Warsaw

Here at last, with 24 hours to go before I meet my fellow Ozbus travellers.

The flight took just 2 hours and we got to Warsaw in sunshine. Then a taxi ride into the city – it cost 35 Zloty (about £8) and was well worth it. My first impression was that the outskirts of are just like those of any German city. The state of the buildings, flats mainly, reminds me strongly of East Germany just after the Wall came down. Unmistakably a German or central Europe type of design, but very run down and in need of a paint job. A bit like some areas of inner and outer cities in Britain actually – just a different design.

Anyway I’m here now, have sorted out case and rucksack and although I planned to go out and find somewhere to eat or just have coffee, I’m actually too tired. So I’m about to have a shower and get into bed and read. The hostel is in a lovely spot. I’m in a 5-bed dorm (on my own) across a quiet courtyard from the reception and main building. There’s a kitchen at the top of the main building with free tea and coffee and free toast and jam for breakfast. So I’ll saunter over tomorrow before I set off to explore the city.

Saturday 2nd April – had a good night’s sleep and this morning had coffee and breakfast with my two room mates: Honorata who is a dance therapist and in Warsaw attending a course, and Agneska who is a doctor from Krakow, in Warsaw for a conference. Honorata and I spoke in German, Agneska and I spoke in English and they spoke to each other in Polish. So we did fine! I wasn’t sure where to go today – they recommended the Lazienkowski Palace and Park as it’s such a nice day, and there are galleries nearby on Marszalkowska. I decided not to go to the Chopin Museum as planned as I didn’t book online and didn’t want to walk for miles and not get in. So I decided to head for the park while it’s still nice! I felt I actually could do with a day in the fresh air after all the airports etc. Haven’t seen greenery since Tuesday when I left Melbourne!

The park and palace were beautiful – like being in the middle of a wood, with interesting little buildings appearing every so often. I had lunch at a quaint little Hansel and Gretel house in the woods, called Cafe Flora. Two wonderful lattes, a plate of salad nicoise and a cherry tart. Some fascinating people sitting at neighbouring table: a very smart woman in a red coat and jaunty red hat, flowing silk scarf and (fake?) pearls. She sipped at her coffee and talked to an equally elegant lady, but when she got up to leave I saw she had stripey plimsolls on…. The cafe owner was a woman dressed in flowing black, with a lacy skirt which wafted around. She treated her customers as if they were there on sufferance, but must have taken a liking to me because she slapped a menu down and pointed to the salad she would make me (having previously said there was no other food than cakes.) Wandering further around the park, I came to a concert hall where they were performing Chopin and Dvorak, with loudspeakers to the outside, so I sat on a bench amongst the trees, with picnicking locals around me, listening to the music and joining in the clapping.

By mid afternoon, I’d seen a few streets of imposing embassies and a lot of decrepit courtyards inside beautiful wrought iron gates, but my legs were giving out so I decided to return to the hostel for a rest before going exploring again. But when I arrived, there was the Ozbus group, just checking in! So I joined 4 of the others in a 5-bed dorm and started to get to know my fellow travelers. After getting on the internet at the nearby KFC and finding a local shop to buy essentials for the journey – bread, cheese, water, nut bars etc – we went out in the evening to a typical Polish restaurant (with rustic features and a bed in the corner). The dumplings were massive and many – I didn’t have those – but my trout, fried potatoes and salad was delicious. A lovely experience, and good company. The trip has been accompanied for the last few days by a journalist from ‘Der Spiegel’ and a freelance photo-journalist called Witold Krassowski has been following us and snapping us (and one member of the party in particular!) crossing roads, eating dinner and hanging about generally.

Leaving Warsaw we got a good look at the beautiful architecture in the centre of the city. I didn’t make it into this part of Warsaw and it really does look beautiful. The old city, too, was completely destroyed in the Second World War and has been faithfully restored. One day I’d like to come back again and explore it more. Anyone fancy a long weekend?