It was already past midnight when the Penroses' Peugeot reached the outskirts of Warsaw. Unable to find our way to the Grand Hotel, where relativists from many countries were to stay, we searched the deserted streets for a pilot who could give us directions in some western language. A lone student of Warsaw University on his way home was the man we had been looking for. He pointed to the gigantic building in the dark, illuminated by red lights: “You go this way to the Palace of Culture,” and then added thoughtfully: “By the way, do you know the answer to this: Why does one have the finest view of Warsaw from the top of the Palace of Culture?” He paused for a moment, got no reaction, and went on: “It's easy, that is the only point in Warsaw where you don't see the Palace of Culture.”

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