David Hilgier Photographs

When they are no more, the simple moments of life are missed the most. A trip to the bar for a pint without worry.   Or taking the long way home allowing for the mind to wander as the day meanders its way to a close. All so strange now in a foreign present.

From the banks of the Vltava, a central landmark of Prague comes in and out of view from beneath a canopy of respite from the midday sun. My next set of images of my first visit to the city last spring. Photographs that now seem like a lifetime ago. Any form of travel now a distant pipe-dream given the state of the world and the boiling point my country has reached. A brief escape from the bleakness of reality, I feel the need to allow for momentary memories of the now faraway past. Who knows when I’ll be able to leave the stifling confines of the U.S.A., let alone the boundaries of my neighborhood. If not for a moment, at least I’ll do so in my mind.

One final view of the central Warsaw landmark as my time in Poland draws to a close. I always wanted to visit the country from which a large portion of my family can trace its ancestry to. A little over a year ago, I didn’t think doing so would be in the company of relatives unacquainted with a few months prior to travel. A year ago seems like ages ago in the current climate of the world. I reflect back on this trip with fondness, appreciation, and joy. I look forward to the day I can return.

Our paths briefly cross as we both walk through a neighborhood east of the Vistula River. While her and her companion take path they’ve presumably navigated numerous times before, I stop to inspect one of the countless murals adorning the structures occupying this area of Warsaw.

A resident of the neighborhood becomes our de facto tour guide. Through passageways and courtyards of texture she tells of her life and experiences living in the Praga District. Through translated Polish, I learn of her struggles and triumphs as a resident in these historic yet rapidly aging accommodations.

Stepping in and out of the light and shadows cast on one of Warsaw’s oldest neighborhoods.

A checkpoint for evening snacks is posted at one of the entryways to the Palace Square.

One final reconciliation of the day’s take from selling trinkets, tchotchkes, and souvenirs denoting a visit to Poland

A momentary pause between patrons on an otherwise busy evening.

A morning spent exploring the peaceful, lush, and expansive grounds of the park. Three nuns make their way down one of the wide pedestrian boulevards of the grounds.