Warsaw
It started with rain. The night before we were due to leave, there was a heavy thunderstorm. In the morning, when we were still packing the last things and putting the suitcases in the car, it was still raining.
We were a little nervous about the tolls on the Polish highways, but they have toll gates. We didn't pass those, so at least to our first destination it was toll free. Just with a bit of bumping that even D1 might envy. But at least they have these special, experiential, stretches of road properly marked :)
In Warsaw we stayed at the OSiR Polna hotel. Parking was underground, which is a big plus, and the hotel has a pool. But unfortunately they want caps on your head, so we skipped the pool. The more important thing was that the hotel is close to the metro. The metro conveniently took us to the city center (a few stops) and we were off to explore the capital of our neighbors.
We started our walk in the "Ogród Krasińskich" park, where a book festival was just taking place. Which came in handy because Kubey forgot to take his book in the car. But then again, Polish... In the park there is also the "Krasiński Palace". From the park we continued through the "Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie" (Court of Appeals in Warsaw) at which they have funny statues: of winged horses?
We walked through a few streets, saw the homeless Jesus and reached the historical centre. The Royal Castle was one of the landmarks, the people-filled Old Town Square was another, and the whole old town looked very nice! Our journey further on through the "Barbakan Warszawski" (Warsaw Barbican) took us to a multimedia park with a fountain. There was a concert going on and crazy crowds everywhere. But it's a huge park, so it was doable. We stayed by the fountain, cooled off a bit and relaxed.
We took the metro back to the station by the hotel (Politechnika) and looked for a place to eat. By sheer chance we came across an interesting looking restaurant, Bao Dao. Which was a fusion of a pastry shop and an Asian restaurant. So they call themselves "street food". They make their own kombucha and we loved it. Hubby wants to go back as soon as he can.)
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