Warsaw, winter, snow.

I came right after Christmas, on an overnight train from Germany with my German friend, Claudia, for the Taize European Meeting.

It was to be a huge event - 3 days, over 70,000 people - 40,000 having to be hosted in families throughout Warsaw, activities to be run in local churches, and common prayer meetings twice a day for everyone. During the first 3 days I was in a team that helped "welcome" English speakers - Brits, Irish, Dutch, Belgians, Scandinavians, and a smattering of Americans and Australians.

There were people from almost every country in Europe, east and west. From the Ukraine to Portugal and all points in between. I talked to some Portugese people who travelled 5 days by bus to get to Warsaw.

What's so special about Taize that people would travel all that way during the Christmas period? Taize is a very difficult thing to describe. It is actually the name of a tiny village in France and the name of a special religious community that lives there. It's special because the community is ecumenical, meaning from all Christian denominations. They are famous particularly for the beautiful songs that they sing during prayer, so famous that people come from all over the world just to experience a week there with the community. If you're curious, visit their site (http://www.taize.fr/) which explains things in detail.

I stayed with a friend of Claudia's, Andzrej, and his lovely family. I experienced all that the Warsaw public transport system had to offer, talked with people from Germany, Netherlands, and Poland. It was interesting to talk to the Poles and listen to their views on life, and to see how they live. So different from Western Europe.

Strange how I can bump into total strangers and yet feel a great affinity with them because we have a common vision. That's how it was in Warsaw with many people I met.

A special place. A special event.