Wandering through Warsaw

Let me first start by saying that I have eaten the BEST PIEROGI I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE in Warsaw. I went to the same place twice during my 3 days in Warsaw. OMG -- delicious! Just like grandma used to make. OK, well, not MY grandma, but SOMEONE'S grandma, I'm sure. Now, I don't have that much experience with traditional Polish food -- especially since I was eating whatever was served to me while I was in Sz...but I know that "traditional" Polish food includes these dumplings, filled with all sorts of yummy stuff. I had the "sampler" because I couldn't decide -- it came with 8 pieces (mushroom, spinach, cheese, lentil, barley, etc.), but I could have eaten twice as many. Of course, I would have had to roll myself out of there, but whatever...

So, Warsaw is is different than any other place I have been in Poland -- I mean, it's a REAL CITY! Poland, so far, to me, has been very pastoral and bucolic -- lots of farming and green pastures. And Lublin is a small town compared to this -- here there are skyscrapers and palaces and trams and a metro, and underground roundabouts/shopping malls for people as well as cars. To tell you the truth, it's kind of nice to be someplace with tall buildings! While Warsaw is a walkable city, there is also a lot of good public transportation -- mostly buses and trams. One ride costs about 75 cents, but I just went ahead and bought a 3-day pass for $4 so I wouldn't have to worry about it. Compared to any other city, it's a bargain -- one trip, one way in London costs $6! (But you know how I feel about that...)


My hostel is awesome -- very modern and clean. They did my laundry for free! I have internet for free! I have coffee and tea for free! And I even get a free breakfast, even though that only consists of toast and jam. There were some Israelis in the kitchen when I went to eat "breakfast" on Friday morning, and I found out that they were following Guns 'n Roses through Eastern Europe. They were sitting around playing shesh-pesh and asked me "What is there to do in Warsaw?" I didn't really know how to answer them, considering I had just gotten up myself. But after spending two days here so far, I can say "plenty". (Of course, when I left, one of them was playing guitar while the rest of them were re-living the previous night's concert. My guess is that they didn't leave the hostel! Sad for them.)


Took a tour -- including Lazienki Park, Warsaw's Old Town, the Barbican Gate, the old Warsaw Ghetto area (there's NOTHING left there, no traces, nada), some monuments, and walked down Nowy Swiat Street (totally fashionable and a milllion cafes).

On Saturday, I went to the History of Warsaw Museum (which kinda sucked, but had a good film in English at noon, which got me out of bed and into the city at a decent hour), and walked about 3 miles (at least) to the Warsaw Uprising Museum (not to be confused with Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is a completely different thing -- who knew?). (I walked so far because I couldn't figure out which bus to take!) Also passed by the Janusz Korcak monument, which stands in front of a present-day orphanage -- the building was not destroyed during the war. I also went to the top of the Palace of Culture and Science, which was kind disappointing, but something kind of cool to do once.

Now, a little history for those of us social studies-impaired folks...Warsaw was completely destroyed during World War II. I mean, rubble and ashes and 2/3 of all the people in the city dead. Clearly, the Jews suffered here. But the Poles did, too...after the Warsaw Uprising, Hitler ordered that the entire city be destroyed. And, it pretty much was. Over 250,000 Poles died at the hands of the Germans and 85% of the city was completely obliterated. It's amazing that its citizens rebuilt this city and it is what it is today.

I am going to go to a free concert in the park today -- there are summer Chopin concerts by his monument. What Mozart is to Prague, Chopin is to Warsaw. After that, I will head to the hostel, gather my stuff, and head to Krakow for a few days. Wish me luck in getting on the right train, sitting in the right car, and knowing when the heck to get off!

Sara

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