Warszawie

The title of this post is how Poles spell Warsaw in Polish.  Polish, as a language, is hard to understand and even harder to pronounce.  I asked a tour guide what language is most similar to Polish.  He said none.  Maybe what they speak in Slovakia is a little similar, like the way a Polish kid would speak.  Most young Poles speak some English.  They are the ones I turn to when I need someone to interpret for me.  Forget about the older generation.  Some of them look like they still live in the communist era, and may speak some Russian.  They behave that way too.

I took a bullet train from Krakow to Warsaw.  It costs about US$60 in 1st class and took about 2 hours.  The regular train takes about 4 hours.  I arrived at Warsaw Central Station and walked about 500m to my Airbnb apartment.  It's right in the city center, convenient to all the businesses but a little ways from Old Town.

The afternoon after I arrived I stop at the Tourist Information Office, located in the Palace of Culture and Arts, right across from the Central Railway Station.  Yes, they answered my questions when I asked but it was almost like "pulling teeth."  Customer Service is definitely not their forte; again, perhaps they think Poland is still run by the communists.  I asked about the Warsaw Pass, since I was planning to visit many of the museums and it also give me free travel on all public transportation.  The lady didn't even try to address my question at all.  I got my map, pick up some brochures, and left.

On my first morning, I took the 160 bus from the bus stop across the street from the apartment, and went to Old Town.  The buses, like all public transportation, charge their customers based on travel time.  The cheapest is a 20 minute ticket, costing 3.4 PLN, or about 89 cents.  That's what I paid for the ticket.  I arrived at Old Town, just in town to catch the Free Walking Tour.  Like I explained before, "Free" is not really free.  You are expected to tip the guide when it's over, based on what you think the tour is worth.  The very informative tour, with a big group of almost 20-30 tourists, took about 2 hours.  It stopped at all the major tourist attractions, with a lot of history and culture mixed in.  I tipped the guide 40 PLN, about $10, which is much more than what most tourists gave.  I thought our guide, Peter, deserved it.

Old Town Warsaw

The Royal Castle, which is also a museum

Musician performing in Old Town

Iconic Mermaid at Market Square

A kid mesmerized by a singing puppet show

A budget restaurant enjoyed by the locals.  You can get a meal for less than 20 PLN or $5

I stopped at a Bar Mleczny (or Milk Bar) restaurant for lunch.  The day before, I found one near the apartment and had a substantial dinner for less than 20 PLN or $5.  A lot of locals eat there and that's what I like.  I found this one in Old Town and had 5 pierogis for 12 PLN or $3.

A tourist shopping for souvenirs

Inside the Royal Palace Museum

 The Royal Palace has a museum that is not as impressive as the one in Vienna or others but still quite impressive.  The story behind palaces is not how impressive they are but how misplaced the priorities were of those who ruled the countries in the old days.  Monarchies spend tons of money on their palaces and churches while their poor struggle to survive.

Next I saw on the map that the Fredrick Chopin museum is not far from Old Town.  Chopin is a much beloved musician here, although I heard he never lived in Poland.  One of his parents is Polish, however.  Nevertheless, Poland. perhaps looking for famous figures to put on the mantel, grabbed Chopin and call him their own.  It was my lucky day.  Admission is free on Saturdays for those over 60.  Otherwise, it'd have costs 20 PLN or $5.  Growing old has its merits.  Those over 65 get 50% off on public transportation and other admissions.

Museums in Poland try to adopt the latest technology for their displays.  Every one I went to do things differently.  They try to incorporate the latest in technology.  The Chopin Museum is in a small building so its exhibits are spread over 2 or 3 floors.  Of course, they include a lot about Chopin's life, especially in Paris, and individual stations where you can listen to different categories of Chopin music.  It is a very well done museum; one can finish it in less than 2 hours.

Frederick Chopin Museum, near Old Town

The next day happened to be the Warsaw Marathon.  What irony.  Perhaps I should go run at least the half.  However, my right leg has been bothering me so much the last 4 months that walking is sometimes even a problem.  I think I pulled a tendon while running in NYC in June and the pain has not eased at all.  I have trouble sleeping sometimes because of the pain.  With the marathon in the Old Town area, I decided to avoid the area, and walked 30 minutes from my apartment to the Warsaw Uprising Museum.  Another lucky break for me; it's free on Sundays.  But free brings large busloads of tourists.  The place was swarmed with tourists and then locals.  This is a "feel good" history for the Poles.  Although the uprising was crushed by the Germans after two months, it reminds Poles about their strength, fearlessness and defiance to the oppressive Germans during WWII.  It's very well-done museum.  You get a lot more out of it if you rent an audio-guide.  Bring your own headset because the audio guide is the type that you have to put next to your ear.

Model of a sewer tunnel that the Poles have to use to get around the Germans

Front entrance of the Uprising Museum

Memorial to the Warsaw Uprising, near Old Town

 I also visited the National Gallery Museum but it's not much to talk about.  It's an okay museum with some paintings but nothing compared to other well-known museums around the world.  The only thing that they are immensely proud of is their own Polish painter called Jan Matejko

My Airbnb host, Joanna, told me about the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and how impressive it is.  The next morning I took bus 227 and then walk about 3/4 a mile to the museum.  The building architecture is very nice but the exhibits are even more impressive.  It is very well organized and if you follow the suggested path and rent an audio guide, you get a very nice story of the Jews in Poland.  Before WWII, there were more Jews in Poland than in any other European country.  That was the main reason why Hitler located his concentration and extermination camps in Poland.  Of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, 3 million came from Poland.  Before there was a Warsaw Uprising in 1944, there was a Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by the Jews in 1943.  About 13,000 Jews died when it was all over.

Museum of History of Jews in Poland

In the afternoon, I walked to the Copernicus Museum.  Unfortunately, it was closed on Mondays.
That pretty much ended all the interesting places I wanted to go to in Warsaw.  The next morning, I took a train from the station across the Central Station to Warsaw Chopin Airport.  Cost of the ticket?  4.4 PLN or about $1.25.  Can't beat that

Bus ticket for 20 minutes (above) and 75 minutes

My next stop?  Munich, for Oktoberfest.  What a life.