Well . . . we made it!  I am writing to you from a small, internet cafe near the University of Warsaw (actually, it is next door to a Kentucky Fried Chicken -- can you believe it!!).

As I write this, it is 3:15p (9:15a in MA and NJ, and 7:15a in CO).  Holy crap -- I am tired.  Dad is currently napping in our apartment, which is pretty damn cool.  It has a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom (with a washing machine), and some pretty cool views down the cobblestone streets to the old historic center of Warsaw.  I think it will be perfect for two very sleepy people tonight.  I am going to push through without a nap, and am planning on passing out around 8:00p.

We arrived into Warsaw at 9:00a this morning (3:00a Dad's time, 1:00a my time - ugh!).  The flights, while uneventful, were very, very full. I did not see an empty seat on either flight.  Food, as usual, was awful; movie was OK; seats were remarkably uncomfortable.  Actually, the short flight from Frankfurt to Warsaw was better than the long haul, as the seats were a bit larger and were more comfortable (leather seats instead of fabric).

When we arrived into Warsaw, it seemed as though we were the only ones there. There were no other planes at the gates, and the hallways and concourse seemed deserted. However, once we walked through Immigration and Customs, we entered the madness of the Arrivals Hall. Excited family members waited to greet people; chauffeurs held signs with names; aggressive taxi drivers from the ‘Polish mafia’ were soliciting business. A short walk to our pre-arranged taxi company had us face to face with a very attractive woman who handled our transfers to the Stare Miasto (Old Historic Center).

Our taxi ride into Warsaw was uneventful. The main road from the airport was a large boulevard, with a grass and tree lined median. There were billboards advertising Polish goods and American chains (McDonalds, Office Depot, KFC, etc). There were even billboards advertising stores where you can buy 25 kilos of potatoes for 4.50 zlotys (that is 55 lbs. for ~$1.10 !).

The drive towards the center of Warsaw took us past many concrete buildings (apartments, offices, industry, etc). The drab, dreary architecture of communist Poland is starting to be offset by some new, exciting architecture, with different colors and textures (and no concrete). The historic symbol of communist era Poland is the Palace of Culture and Science, which is an enormous, boring, concrete structure situated in the middle of Warsaw. This building was advertised as ‘Stalin’s gift to the people of Poland’. Some people refer to it’s shape as a ‘wedding cake’.

The drive into the historic area was a nice transition, as we went from the paved modern roads to old, cobblestone streets. We were dropped off at the Warsaw Apartments office, where we were greeted on the street by one of their employees. He was very nice, and apologized because our apartment would not be available until noon. We dropped off our bags in his office and headed towards the historic city center, just a few blocks away.

We took a stroll through the historic center (Stare Miasto or Rynek - the square).  We saw some photos of what it looked like at the end of WWII.  Unbelievable!  It is hard to imagine how much damage there was, which, combined with the amazing resilience of the people to rebuild, is quite amazing. The square itself has many ‘old’ buildings with beautiful facades. In front of many of them is a scaffold-like structure that holds a huge cloth-like billboard. The people who live in the buildings can see through the billboard, but from the ground you can not see the buildings, just the billboard advertisement. Very interesting concept – modern billboards over historic buildings.

Throughout the square are many outdoor cafes, with tables, chairs, umbrellas, and fresh flowers seemingly everywhere. This is obviously the hot spot for dinner, a beer, or a cup of coffee. There were many people walking through the square, and several groups of school children out on an excursion. Just off the square are two historic churches, which we walked through and explored. They had both been rebuilt after the war, and one was the oldest church in Warsaw. We then walked to a small park that had views of the Wisla River, before continuing on through some of the side streets of the historic center.

After our short stroll, we stopped for a coffee in a little cafe called Literacka, just off the square (there goes my no-caffeine pledge already . . .). We needed to sit, relax, and plan out what we were going to do until our apartment was ready for us. After my coffee, I needed to visit the men’s room. However, bathrooms in Poland do not say Men/Women.  They have either a circle or a downward triangle.  I walked to the bathrooms, saw the signs, and approached the coat-check attendant.  My confused look, along with my question "Toilet?" was afforded a shrug, and he pointed to the bathrooms.  I then made a sign with my hands – a triangle then a circle.  He shrugged again, and pointed to the bathrooms.  I had to bite the bullet and guess.  I picked the triangle - thankfully, I was correct.  Come to find out, a triangle pointing upwards is also a woman's bathroom -- so we must be careful!!

After our rest, we decided to take a tour of the historic castle.  Amazing -- it, like everything around it, was rebuilt after the war. The photos certainly make it look like it was completely destroyed.  There is some great art (including two Rembrandts), antique furniture, huge tapestries, historical pieces, etc.  The entry fee was 14 zloty. All of the tours are in Polish, however, we stayed near four nice Poles who every so often pointed out cool things to us (they, like almost everyone we have met, spoke very good English). We saw the throne room, a crystal mirror room (when you looked at the reflection in the crystal mirrors, it looked like a long hallway of mirrors), a dance hall, and hallway after hallway filled with artwork, one on top of the other, with almost everything covered with gold gilding. There was one wonderful room with historical Polish currency, featuring crudely stamped coins from the year 990 to the currency of today. 

After touring the castle, we were pretty beat, so we headed off to lunch.  Our lunch, at Pierogi Swiat (literally, Pierogi World), consisted of a big bowl of white borstz soup, and a golumpki platter (2 golumpkis, potatoes, and home-made cole slaw).  All for the equivalent of US$5pp.  Not bad!

After lunch, we were able to check in to the apartment. We met the employee from the Warsaw Apartment office and walked through the cobblestone streets, which really was a stress-test for our rolling luggage. We approached a wonderful, four story building with large windows. A dark hall led to the stairs – 45 of them to our apartment. When they told me the apartment was on the second floor, I forgot that in Europe, the first floor is called the ground floor, the second floor is called the first floor, etc. So, our apartment was really on the third floor. The dreary hallway and staircase made me worry about the condition of the apartment. However, once inside, we found a large, airy bright apartment, with everything we could have needed and more. This sure beats a hotel!

I must tell you that my first impressions of Warsaw are much better than I expected.  I expected an old, dirty city with sidewalks teeming with old ladies wearing babushkas, selling fruit and yelling at passersby.  Instead, it is a vibrant city, with many young people -- who are very, very friendly.  They all seem to be quite helpful.  Most people determine I am American well before I open my mouth, but some have actually approached and spoken to me in Polish (must be my square head!).  There are a lot of Americans here (ex-pats who have moved here), so I think most everyone is used to us.

The city itself is, what I would call, under transition.  There is no question the citizens are trying to rid themselves of communist-era influences, specifically referring to architecture and automobiles.  While there are many rather drab, gray buildings, there are also some great exciting new architecture (new office buildings you would find at home). There are also a lot of newer vehicles (mostly Mercedes Benz).

I am very pleasantly surprised with Warsaw.  I hope I do not regret our decision to spend only one day here.

Well, I must go and do my errands (purchase rail tickets, pick up some water and juice for the apartment, keep myself awake, etc).  I will continue to send my Polski Dispatches whenever I have the time and access to the internet.