Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw is fascinating. It is steeped in history yet has so little physical proof of its rich past, thanks to World War II and the Warsaw Uprising, which managed to destroy the entire city. There is a sense of determination present, and the care taken in rebuilding the city is proof of that.

Visit the Royal Castle Museum, eat pierogi (and lots of it!), get ice-cream in Stare Miasto, and beware the east side of the river!

Quick Tips:

The other side of the Vistula River is basically run by the mafia, so explains my local friend. Use caution, and probably avoid it altogether after dark. If you must visit the Russian market, carry little money (and no passport) and take a local with you if you happen to know one.

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro is easy—there is only one line, some stations on which are not even built yet. Buy a 3-day pass (which is good for all public transportation) at a magazine stand. Buses are fairly straight forward; there is even a tourist line which runs through all the city's main attractions and includes English-language listings of where the bus travels.

Marak is a small, cozy place to get your fill of local and international soups. The interior is modern, with chic black furniture and bright green walls.

The menu (which is also in English) includes three traditional Polish soups (mushroom, tomato, and pickled cucumber) and four "exotic" soups, as well as fruit desserts and drinks. The grzybowa (mushroom soup) was phenomenal.

There are three sizes. The smallest one left my taste buds (though not my stomach) hungry for more, but keep in mind that the medium bowl provides you with twice as much soup!

Prices vary; my mushroom soup was 5.90 zloty, which is about $2. The cucumber soup was a little bit cheaper, some of the exotic soups were slightly more expensive. The soup came with a roll, which was bland and chewy and not worth eating. If you're still hungry, order more soup.

There are many pierogarnias in Poland, but this one is especially delightful. It is located just outside of the old town on quiet Dluga Street.The interior is homey and mock-rustic. You can sit wherever you'd like, look over the menu (in Polish!), and then go to the counter to order. Your meal is ready within a few minutes.For just 14 zloty, you can get soup and six pierogi. They have many varieties from my favorite (mushroom and cabbage) to meat to vegetables to chocolate to fruit to pig lung. Yes, I tried the pig lung pierogi, and I have to say it tasted pretty good, but I just had one and let my friend finish his own plate.The tomato soup was delicious, as was the zurek, a sour rye soup with potatoes and sausage.I also must insist that you try one of their traditional Polish drinks: awas chlebowy (bread based) or podpiwek (beer based). I don't even like beer, but I found the podpiwek especially refreshing—it has just a slight beer taste, and it's very sweet.Don't forget to take your dishes to the counter when you leave!

This wasn't on my original agenda, but my Polish friend suggested a visit and I wasn't hard to convince.The Palace of Culture is located right by the central train station. It is also very easy to see from all over the city, so if you're ever lost, just look toward the sky for the top of this building to get your bearings.Apparently, guards at the Palace of Culture sell half-priced tickets, which is, of course, somewhat illegal. It seems that you should be Polish to make such a request, or at least speak the language like a local. So a Pole can say a few words to the guard, who will then walk nonchalantly with you to a corner and sell you the ticket. You then return your ticket to another guard when you leave the museum.We'll call that hearsay. Anyway, the Palace of Culture had a special exhibition on time. It was quite interesting. Something that had an impact on me was the sign that said, "In the infinite possibilities of the universe and time, you are here now." Wow. When you put it that way…The building is 757 feet tall, so the 33rd floor offers magnificent views of Warsaw. The trip up there is included in the ticket price.Though the exhibit was good and the view breathtaking, it didn't seem worth either ticket price to me. Maybe there was a part of it we missed; I don't know. Still, go for the view.

National Museum (summer hours)
Tuesday through Sunday (except Thursday): 10am to 6pm
Thursday from 12 to 7pm
Closed Mondays

The website says that the museum is free on Thursdays; however, I was there on Saturday and it was free then. The sign in front of the museum also says it's free on Saturdays, so the website must be in need of an update.

This was not my favorite of the European museums I've visited. It holds a rather random collection of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts like dishes. The paintings, mostly by Polish artists, are enjoyable. The best news is that many captions are in English, so you know what you're looking at.

Royal Castle Museum
Sunday-Monday 11am-6pm
Tuesday-Saturday 10-6pm
Admission: 18 zloty (13 zloty for students)

The Royal Castle is free on Sundays, but be sure to line up early—there are a limited number of tickets given. Be aware that there are two entrances. I lined up early, but I was at the entrance with the fewer number of people. Both doors were opened at the same time, but I was surprised to see so many people ahead of me when I thought I was one of the first in line. (I still managed to get a ticket.)

You then have access to the royal rooms, complete with royal furniture and a collection of art. It's always entertaining to see how the royalty lived.

Here is a little-known treasure. On the roof of this magnificent library is a garden! It's open to the public from 9am to 8pm during summer months—and it's free! Stroll through the gardens and check out the magnificent views of the Vistula River.

Step inside this park and you'll feel like you've left the city behind you. I didn't have enough time to scour the entire area, but I did check out the enchanting Palace on the Water and, of course, the peacocks!

Wilanow
Hours vary according to season
Thursdays are free
Student discount

Sadly, I didn't go inside, so I don't have much to offer you except a couple of pictures of the magnificent building. I'm told that it's worth a visit. When I was there, people were working on the gardens, so there wasn't much to see outside. If you do manage a visit inside, tell me about it!

I had a great time tasting all the Polish foods I could get near my mouth. I ate with an adventurous spirit I didn't know I possessed. Go to Poland and eat, eat, eat, my friends. Your taste buds won't be sorry.

Pierogi. Dumplings, filled with anything you can imagine. I was partial to mushrooms and cabbage, but you can order almost any variety—meats, vegetables, chocolate, fruit. Take note that they are very filling; six seems to be a standard order and my stomach was usually too full for the last one.

Zurek. A sour rye soup full of potatoes and sausage. Hearty. Delicious.

Nalesniki. When it comes to crepes, the French have nothing on the Poles. Order them from street vendors for as little as four zloty.

Pomidorowa. A tomato-and-rice soup that puts Campbells to shame.

Paczek. Basically a jelly donut, but I deserve to be punished for calling it that. Paczek are so much better. The jelly is slightly tart, and there's not so much inside the cake that it oozes all over the place. The cake itself is lightly glazed, but again, not overly sweet. I'm told by my Polish friend that the best place to buy them is Blikly.

Bagels. They were invented in Poland, but they're nothing like we're used to in America. You can buy them on the street (especially in Krakow) for one zloty or less, and it's a fairly hard, chewy ring of twisted dough that is nevertheless quite tasty. And they make for an excellent quick, cheap breakfast when you're running to catch a train. For bagels like we see at home, check out BagelMama in Krakow.

Pakora. I don't think this is Polish, but rather Indian. Doesn't matter. These deep fried vegetables are still delicious.

Samosa. Ditto. Not Polish, but eat it (vegetables in a bread crust—reminiscent of a pot pie, but the difference is that samosa is awesome) if you get the chance.

Barszcz. This (beetroot soup) is the only thing I'm going to suggest avoiding. Yes, taste it, but unless you're into beets and the concept of cold soup, don't order a whole bowl for yourself.

I tried something new when I went to Warsaw. Something I never thought I'd ever do.

I stayed at the home of a complete stranger. A former complete stranger, I should say, who is now my friend.

I found him through www.hospitalityclub.org. You fill out a profile and can search for people who live in the city you plan to visit who might be willing to host you for a few days. I was nervous for all the obvious reasons, but it was one of the best things I could have possibly done.

My host in Warsaw was incredible. He prepared traditional Polish cuisine for me to try. He brought home sweets favored by Poles, like paczek, and insisted I try them all. He let me use his computer and even gave me his room to use as my own, despite my insistence that such generosity wasn't necessary. He took time out of his day to escort me around Warsaw, making sure I saw everything I needed to see. He even met me at the train station upon my arrival, and accompanied me there again when it was time to leave.

All I expected was a little floor space to spread out a blanket.

I will certainly be trying this again, and as soon as I have a home to call my own I will gladly be inviting travelers to stay there with me. Staying with a local allowed me to experience Warsaw in a way I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I cherish that, and am so grateful to him for opening his home and his heart to me in that way. I can't wait to return the favor.