Warsaw

Now for something a little different. A lovely Polish town that is very clean, steeped in culture and history, with an incredible Old Town filled with historical buildings, excellent cafes and hoards of tourists. Welcome to Warsaw/Warszawa.

First, yes I am here to learn about the Warsaw Ghetto and the Ghetto uprising of 1943 and The Warsaw uprising of 1944, which I ignorantly did not realize were two separate things until I read about it on the bus here.

Ghetto Uprising Memorial

From Wiki - The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943) and the Warsaw Uprising (1944) were distinct events. The Ghetto Uprising was a last stand by Jewish residents against the Nazis as they attempted to deport the remaining inhabitants. The Warsaw Uprising, which occurred a year later, was a Polish nationalist uprising against the German occupiers, part of a broader nationwide plan.

There is also going to be a day trip to Małkinia Górna from which I can take a taxi to the Treblinka Labour and Extermination camp Memorial and Museum, plus a walking tour of the history of the Jews in Warsaw. and whatever else I can get myself into.

Bullet holes in the Ghetto Wall

I booked my room at the AB Hostel for four nights and it was an easy 20 minute walk from the West Warsaw Bus Station. I passed a Radisson that looked very nice, but this is going to be a long trip so I have to do what needs to be done and the AB Hostel it is. Cheap, clean, safe rooms are my jam right now.

As usual, I did a Free Walking tour, this time with Walkative, which is a creative name. The tour was Jewish Warsaw, and as with the tour in Krakow, I learned a tremendous amount of the history of the Jewish people in Warsaw and Poland, over and above WW2. There are a few scenes in the Pianist that I stood ground zero for, the first being the bridge that crosses from the small ghetto to the large ghetto, now it is a monument, and right below is the area where there were gates that opened and closed to allow the jews cross from the large to the small ghetto. There were memorials to both the ghetto and warsaw uprising which were interesting. We finish the tour at the Museum of Jewish History which I went to the next day, it was outstanding. I am heading to Prague in about a week and I am NOT taking a walking tour,  I am tapping out although I am taking a few different tours, but more on that when it happens.

View of the Old Town Square

The "Taras Widokowy" (Viewing Terrace) is the place to go if you want a birds-eye view of Warsaw's Old Town Square. It was peaceful today considering some of the photos I have seen when researching Warsaw. The climb was easy enough but the steps were tight, spiral and steep. There is a nice 360 view and the climb is worth is. I think I paid $5 but it was no more than that. 

The old town was a myriad of side streets opening up to gorgeous plazas surrounded by colorful buildings filled with history that I will never know or understand. The interesting thing about Warsaw is unlike Krakow, Warsaw was completely obliterated during the war. To rebuild it as historically accurate as they did is an impressive feat. Now, don't think this is what Warsaw is all about, this old town. Warsaw is a modern and well developed city of about 2 million.

Modern and Historical

The people appear a bit standoffish but once you make the first effort they   are helpful and courteous. Learning a few simple words such as "hello", "thank you", 'yes/no", "please" goes a long way. I have said "sorry for being a dumb tourist, I have no Polish." when the time felt right and it usually gets me a smile in return. That being said, most of the younger people who work in the shops and restaurants speak a bit of English, and when it doubt, Google Translate is a very accepted app. "Let Google do the talking."

I had NO energy to try and figure out the Metro or the Tram System. I gave it a shot in Lublin and ended up going the wrong way, as you do. I wandered all around the old town, peering into souvenir shops that sell the same Chinese stuff as they do on Clifton Hill, with just different city names on the item. I passed a few Irish Pubs but a pint was about $12 and I was not in the mood for it. Unlike so many other places where you can go into a shop, grab a beer and drink it on a bench or in a park, Poland is akin to Canada, no drinking in public places and from what I was told, they are serious about it. My "Mad Dog" drinking days are well in the rear view mirror, thankfully. However a cold beer after walking for a couple of hours always hits the spot, but I was adamant I was not going to pay $12, not just yet. I made my way back to the glorious AB Hostel and found what became my "go to" shop. The dude working there was about 70, and I am sure he has killed people in his past. I pick up my 3 bottles, say "card", scan it an leave. We are never going to have a "bro moment."