Warsaw

01 July 2022

I spent the night with Britt and Matt to make the early morning commute to Frankfurt Airport a little easier. The direct flight to Warsaw was painless and after a short taxi ride we arrived at the Warsaw Marriott. I went to grab a coffee with a friend who works at the US Embassy in town and wandered back by foot to the hotel.

Cool building that housed Rusiko, a Bulgarian restaurant my friend recommended that we would enjoy later in the weekend.


Plac Trzech Krzyży (Three Crosses Square)


We met up at the hotel lounge for happy hour. The hotel had a great view of the Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science) across the street.



We ventured out to find a pizza place Matt visited previously. I'm not sure what this sign meant, but it looked pretty cool.


The three amigos


It took a little wandering, but we eventually found Pizzaiolo where they apparently serve their pizza with a side of politics.


02 July 2022

We started the morning off with a visit to the Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego (Warsaw Uprising Museum). The exhibits pay triube to the Warsaw residents who fought and died for an independent Poland and its free capital. Unlike Britt and Matt, I opted out of the audio guide but probably should have done it because I did not get much out of the two hour experience. Hey look, a motorcycle!


Old school tram with a conductor and doormen


Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square)


In the square, the Poles displayed two destroyed Russian tanks that were destroyed on 31 March 2022 just west of Kyiv. It's pretty clear what side they're on.



The streets of Warsaw's old town


The Poles were only too eager to express their displeasure for their eastern neighbor in creative ways.


Stopping for a drink at the Hotel Bristol. Built in 1901, the hotel is one of the few landmarks that survived World War II relatively unscathed.



That afternoon we scheduled a tour at the Muzeum Polskiej Wódki (Museum of Polish Vodka) across the Vistula River. The tour covered the typical topics including how vodka is made, differences in ingredients, and a tasting. The biggest takeaway is that I'll only purchase Polish vodka from here on out. We were "lucky" to have a German stag party on our tour group. As you can see, I was super jazzed about it.


The tastings, in order of increasing tastiness. Ostoya wheat vodka.


Wyborowa Exquisite rye vodka.


Luksusowa is one of the oldest Polish vodkas and is made from potatoes.


Fading at the hotel rooftop bar after all the vodka



03 July 2022

We signed up for a pierogi class at "Pierogi & More" and had a great time learning and eating.





We took a tram to the river before a long, hot, pierogi-filled walk along the Vistula River trying to find a place for waterside drinks. Finally we found Poniatówka beach on the opposite (right/east) bank of the river.



On our final evening, we finally made our way to Rusiko, the Bulgarian restaurant my friend recommended, before calling it an early night.

04 July 2022

Our flight wasn't until later in the day so we took a little bike ride in the morning through the streets and trails of Warsaw. We probably should have done this earlier in the trip to get the lay of the land and find things to explore later. We rented the bikes available at stands throughout the city for less than $2 for a couple hours of riding. Dziękuję, Warszawa!