska street streaming saved on my channel on YouTube. To add, the plan for the Sunday walk is to continue streaming from Piotrkowska St. as it is on my way to the train station. Expect leaving the dramatic history and entering current festive mood.

29/11/2024

Earlier this week, Polish documentary „Pianoforte” was awarded the International Emmy For Arts Programming. It is about Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition that has taken place in Warsaw every 5 years since 1927. Inspired by the event, I am inviting you for my Sunday online Streaming from the walk: Chopin’s Warsaw.
Here’s the event link:
https://youtube.com/live/qPQ2e2gQf8Y

21/11/2024

First snow here in Warsaw. Quite wintery and so peaceful earlier this morning in Elekcyjne Błonia Kamionkowskie park. Sharing this beautiful moment before the snow all melted.

09/11/2024

Earlier this year, Julia von Heinz, a German film director, made a film set in post-communism Warsaw and Łódź in 1991. The film is based on a book by Lily Brett telling her and her father's story.The main characters, Ruth, a New York journalist (Lena Dunham) and her father, Edek (Stephen Fry) arrive at Warsaw where they hire a taxi (Zbigniew Zamachowski as a taxi driver) to have a ride to Łódź, to Edek's hometown, and... to Edek's memories of the pre-war city. In his family he's the only Holocaust survivor. He now shows the city, places connected with his and his family's past to his daughter.

The film was screened today as part of the 22nd Warsaw Jewish Film Festival. After the screening Julia von Heinz answered a few questions. Below is a link to my 60-second recording when she talks about the main actors', i.e., Lena Dunham's and Stephen Fry's links with Poland and Jewish heritage.

The film is a prologue or rather an epilogue to my upcoming tour of Łódź ghetto that I'm preparing for. It also links with my live streaming from Piotrkowska Street in Łódź I did the other week (the recording is available on my YT channel). BTW If you want to see "Treasure", it will be available to watch online for a week or so after the festival.

„Treasure” film director is talking @ L. Dunham’a and S. Fry’s Jewish and Polish links at Warsaw Jewish Film Festival. ...

04/11/2024

This year’s 1 November tour was around Military Powązki Cemetery (NB a shorter version of the tour is available on my channel), but could I not go to the Old Powązki⁉️On Saturday, I took a longer walk there, along the cemetery sleepy paths, stopping at some gorgeous tombstones, admiring the recent work of restorers.

Sharing a 4K clip from the most prominent part of the cemetery - the Honor Lane and catacombs. Some of you may remember the area from my walks, but with the autumn evening sunshine it looks even more enchanting. See for yourself.

https://youtu.be/_uKFVPHORuk

02/11/2024

If you'd like to see a shorter version of my yesterday's livestream from the Day of the Dead/All Saints' Day in one of Warsaw's Powązki cemeteries, here is the link. At around 25 min into the recording, there is an unexpected encounter with Poland's famous actors' pair. BTW You can see both actors performing live at Teatr Nowy in Warsaw as well as in films on Netflix and on other platforms.

🌟 Experience All Saints' Day Live from a Warsaw Cemetery! 🌟On November 1st, I invite you to join me for a livestream eve...

31/10/2024

Facebook reminded me of the photos taken exactly two years ago at the Old Powązki Cemetery. Tomorrow I'm going to livestream from the other Warsaw Powązki Cemetery.

🔴 Here's the event livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/iYEvBe3w20o
It'd be very nice if you joined me for the virtual walk.

21/10/2024

A few glimpses of Łódź from my yesterday’s visit to this amazing city - before and after the livestream.
🔴 https://youtube.com/live/cfhHzvQooHE

20/10/2024

Off to Łódź. Hope to e-see you later today.

https://youtube.com/live/cfhHzvQooHE

18/10/2024

What does the artificial palm tree in central Warsaw have to do with Piotrkowska Street in Łódź? Join my livestream this Sunday from Łódź to find out.
🔴 Here’s the stream link:
https://youtube.com/live/cfhHzvQooHE

17/10/2024

Cycling home tonight with this lovely full Moon above the Poniatowski Bridge. No filters used - it was so orange. A magic moment.

16/10/2024

The Vistula this morning.

13/10/2024

It’s been a couple of weeks since I came back from Madrid but on a day like today here in Warsaw with greyness, wind, lower temperature amd expected rain, it feels just right to have some Spanish sunshine, energy and warmth.
Filmed on a September Sunday in Mercato del Rastro, Madrid’s busy flea market - Warsaw squirrels say, it’s one of Pedro Almodovar’s favourite places.
Do join by watching. Any thoughts? Please share.
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https://youtu.be/ykRawH5JY2s