June 6, 2017
Currently: Tired feet up, listening to Chopin to get in the right Polish mindset for this blog.
Pro tip! Listen to Chopin’s Spring Waltz while you read this post. He’s Polish in case you didn’t make that connection.
So normally, I don’t struggle coming up with a title for a post. But today I did stress out trying to come up with the perfect one. Nerdy I know. I just couldn’t find the right words to capture the essence of Warsaw. I think that right there is the exact essence of Warsaw. Give me a minute, and you might see what I’m trying to say.
Warsaw is quirky.
After a solid morning of sleep (jet lag y’all), we arrived at our hotel, which my dad was just oh-so-sure was “in the city.” We set out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to head into the historic city. Three and a half miles and over an hour later…we reach the old city. But let’s be real. Worth the walk, am I right?
I thought so too. Anyway, after too many failed selfie attempts, I finally finish my gawking long enough to start exploring the old city. Wait. Hold on a minute. Please tell me, what doesn’t belong.
Giant pandas in beautiful historic places. That’s what. Moving on to more strange and unusual things Warsaw has to offer. Next on the list is the sheer volume of school kid tours. And by sheer volume, I mean every single school in Poland had to have been in Warsaw wearing either (a) matching bandanas or (b) matching neon shirts. I’m still dizzy from seeing so many of those dang fidget spinners. I’m just happy I managed to get some good shots of the city without the hoards of people. For the most part. I don’t know. You tell me.
I *see* what you did there, Warsaw.
Oh and peacocks will get mad at you. Sorry for invading your space, bro.
Warsaw is statuesque.
And I mean that in the most literal sense of the word. Obsessed with statues, these kids are. They’ve got it all: big, small, tacky, meaningful, puzzling, intimidating, silly.
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| Chopin’s monument – interpret at your own risk |
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The Mermaid of Warsaw – a symbol of the city
TBD on relation to Copenhagen’s mermaid |
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| Karski. Jan Karski. Locally known as the Polish James Bond |
Warsaw is yummy.
You gotta like pierogis to live here. I found this amazing locale, Bar Mleczny Prasowy. Don’t ask me to pronounce it. A cute cafe where everything is in Polish and no one explains anything to you. I chose this place because it had recently almost been turned into a bank, but the people loved it so much they protested enough to keep it around. Now if that doesn’t tell ya good food, I don’t know what does. Either way, here’s my take of it for you to enjoy.
Pierogis part dwa! The lentil pierogi was the far and away winner. Close second-fourth were mushroom, spinach, traditional (potato). In last place, salmon and cheese. Sounds good in theory. Tastes weird in practice.
Also. Thai ice cream, or ice cream fruit roll-ups. It’s in New York City. It’s in Warsaw. It’s in Lena’s tummy.
Warsaw is architecturally confused.
Seriously. Communism is definitely a thing here, but it goes way beyond boxy looking buildings, I promise. I couldn’t put the camera down. Every angle was a new and interesting one.
Hopefully you now know what I meant before! I’ll work on editing down the number of photos in the next city. Also, because I’m a stats girl, and I want everyone to understand that when the Gerbers travel, we travel hard: 1.5 days. 47,359 steps. 29 kilometers. 18 miles. Warsaw, I would say is complete.
Special edition coming out tomorrow highlighting the tragic history of a Jewish Warsaw. Get the tissue boxes ready, because it’s a really hard one to write.
Lots of love,
Lena
ticket for two 