Oh Warsaw

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So, Kasia left the train in Krakow and I continued on to Warsaw. I got in pretty late, about 11pm, and my host was there to pick me up. He's very nice and friendly....maybe a little too friendly. Anyway, I finally understand why people weren't too impressed that I was spending 2-3 days in Warsaw. Just like many other big, dirty capital, it was well, big and dirty. Not that I'm being judgemental or anything - my own city is like that. Warsaw does have its charms - a cute little old town (little being the operative word), a nice park and even one of Stalin's seven sisters but there's a lot of hustle and bustle.

I spent my first day there doing the first 2 walks in the guide book given to me by my host. It was basically a long stroll through the park with the Palace on the Water (I think that's what it's called) but I have to admit that the postcard pictures of the palace in spring or summer looked much better than it does in the winter. It was pretty cold so I also ducked into a cafe or two to defrost. I also went to the movies and had dinner with my host and a friend of his. I didn't know what Twilight was about apart from the vampire theme so I went in expecting blood, violence and gore but got a high school romance instead. It was a nice surprise 😊

I spent the next day doing the last city walk in the old town but gave up after a couple of hours since it was really really windy and I couldn't feel my toes or fingers anymore. I wanted to go to the Uprising museum but it was closed. If I ever go back to Warsaw, that's probably the one thing I'd like to see. The great thing about staying with an asian who can cook is that we had a steamboadt party! I met a lot of Polish girls who were sweet and I definitely learned more about couchsurfing at the same time. But the real crowning glory was the steamboat - haven't had that in a looooong time.

I left earlier than I planned the next day and while Warsaw was pretty good to me I was more than a little uncomfortable with how affectionate my host was so I was pretty relieved to leave. I guess the saying that you live and learn is true and I have a feeling that I'm going to be living and learning ALOT on this trip.

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