One of the downsides of living abroad is missing out on important events back home. For example, weddings. Since I've moved to Galicia, a lot of my peers seem to be getting married. But unfortunately it's not plausible to just hop on a plane home for the weekend. So last year when a friend from home was set to get married in Poland, I was thrilled. Finally, my side of the pond! Not to mention Poland had been on my list for a while. The old country! Home to some of my favorite comfort foods which I couldn't find in Galicia-- pierogis and paçzek. I vowed to eat them everyday on our trip.
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View from above:
Old Town Market Square |
The first stop on our whirlwind tour was Warsaw. Only 11% of the city's housing dates back to before 1944. The rest was destroyed during World War II. Some of it was rebuilt respecting the older architectural styles. That is the case in the Old Town Market Square, one of the Old Town's main plazas. To my untrained eye, the pastel-hued buildings tightly squeezed together could have been centuries old. They sure fooled me! One such house of the Old Town Market Square is home to the Warsaw Museum. Here we learned all about the city's history, as well as enjoyed a rooftop view of the plaza. On top of that, it was free because it was a Thursday.
Other top historic sites of Warsaw include a Castle (more like a palace) and the Barbican. We didn't go in either, but observed them from outside. The Barbican is a 16th-century wall fortress. With origins in the early 14th century, the Royal Castle was home to Polish rulers for centuries. Later it was pillaged by Russians and most recently by Nazi Germans. On the side of the Royal Castle facing the river are some gardens we wandered through. The other side of the palace is part of an open, spacious plaza in the Old Town. Again, like the vast majority of Warsaw's historic sites, both the Royal Castle and Barbican were mostly rebuilt after WWII. The Castle along with the Old Town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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| Plaza with the Royal Palace on the right |
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| Barbican in the background, to the left |
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Wooden Synagogue in POLIN
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While we spent most of our sightseeing time within the Old Town, another highlight of Warsaw in the ¨new town¨ was the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The place was enormous. And rather than just focus on the tragedies of the Holocaust (which were also included, of course), it went through Jewish history in Poland throughout the ages. Interactive with lots of maps and information, it also includes a beautifully-painted reconstruction of a wooden synagogue.
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| Mmm! Pierogies everyday! |
Our hostel in Warsaw was a 30-minute walk (or speedy subway ride) from the city center, in a very industrial part of town. Perfect location for two evenings out, feeling like real Poles. The bars/restaurants in the area felt very hip, and not at all touristy. One such bar had an open lot, sheltered from the wind by big brick buildings on all sides. It actually reminded me a lot of my ¨industrial¨ hometown. Except it was full of groups of people lounging on beach chairs. Here we were treated to a concert by a fun band with a ukulele. Another cool, candlelit bar used antique sewing machines as tables. And for dinner, a small, casual restaurant for locals and foreigners alike: Pyzy Flaki Gorace, a Polish diner with delicious,
delicious food for cheap! I knew this trip would be a treat for my tastebuds! Don't get me wrong, Galician cuisine is great, but variety is the spice of life. And using spices other than paprika and oregano also helps. I'm not even sure what I had at this diner exactly-- it was potatoes, bacon, sauce, and dough inside a Mason jar. Now that's comfort food! Plus my new favorite soup:
zurek (sour rye). Seriously,
so good! I had it several times throughout the trip and even bought a packet to make it at home. Obviously it won't be the same though-- no
kielbasa here. :(
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| The mermaid of Old Town Market Square |
The morning of the wedding, we had a train to Krakow, where the ceremony was held. Risky? Nah! Except, while riding the subway to get to the train station, we had a typical travel incident.¨Where's the suitcase? I have the backpack, and you're supposed to have the suitcase.¨ I imagined our poor, lonely suitcase forgotten on the platform as our subway car sped further and further away. Luckily, though, we had left it while checking out of the hostel. At least it wasn't lost. We had to go back three subway stops and then someone had to run to the hostel and back to the subway stop. That somebody was not me. Despite the hiccup, we made it to the train station in time to board with dozens of other travelers. This is why I always leave early! Next stop, KRAKOW!
