Warsaw, Poland 2005

In August of 2005, Jeanie and I spent a few days in Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw was a very interesting city to visit. There is the beautifully-restored "Old Town", an area which was razed during the second world war. I am told that other European cities needing restoration will hire Poles, because they have done such a good job in Warsaw. There are a few reminders of the former communist government, for instance the "Palace of Culture and Science" and the old Communist party building. The latter is now housing their stock market trading floor. And then there are many streets of new, vibrant shops.

We were fortunate to have our good friend Artur show us around, but we also hiked through the city on our own. It is possible to walk many miles through Warsaw, spending at least half that distance in its many gardens. This makes the walking very pleasant. Also very pleasant is the native Wedel chocolate. My favorite is the dark chocolate ("czekolada gorzka", I think the wrapper is green), and I also recommend the Wedel tort "Torcik Wedlowski". You can find these at ethnic and specialty stores in the US, at least you can in Pittsburgh. If they're not in your town, try googling for them. I found the Warsaw Uprising memorial quite moving, and the change of guard for their unknown soldier was solemnly dramatic (and has another terrific garden as a backdrop).

I heartily recommend Warsaw to anyone thinking of visiting Poland. You can find inexpensive accommodations, or take advantage of exchange rates and try a five star hotel. Jeanie and I normally choose cheap, but this time tried the five-star Le Royal Meridien Bristol. This breakfast buffet alone is worth the room tariff, and the staff is superbly nice. If you speak English (e.g. you can read this sentence), you will have no communications problems at this hotel, and English plus gestures will get you through the city. That said, I strongly recommend being polite and learning all the Polish you can. For starters, please is roughly "prosh", thank-you is "gen-Ku-yay", and Wedel dark chocolate is "shekolada gorej-ka".

I am supposed to make a second pass over the photos and reduce this gallery to three pages, but I haven't had a chance. You are, of course, welcome to email me with suggestions on how to do this!