Friday July 20th, 2012
Landed in Modlin airport (opened few days before), we take the shuttle bus that takes us to the main train station in Warsaw. From there we reach our hotel and leave our luggages. We head towards the center, and on the way we stop at a greek restaurant for lunch. We pass by the gardens Ogrod Saski and reach the main road, by which we arrive, passing some churches, in Plac Zamkowy with Zamek Krolewski.
The square is quite crowded (and it will at all the times in which we will). Then we visit the Archikatedra sw. Jana (cathedral) and continue to the next square, the Rynek Starego Miasta, with a central fountain of the mermaid. This is the most beautiful square in the city (UNESCO World Heritage site). We cross the Barbakan, and in Ul. Freta we see some churches: Kosciol sw. Ducha, Kosciol sw. Jacka, Kosciol sw. Kazimierza and Kosciol Nawiedzenia Najswietszej Marii Panny.
From above we see a fountain with water jets that change often, so we go down until we reach the Park Multimedialny Fontann. We go up again (with some little difficulties) at the top, and go back to our hotel, this time through the Ogrod Saski. After we rested a bit we go out for dinner, this time we choose a Bavarian restaurant near the Barbakan. After dinner, we take some pics of the city.
Saturday July 21st, 2012
We have breakfast in the university area, primarily to visit the church with the relics of Chopin (but at the moment there is a religious function). With the tram we go to the Palac w Wilanowie (a bit far from the center), a palace surrounded by gardens and a park.
We visit the building and then walk a bit in the gardens and in the park. The sky begins to cloud, but luckily no rain. Before returning to the center we stop at Park Lazienkowski, with another palace. Inside the park there is a theater on the water, where there are many peacocks lying down to sleep. Our next destination is the University Library (closed), but we read on a guide to get on the roof, with hanging gardens to admire the view.
Then we go to Kosciol sw. Krzyza and this time we can visit and stop in front of the monument to Chopin. Outside this church (but also in other areas of the city) there are benches where you can listen to some pieces by Chopin. Then we walk a bit in the center and we decided to try an ice cream, because everyone is eating it. We go back to the hotel, but we decided to stop at the Palac Kultury i Nauki, where we climb to the top with a lift. At the top there is enough wind and being in the shade is also pretty cool. Then we return to the hotel and then go out for dinner. We choose an Ukrainian restaurant, also this one near the Barbakan. Then again some pictures and we go to sleep.
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
First we look at the ghetto wall, located in the courtyard of an apartment building, and is marked bad. We are very lucky because just as we come out a lady (who speaks only in Polish), which see us with a map in hand, understands that we are looking for the wall.
We take a tram and go in the Praga district, where there are old houses that survived the war, but we are not particularly impressed by the area. Later we cross a bridge over the Wisla and back to the other side of the river and with the tram we reach the Cytadela, but we realize that it is almost all military zone and we can see almost nothing. So we see the Pomnik Poleglym the Pomordowanym na Wschodzie, a memorial to the point where trains departed for the concentration camps. Nearby, another monument, the Pomnik Powstania Warsawkiego, and the church Katedra Polowa Wojska Polskiego.
Finally we walk in Ul Miodowa. We still have some time, so we go to a nearby shopping center, one of the largest in Poland. In the evening we have dinner in a Polish restaurant, in a short distance from our hotel. Finally we return to the center for the last time.
Monday, July 23rd, 2012
Left the hotel, we go to the railway station to catch the train that should lead us to the airport. A few minutes before the departure time nothing is reported, but suddenly disappears from the boards and they tell us that it is 2 hours late. We will miss our flight. At the station we meet two guys from Rome and then we decide to take a taxi together to share the cost. We reach the airport on time and we expect to embark.
This was the first time I went to Warsaw, and I was positively surprised by the city. I definetely must go back to Warsaw.
