Cucumber Season in Warsaw

I've been to Warsaw, Poland somewhere around a dozen times and truly love this city. However, this past week has been a new experience. This is my first time here during the summer months as typically most of my customers go on holiday for the better part of July and August. This long summer vacation is very common throughout the better part of Europe, but one of my Polish friends, Andy, informed me that these summer months are referred to as "Cucumber Season", and even used it in a sentence, by responding to this question from me, "Andy, when will we know the status of that order?" with (in a deep voice and thick Polish accent), "Most probably three or four weeks after cucumber season ends." In any event, I've gained a new appreciation for Warsaw in the summer, this city truly comes alive in full force during the summer months. People are everywhere enjoying the great weather and the historic beauty of the city. I got some time today to walk around a little and snap a few photos:

There's a statue on almost every street corner in downtown Warsaw, here's one of them.

Here's a church close to the hotel. There was a wedding going on there today.

This is the entrance to the University of Warsaw.
Another church.
Statue in front of Church.
This is a snapshot of the Warsaw Hotel, which was the only building in this section of town that wasn't completely destroyed during WWII. They are currently refurbishing and are planning to re-open it to guests in the next few months.
This is the presidents palace. There's a controversy currently going on right now centering around the wooden cross in the foreground. I'm not sure on all the details, but it's a tribute to the recently deceased former president and some Polish citizens want it moved to the church where his funeral took place and some want it to remain where it is. In any event, there were a lot of protesters and news cameras in front of the palace.

This is a shot of "Old Town" Warsaw, which is a big city square. Very vibrant atmosphere.
This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Poland. It's also currently being refurbished, hence the fence around it.
Random fountain in a local park.
Cultural center donated in the 1940's by Stalin. I could question the irony behind the person donating it, but in any event, it's an immense building in the center of town.

All in all, it's been a very busy week (until today), but very productive. I'm looking forward to heading to Tbilisi tomorrow and also can't wait to get to Philly to see John and Scott next weekend. I also heard that Nancy and I may have a new couch, which I'm looking forward to seeing!