Warsaw, Poland - 4 June 2006

Hi from the Westin in Warsaw. I had a pretty good day and a half of sightseeing.

The city itself is about as far north as London is. So, at this time of year, the days are long. That left me plenty of time to check out the downtown area and some of the sites.

Warsaw is a pretty nice city. Sadly, much of it was destroyed/razed/levelled in WWII. However, as a result, the streets are pretty well planned out. Wide boulevards and a pretty straightforward grid system. If only I could read the street signs!

One of the nights during the previous week, two other consultants, Joakim Z. and Dave T., walked over to the old city. We had some tourist-y Polish food there. I had pierogies and the others had some meat dishes.



Joakim bought a round of Polish vodkas for us. They serve it ICE cold in Poland. You don't shoot it as I had been trained in college. Evidently you sip it. The vodka that we had was not too bad. It had an herbal taste to it. As it warmed, though, the flavor got muted and the unpleasant burning feeling rose. So, I just took the rest of it as a shot. ;-) On our way back we came across the changing of the guard at the war memorial. That was really cool. There are 2 soldiers that stand guard over a grave and an eternal flame. The columns are engraved with the names of famous battles or monuments. Auschwitz, for example.

Friday night I went to El Popo, a Mexican restaurant. It had been recommended to me by a Polish coworker. I was interested to know what Polish Mexican food was like. I would say it's better than Chi-Chi's, but not as good as On the Border. However, everyone spoke English there and were really nice. They didn't even laugh when I tried to order a beer in Polish when I got there. They just politely replied in English. And, they made me a mojito with dark rum and brown sugar. YUM!

After dinner, as I was walking back, I came across another recommendation. An Irish Bar. I had to see what that was like. There was a band singing in Polish to an Irish tune. There were people attempting to river dance. It was loud. It was smoky. It was like any other bar in the world that pretends to be an Irish pub.

A word of caution. In this place, a large beer does not mean a pint or a half of a liter like it did in other places. It meant a liter (think 2 liter of Coke). That's nearly a quart of beer. In a mug that weighed 10 pounds. As a result I ended up talking to some locals. Then talked some more. Then I was out way later than I had originally planned. That worried Janet quite a bit.

Saturday I walked back over to that area. The Nazi army had pretty much levelled it by the end of 1945. After the war, they rebuilt it to look as it did in 1939. So, it has the look of old buildings even if they are not. The streets are narrow and the houses are tall and brightly painted. It is a tourist area now. Shops, bars, money changers, ice cream shops, souvenirs, etc. In the central plaza there are a ton of outdoor restaurants/cafes. I wonder what they do in the winter?



I walked around the city some more after that. The new Pope was just hear last week. His image was everywhere. And, since the last Pope, John Paul II was from here, it's a pretty Papal Place. However, tucked in every public phone and littering the streets are small cards with naked women on them and a phone number. It's how you can get a prostitute. So, interesting place.









Another interesting part of the city is the mixture of architectural styles. There are the reconstructed areas that look old, the parts that were built by the Communists from 1945 - 1990s, and then the parts built since. Quite a contrast from the Westin, etc.

I wrapped all of this up with a visit to a central park area.
Very peaceful in the heart of the city.

Sunday the weather sucked and I had to catch a flight. So, I laid low. And, had a wonderful Polish meal at Deco Kredens. The interior was fantastic. Very dark, yet shiny. It had a great Art Deco feel to it. I highly recommend the food. Just don't go at 11:30 on a Sunday. You'll be the only one there. I hear anyway. I wouldn't know. Also, take along your handy Polish phrasebook. The have a great website in English. But, my server's knowledge was pretty limited.