Warsaw

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good morning all!

we are in poland! we realise that we have been a little tardy with maintaining the blog and chronicling of our adventures. we will update as regularly as possible. we arrived untriumphantly and late last night into warsaw main station. we were tired, our free transport never arrived and we were forced to pay 25 zloty for a taxi ride which we only, this morning found out took us to a hostel a ten minute walk away from central warsaw. the staff here were pleasant enough and we were happy to see some friendly faces. that said, it has been all friendly faces along the way. the czechs remained undifferent but the german hospitality was unquestionable and certainly we intend to write a further blog to dismiss the german stereotype.

warsaw central is a very peculiar station. you alight and the first thing that hits you is the warm concrete-like musk in the air. the only thing similar i have ever experienced is in pakistan, the sheer heat of the atmosphere and concrete smell combining together to compose a heavy metallic essence. the building itself is very daunting and complicated. littered around you are incomprehensible slavic signs, phones that dont accept coins, long poorly lit walkways and the ever present turkish kebab house. it has become the joke and the surprise of the trip, the regular spotting of the happy turk and his kebab house.

the architecture is depressing, incredibly post war communist with the modern interjection of capitalism. on the main floor, upon grey-yellow tiles and mechanical arrival/departure signs are the brightly lit coca cola vending machines. outside, the palace of culture and science, apparently a gift from stalin as the taxi driver informs, towers majestically into the capital lights. it is an awesome sight and the point of doubtless countless kodak moments. furthermore, the unknown contemporary buildings, to be identified today, promise an exciting poland and a interesting capital city. whilst we climbed into our taxi, the prostitutes wait on the corner.

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