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Published: June 16th 2016
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It's probably 16 or 17 years since we last visited Warsaw so we had expected a lot of changes. I think the biggest change was the infrastructure and getting around the city is now incredibly easy. The other noticeable change is the language skills, especially in English, which the citizens of the Polish capital have acquired. We flew in to Warsaw's Modlin Airport which is the best part of an hour out of the city, but the transfer on the
Modlin Bus was comfortable and cheap, and the wifi was amazing! if you fly with Ryanair, they are planning on relocating to Chopin Airport later this year, which is apparently a little easier to get to. The bus drops you off right outside the Palace of Culture and Science. This old Soviet skyscraper looks like something straight out of Ghostbusters! From there it was an easy 15 minute walk, hand luggage only, to our hotel, the
Mercure Grand Warszawa, which cost only £28 per night! The former seat of the Polish Olympic Committee, the walls at reception are covered with murals of runners in honour of this fact.
We were in the city primarily to meet up with friends so lots of eating,
drinking and catching up was done! Polish food is wonderful and even in posher establishments it is reasonably priced. The old town has been restored magnificently but it was very busy with tourists from all over the world rubbing shoulders.
Nowy Świat was another great street for bars and restaurants. Along there the Presidential Palace is a notable sight, but perhaps most poignant is the memorial to the victims of the
Smolensk air disaster in 2010 which claimed the lives of 96 people, the Polish president and his wife included. The area around the main train station and the aforementioned Ghostbusters tower has undergone an incredible transformation and now looks very clean and modern compared to so many years ago. The European football championships of 2012 were certainly a big factor in this. The flea market in the old stadium has been replaced by a splendid new sports venue.
On the other side of the river, in the Praga district, we headed to the area now known as "Soho Factory". Without a doubt this is an up and coming area as old factories and warehouses are being converted into digital business headquarters and leisure outlets. Weird
and wonderful statues and sculptures fill many otherwise empty spaces and some of the graffiti is brilliant.
Luckily for us, the
Neon Museum decided to open on a public holiday. This, I believe, is one of Warsaw's hidden gems and should be near the top of your list for places to find in the city. It explores the neon culture of Warsaw which left the city splendidly illuminated during the communist era. It now houses the largest collection of neon signs anywhere in Europe recovered from cinemas, nightclubs and chemists. The plan had also been to visit the
Museum of Life Under Communism but, being May Day, it was closed. The plus side to that, of course, is that we now have to go back again!
Warsaw captured our hearts at almost every turn. The super public transport system made it very easy to get around. Its bohemian charm and friendly people just made the visit even more special. I'm certain it will not be quite as long between visits this time.
I took many more photos than those you see here.
Take a look at this link if you want to see more!
And if you've been wondering why I haven't been blogging much recently,
well I have! It's just it's all about Spain which you can read about here:
Anything But Paella.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Beautiful
We want to go.