2010 is the Year of Chopin and that made a visit to Poland even more special.  It is the 200th anniversary of his birth.  The first picture shows the Chopin Monument which is located in a beautiful rose garden.  Some say that the part of the sculpture to the left of the composer is a willow tree.  Others say it is the composer's hand as he composed his music.  Maybe it is a bit of both!  Any way you look at it, it is beautiful.  The original monument was destroyed during World War II; but like so much of Warsaw, it was recreated.  In this case, they still had the original mold.

The bench you see below is something special added for 2010.  Actually there are 15 of them.  They are a wonderful idea and a bit of technology.  They are in places that relate to Chopin's life.  You can press a button on the bench and a portion of one of Chopin's musical compositions begins to play.  Also, each bench has information engraved on the top about how the location relates to the composer. Although I didn't try this, I read that you can scan the top of the bench and it will take you to some information about Chopin on the internet so you can read more about him.  I thought the benches were a great way to tie in with the celebration.

This hot pink piano was found in Krakow and is special for the anniversary year.  I suspect there are some other brightly colored ones in other locations in Poland.  Quite eye-catching!

Of course, Chopin's music is being performed frequently, but we didn't get to attend any of the concerts.  I'm glad we could enjoy the snippet at the bench!