Warsaw and Poznan – 12th – 13th August 2017

Czesc from Poland

After another massive drive day we rolled into the Polish capital of Warsaw. This was our last currency change and we were now on the Zloty. (4 Zloty = 1AUD). I elected to miss the walking tour as I needed some me time (shower and blog) but Jen went and she said it was pretty good. 90% of the Old Town was bombed and is now reconstructed. The buildings were beautiful but this is high tourist season and there were critters everywhere. We were checked in to the Radisson Blu again and we had an included dinner and a fairly early night.

The next morning, we had a blessed sleep-in before we grabbed our tour leader Grace and our driver Paul and we took a taxi to a small beach outside of town (Romanticz Place) for a kayak paddle. We grabbed two kayaks and launched into the Vistula River for an 11km paddle into the heart of Warsaw. Grace had never done it before but Paul (who is 6.7) had it all under control. We launched into the swift-flowing brown current and off we went.

The day was overcast but a light head wind sprung up and we had to paddle a little harder. The tour guide told us to stop on the beaches along the way, but they were fairly depressing and we just pushed on. The wind got stronger and the current stopped flowing and we were paddling pretty hard at about the 7km mark. After 1.5 hours we made it to our stop near the 3rd bridge and jumped out, dry and happy – though I did rename the city Oar-Sore (I know the puns have been a little short on this blog but hey they’ll arrive soon.)

We then parted company with Grace and Paul and walked over the said bridge, grabbed a tram and after some confusion about where we were, grabbed another taxi and made it to Lazienski Park. This park covers 40 acres in the middle of the city and it was one of the most stunning parks I’ve ever seen. There were ponds, marble statues, majestic palace-like structures, flower beds, open air opera spaces, food trucks, amazing trees, swans etc… You name it, this park had it. We were actually there for a reason – every Sunday afternoon in summer, they have a free one hour piano recital underneath the sculpture of Warsaw’s most famous resident – Frederick Chopin. They’ve been doing this since 1959! An American/Polish pianist who recently won a Chopin competition played a grand piano under a shade cloth to about 2000 people. This concert was free and was absolutely amazing. The sun was fully out by now and we lay on the grass and half dozed off as we listened to this beautiful music. What a great hour!!

We left just before the end to beat the rush – grabbed a bus – got lost – grabbed another taxi (luckily they’re so cheap) and made our way into the Old Town for a beer and a snack at The Brexit Bar!!

We spent another hour tourist watching in this packed main square before we grabbed yet another taxi back to the Raddison Blu. Our driver was a font of knowledge and I asked him about a public event that was occurring in the streets as people were wearing military uniforms. He explained how the Russians had tricked the people of Warsaw back in WWII by filling an abandoned tank with bombs that killed 70 people as they tried to steal it. This was the 70 year anniversary or something and it was a pretty big deal. He also pointed out The Holocaust Museum and the Opera House. I don’t know what it is but Opera and War seem to go together in Europe.

We got back to the hotel and I tried Bison Vodka – Zubrowka! It’s actually made from grass – not bison – but has a bison picture on the bottle. It was ok and ensured that I had a great sleep that night. The shot glasses have grass up the side and would make great souvenirs I’d say…not that I’d ever pocket them…

We boarded the bus early and stopped for lunch in one of the quaintest (is that a word?) little towns that I’ve ever seen – Poznan. The city symbol is two goats butting each other and they have a huge clock in the town square that has a butting statue when it chines on the hour. This was not our focus however as they had a food market on!! We had a fantastic spinach and feta borek, and OK veg burger and then we bought a pork fillet ham!! It was smoked to perfection and our little piece cost 11 Zloty (4 bucks Aussie) Great cute town.

That was it for Poland. They are a very successful country since joining the EU and the towns were pretty nice. The people are still a bit rough and the fashions are atrocious, but we had a nice time.

Ok – next stop is Berlin – where I am very excited to check out this city and soak up its history

Ciao for now.

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Warsaw and Poznan