I met my next travel buddy from Colorado, Stacia, in Warsaw, Poland! Stacia and I stayed with her former coworker from Venezuela, Tam. Tam had a beautiful apartment right near the city center which was great and super convenient. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted in the city. Tam had to work during the days we were there (she is an art teacher at the American School of Warsaw) so Stacia and I explored the city on our own. We also caught up on some sleep. Stacia had the excuse of jet lag, I had no excuse. But I never turn down an opportunity to sleep.
Our high points included:
- Old Town - although mostly destroyed during WWII, Warsaw's Old Town was very meticulously rebuilt in the 1950s and had a great feel with colorful buildings and intricate architecture. In the middle of the Old Town square sat a statue of a mermaid with a sword. We learned from Tam that Warsaw is the city of mermaids and that there are several mermaid statues throughout the city. The mermaid is also on the city's coat of arms. Legend has it that a mermaid was swimming along the River Vistula when she was captured by an evil merchant. A fisherman, Wars, ended up saving the mermaid from this evil man. The mermaid was so grateful she vowed to protect all fisherman, hence why she carries a sword and shield. Wars wife's name was Zawa, which is where the name of the city comes from Warszawa (in Polish).
- Warsaw Royal Castle - this castle was also completely destroyed by the Germans during the war. In order to rebuild, the city put a donation box in the middle of the square and the people of Warsaw paid for the rebuild and renovation 100 percent. The new castle opened in the 1980s and houses many paintings and other memorabilia that was hidden and saved during the war. It was beautifully and lavishly decorated (like most of the castles I've seen) and every room had different hardwood floor patterns. I took a lot of pics of my feet. I've learned to always look up and always look down in these places - that's often where the best stuff is hidden.
- Sampling Polish Food - Tam and her boyfriend Mike took us out to some authentic Polish food. We started the evening with Beef Tar Tar - and I think that will be my first and last time having this unique cuisine. A guy came to our table and chopped up raw meat, raw egg, and a couple other things in a really fancy ninja way. And then he served it to us. All raw. I am glad we tried it, but I really felt like I was just eating a raw hamburger patty (sorry Tam!). After that delightful experience we had some delicious stuffed cabbage and Polish beer, so that was a good way to cap off our meal.
- Seeing the American School of Warsaw - it was so fun to see where Tam and Mike worked and to see an international school. It was a big beautiful building with kids from pre-K through high school. Later on we also were able to meet more of her friends who were teachers at the school as well.
Stacia and I really enjoyed Warsaw and it was so nice to be able to stay with Tam!
Highlights:
- Being able to meet another travel buddy - looking forward to this month with Stacia.
- Getting to meet Tam and Mike! They were great hosts.
- Having a nice place to stay with a nice shower! I've decided that if I am ever stranded on a desert island I would like to take with me a good shower and a good cup of coffee.
- Tam had an old school Nintendo at her house, so we may have spent some time playing that...
- Old Town Warsaw - great energy and beautiful buildings!
Lessons Learned:
- Polish is a very hard language.
- The Polish are not overly friendly. However, if you greet them with a gin dobre (hello) they crack a smile and are quite friendly after that.
- It is hot here! Warmer than I anticipated, it's been mid to high 70s (and don't ask me to convert that to Celsius, I'm still getting the hang of that whole thing).
- Gin dobre and gin cooya (I'm sure that's not how you spell them but that's how you say them) are the two most important words - hello and thank you. It took us about three days to get these down.
- I really have no idea what I'm buying at the grocery store. One day Stacia thought she was buying milk for her tea and ended up with yogurt.
Old Town Warsaw.
Warsaw Castle and Old Town.
One of the many hardwood floor designs in the castle.