The love story of Lee Seon-jae and Oh Hye-won of the top Korean drama series 'Secret Love Affair' continues...
This story is dedicated to my friend and visual collaborator Tess Angeles, whose edited pictures are almost as beautiful as her sweet natu...
The company re-assembled over breakfast, as Ciara raved over the joys of Polish paczki - doughnuts: 'they are totally different to any doughnuts I've ever tasted - look, they even look different. There is no hole in the middle and the taste,' she took a bite from the doughy ball and rolled her eyes: 'they are so rich and sweet and..doughy - heaven.'
The others laughed at her ravings but they all tried them too and agreed they were special, then the conversation turned to plans for the free part of the day before rehearsals and the concert that night. Ciara half-heartedly mentioned shopping and In-seo named an art gallery that a friend had recommended but Hye-won thought of the sad expression of the club owner the night before and the Bosnian singer's heart-breaking rendition of Song for Sarajevo and surprised everyone: 'this city has seen so much - I really want to see the old town and get a better sense of the history of Warsaw - and Poland, I suppose.'
Dieter was hugely in favour: 'goodness, Hye-won, you are so right. The old town has so much to recommend it and there's a museum of Jewish history there too.'
It was decided that the company would visit the old town together after breakfast, which caused Ciara to exclaim: 'excellent, that's leaves time for at least 1 more doughnut.'
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The day was already hot and the streets busy with shoppers, traffic and general bustle, as Dieter led the way towards the Stare Miasto - Old Town and within a few minutes, they were glad to get off the main streets and enter an area with buildings with pretty facades facing into cobbled squares. As they fanned out to take a look around, Dieter murmured to Seon-jae: 'pretty ancient-looking, isn't it, but don't be fooled. Not one brick of this was here after the war - between the Nazis and the Allies, bombing from above and attacking from below - the whole place was just...rubble.'
Seon-jae could hardly believe it - every brick and window, door and lamp-post - looked ancient and yet only built - what - 70 years before?
'Of course, they rebuilt - or at least tried to - in keeping with what the old town would have looked like and when you consider what the Polish people had suffered during the war...well, it's impressive. That's why Warsaw is often called the Phoenix City, you know - it literally had to be rebuilt from the ashes.'
Knowing this made walking around the historic squares and streets quite an emotional experience for everyone and they were all glad when, coming on an open square with a busy cafe serving customers at outdoors tables under shady awnings, Ciara suggested a pit-stop, as she called it.
It was cool under the parasol and restful to sit and watch the busy activity all around. When Hye-won sat, she removed her sunglasses and fanned herself with a leaflet for a bus tour of the city that someone had pushed in her hand, a few moments before. Seon-jae leaned forward - legs splayed and arms resting on his thighs - to speak quietly to her: 'are you ok, love? You look...hot.' But you always look hot to me.
