Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw is by far on of my favorite cities! Ninety percent of the Old Town was destroyed during WWII, so the majority of the city was rebuilt according to the original blueprints and still maintains authenticity.

A six hour train ride from Berlin, the Polish country side is stunning and peaceful.

Back in Old Town, enjoying the architecture is half the fun. We visited in August, yet it was drizzly and overcast. That didn't ruin our fun, though! The very next day it was sunny and warm.

Three turns around the Wishing Bell, and your wish will come true! At least, thats what local folklore advertises. If it's a smaller wish, then one round will suffice. Of course, you need to be touching the top nob of the bell and be thinking about your wish as you spin!

Traipsing through the city, you may stumble across the smallest road in Warsaw...don't discount it's importance, though, as it connects two major parts of the city!

When you come out the other side, a grand view of foliage greats you, and behind is the Old Town and bell tower. 

During World War II, the entire country fought to avoid invasion by the Germans. The monument below memorializes the soldiers who would travel via sewer system to evade the Germans.

Very few buildings survived the Uprising unscathed (going back to how 90% of the city had to be rebuilt), but the Cathedral below survived. The cool secret, though, is it's in Baroque style and all the marble is actually wood and elaborate painting!

Judge a country by the way they treat their fallen...the Tomb of the Unmarked Soldier is guarded 24/7 and lit with an eternal flame.

Stepping farther away from Old Town, the rest of Warsaw is a bustling, normal city...seems like no one can escape traffic jams!

I must say, Europeans know how to make hot chocolate! After enduring some drizzle, a warm cup of anything was heaven. We plopped into some oversized armchairs next to the window, watched the world go by, enjoyed drinking the thickest, purest, hot chocolate in my life. The cocoa oozed off my spoon, and the whipped cream tasted like a cloud.

After the 2.5 hour walking tour, and the trek to the hotel, a bunch if us showered and headed down the road to an American restaurant (of all things! I'm one of 2 Americans on this trip...) and got some food and booze. A lot of the older ladies really wanted drinks...almost insisted on it! (also, I'm the youngest on the trip). Since none of us can read polish, we try to figure out the drinks on the menu... Then give up, point at one and hope for the best!! So after our first round of randomness, we all got a 8 zp (=~ $2.50) shot of polish vodka. Hows that for a night in Poland?!