In the morning, I had gotten an email from the Opera House written in Polish stating that I should print out our tickets for the Ballet that we had reserved for tomorrow night. So the front desk pointed me to the Business Center where they have computer facilities set up. I needed help to follow the Polish instructions, so I asked a friendly looking woman who was nearby with her two children who were playing on one of the computers if she spoke English and could help me. She said of course, and stepped me through it till my e-tickets got printed. Her name is Joanna, an aphasiologist...she does therapy after a brain stoke. Then her husband came over to see what was going on. He asked me how I liked the hotel, and if I had any comments or corrective criticisms. It turns out that he is Krzysztof Szadurski (Christoph), and he is the CEO of the hotel corporation that owns this and two other large hotels in Warsaw, and was very interested in what I had to say. Then Marty came over and joined the conversation, and we all chatted for at least a half hour about Warsaw and family and vacations and sports, etc. They said we should contact them if we ever need anything in Warsaw...a very lovely and charming couple. We're old enough to be their parents...they're the same ages as our own children, 45 and 43!
Based on Ekaterina's recommendation (our favorite front desk girl) last night, we did sign up for a City Tour for this afternoon at 2pm. She also recommended that we take the hotel buffet breakfast for this first morning and if we like it, we can take it the other mornings...18 Euro each (about $25). It was an immense, buffet style affair including Champagne and Vodka to start your day, as at that price it should be. But we couldn't do it justice, so after this we'll just look for a cute cafe....our preferred style.
Since we had some time to kill before our tour, we decided to walk around and explore a little.
There are tall modern buildings wherever you look, as the city is continually rebuilding.
Some of the avenues are so wide that the only way to get across is via underground tunnels, with shops everywhere, another building marvel since the war.
Many of the old Communist building have been repurposed...this one is a major bank.
Everyone refers to the Palm Tree, a major landmark at a huge crossroad leading to the Old Town. It's not real, of course.
We walk down the main thoroughfare heading toward Old Town. It's already 100% more picturesque and charming, with restaurants and cafes lining the street. Unlike Krakow, Warsaw does not have a cafe culture except for this area.
It's time to turn around now and go back to our Hotel Polonia Palace to catch our tour.
We felt weird getting on a mini bus with other tourists and going around town. But in the end, even Marty said it did give us a better grasp of this sprawling city, and we got introduced to some areas that we probably never would have gotten to, or even known about. Aniela was our guide...she was very serious, smart (studying to be an Urban Renewal Architect), and spoke very good English, but we had to pay close attention because her accent was very heavy.
We drove around first, passing by many important government buildings and beautiful foreign embassies. Our fist and major hop-off stop was at Park Lazienkowsli, or Royal Baths Park in English. It is the largest park in Warsaw, built in the 17th century and taking up 76 hectares (190 acres) in the city. It is in the central district, on the Royal Route, which makes links between several castles.
Marty and I both agreed that it was even more beautiful in its own way than our Central Park, mainly because of the magnificent palaces pristine lake within it...you will see below...
Most of the buildings in the park suffered severe fire damage during and after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, but the structures were nevertheless relatively well preserved, compared to those in the Old Town.
Remains of a Roman theatre.
This is a marvelous stature honoring Frederik Chopin.
Brides are everywhere!
As we left the park we saw good examples of the grafitti around the city, and in many cases quite artistic.
In the distance on the outskirts of town you can see the National Stadium used for football games (that means soccer), and can hold 60,000 spectators.
The Roual Castle was the official residence of the Polish monarchs, located at the entrance to the Old Town.
A model of the castle and the surrounding Old Town, also an aid for the blind to get a sense of the area.
This is St. John's Cathedral, originally built in the 14th century, and rebuilt several times, until 1944 when it was almost completely destroyed by German bombs as Hitler's troops fled. After the war it was completely rebuilt, and as you can see, the facade is quite modern now.
The arched ceiling seems like such a simplified modern version of original Gothic style.
Beautiful charming Baroque 'Old Town' building facades completely rebuilt after the war have made this area the most visited tourist attraction in Warsaw. But many locals stroll here too. It's a very happening area. According to our tour guide, the original buildings were a favorite subject of the Italian painter, Canniieto. They were rebuilt according to his detailed paintings. We decided to leave the tour at this point to wander in the Old Town.
We sat in a typical Polish restaurant and had the local soup and mixed pierogi just to tide us over until dinner. The tables were close and so we ended up talking to this adorable young couple sitting at the next table. They were Agni and George. She's Polish and he's Greek. They have been dating for five years and are now living together. They both speak perfect English so the conversation just flowed. Agni works in HR at the Polish National Power Company. George recently quit his job in Greece as an auditor for Earnst & Young and wants to open a Mediterranean delicatessen in Warsaw. Now there's a challenge. He's smart and courageous but lacks experience. I said that he could use me as a mentor and I agreed to open a door or two for him. We'll see how this unfolds.
We wound our way back to our hotel through the Old Town area, and lo and behold, another bride. This time it was a marriage of three..including their baby...stuff happens!
This charming vintage limo had all their beautiful flowers in the boot, and a baby seat in the back seat to accommodate the baby to the reception as well...sweet.
We passed the house where Marie Sklodowska-Curie lived, the famous physicist and chemist who was Polish, and a naturalized French citizen, who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.
Everyone wants to eat outside, and the restaurants accommodate.
I need this for my cappuccio in the morning!
There were charming antique shops along the Old Town route...this one had some of the best stuff and was for serious collectors of certain things.
Religious memorabilia...
And old Torah scroll...
The evening atmosphere in the main square was beautiful at night.
We finally got back to the hotel, after about four miles of strolling...the best way to get exercise. Then it was time for dinner.
We went to Rozanna, recommended by Ekaterina, our favorite Front Desk Receptionist, and it was fabulous in every way. First of all the atmosphere from the moment you walked in was beautiful, warm, cozy, serene, sophisticated, and inviting.
Rozanna means Rose, and they were everywhere, the aroma romantic and enticing.
This old time musician was playing American Jazz tunes, classy, not schmaltzy.
Tables we placed in every nook and cranny.
And mushrooms were in season, so we had to have them as an appetizer...simple and pure, with a forestiere taste...wonderful.
Our dinner was great. These are in season sauteed mushrooms. I had catfish simply sautéed over spinach, and Marty had the roast goose and cabbage, a surprisingly wonderful combination. All the ingredients were seasonal and so fresh...it's really farm to table. Then we had a wonderfull apple cake. We wanted to taste this merrange cake as well, but just couldn't do it!
After our tour today, we have a much better sense of the city...it was well worth it.
A spectacular and relaxing first day in Warsaw!
No comments:
Post a Comment