2 weeks ago Kel and I shoved off on a 3-city Eastern European adventure to "the homeland" Poland and the Czech Republic. We started to talk about and plan this thing back in February and it all finally came together with a 3 city visit. Warsaw, Krakow, and Prague. The seed was planted when my college roommate and his wife, Mark and Jeanne, stopped by over the holidays for dinner. They are living in Warsaw and encouraged us to visit at some point....so we took them up on the offer...
I plan on doing this trip recap in 3 parts, a trilogy of sorts: 1. Warsaw, 2. Krakow, and 3. Prague. There are a ton of photos to share so this will help break it up a bit.
Wednesday, May 18
Our trip began on a Wednesday evening with a flight out of Philly to London. As usual...the 6hr flight over was long and to make it worse it was hot as hell up there. Not sure if the a/c wasn't working, but you could tell people were just uncomfortable. There was an older gentleman who actually passed out a few times on his way to the bathroom. Luckily there was a woman who was a doctor/nurse who was able to help the flight attendants administer oxygen and get him back on his feet. It happened at the worst possible time to...3hrs in. I actually glanced up at the moving map feature on the entertainment system and said to Kel that there wasn't a worse time for that to happen. If he had needed more medical attention there weren't many options for getting on the ground. For a minute I thought we might be headed to Iceland for bit.
Once we arrived at BA's Terminal 5 in London the following morning we had like zero time to make our connecting flight to Warsaw. We technically had about an hour and 15 minutes, but at Terminal 5, that's nothing. By the time we got through security and then got a cup of fruit and a coffee it was time to head to the gate. We boarded a bus and it took us out to the plane. It was all rush, rush, rush...but we made it okay. Warsaw, here we come!
[This post continues after the break...click below to continue]
Thursday, May 19th
The flight from London to Warsaw was about 3hrs...and it dragged. We were pretty tired at this point since we didn't sleep at all on the overnight flight. Mark and Jeanne were there at the airport to greet us once we got through customs. After a long trip it was great to see some familiar faces and we caught up for a bit on the ride back into the city. We dropped Jeanne off back at work for the day and Mark took us back to the apartment to get settled and wash-up a bit.
Once we got our things unpacked it was time to get some food and walk around the neighborhood a bit.
This is the church that's just around the corner from their place. It's called Parafia Zbawiciela [Church of the Savior] and we'd be back here for mass later in our visit. Interestingly, they're doing some construction work on the tram tracks right in-front of the church and they uncovered an old Nazi bunker from the 1940's. They're going to carefully excavate it and put it in a museum. We were in town for 5 minutes and we were already seeing history!
I guess this was the unofficial start to our "Gloom and Doom Tour of Poland" as Mark and Jeanne call it. So much of the countries history is just depressing and all of the museums and monuments are centered around it.
From this plaza we walked to Platz Constitution to have a look and to get some lunch. We were starving! You could immediately see the communist influence that once ruled this town. Not that long ago actually...1989.
For lunch we stopped at a place called Pierrogeria. Obviously they're had pierogies, but also a tasty honey flavored beer called Ciechan Miodowy. Soo good! Kelly and I got some baked as well as boiled pierogies to get the food portion of our trip started out on the right foot!
How good do those look, right? And get this...the pierogies seemed to get better and better as the trip went on!
After our lunch it was back to the apartment for a much needed nap. We were spent. We figured we'd rest up before Jeanne finished up work and met us for dinner.
We were going to dinner in "Old Town", which is a bit of an oxymoron since everything in Warsaw is relatively new. The Germans destroyed most of the city in the 40's so all the buildings tend to be of the same age. That being said, there's not a whole lot of difference between Old Town and New Town. In any event, we made the 30 minute walk stopping along the way to take in some of the sights and get a feel for the city.
This is Sacred Heart Church which actually houses the heart of Chopin! Kinda creepy, but a very nice church.
We also went past the Polish presidential palace. Obama would be here the following week...thus Jeanne was working overtime to get ready. [more on that later]
I should also note here that I don't think the people of Poland know that there's a new Pope yet. Photos and adoration's of John Paul II are everywhere! Everywhere. He's got to be Poland favorite son!
Let me also note that the country is about 95% Roman Catholic and they all go to church. Sunday mass is held almost every single hour on Sundays. Even with churches on every corner there are times when people just stand outside since there isn't enough room.
Back to dinner...we went to a place called Podwale, noted for many traditional Polishes dishes and other various options.
Kel and I were still a bit stuffed from the late lunch we had, so we went light with dinner. A few beers and some zupa grzybowa [mushroom soup] for Kel. We split an order of mussels and some Polish potato salad. All very good.
Often times after dinner the restaurants will serve a small drink of wisniowska, a sweet cherry liquor.
After dinner we still had a little room left in our bellies so we stopped for a cone of swiderki. It's similar to softserve ice-cream here, but its got more milk to it. Not as good as an Italian gelato, but not too shabby either! Plus its fun to say swiderki all night long. (pronounced: sva-der-key)
Not bad for our first day on the ground!
Friday, May 20th
On Friday morning we had some breakfast at the apartment and then made our way by city bus to the new Warsaw Uprising Museum across town. Jeanne had to work so it was just the 3 of us. Mark hadn't been here yet so it was a first for everyone...
This a great museum that really shows the history of the city and how much the people suffered at the hands of both the Russians and the Germans.
After the museum we walked about 20 minutes to Boleslawiec's pottery store. Boleslawiec's is a famous pottery shop in the southern part of the country but they have a nice little outlet shop here in Warsaw. We spent some time perusing the aisles and ended up getting a few deviled egg dishes, some serving platters, and a cross to hang above the front door of our house.
Below are a few of the sights in downtown Warsaw...just so you can get a feel for the city.
That photo of the tall pointy tower is the Palace of Culture and Science, or as Mark and Jeanne call it, the Tower of Terror. They say you get used to it after a while, but it's just an ugly, imposing, Communist feeling building. It was actually a "gift" to the people of Warsaw from Soviet Russia, built in 1952. It has some theatres and cultural spaces, but mostly it's office space.
For lunch we went to one of the better known "Milk Bars" in town called Bar Bambino. A milk bar is a small little restaurant that's run by about 6 or 7 women, cafeteria style. You walk in, place and pay for your order, then give your receipt to a lady behind the window and she cooks it up for you on the spot. Its all very similar to the Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld. They could easily make the entire process so much more efficient, but I guess that's what gives it charm. This one is actually decorated rather nicely...we went into one that looked ancient! Without Jeanne with us to translate Mark was a bit nervous, but he did a great job and we were able to get everything we wanted...and the food was amazing!
Here's what you're looking at above: Zurek, rosot z makaronem, perogie z mieseme and nalesniki z borowka. That's rye soup with an egg and keilbasa, a chicken noodle soup type thing, meat pierogies, and some blueberry crepes. It was all soooooo good! [I think you'll hear me say that after ever single meal we had on this trip!]
Later that afternoon we had some drinks over at the US Embassy, where Jeanne works. They have their very own bar in there called the "Salty Dog" and since Uncle Sam is subsidizing the drinks they're dirt cheap! [even cheaper than the already cheap beer everywhere in Poland]. It was here that I had my first Zywiec's beer, one of the famous Polish brews. With Obama coming the following week the place was packed with advance people and secret service types gearing up.
After a few rounds we made our way into Park Immarsz Jozefa Pilsudskiego to have dinner at a cool spot called Pub Lolek. The "pub" is a series of small buildings and huge tents that is really right in the center of this park! We met up with a bunch of Jeanne's friends from work, both Americans and Poles, so there were about 10 or 12 of us at the table. It kinda reminded me of Fire and Ice a bit with the open circular grill...
Once again...great food was on the menu! As with most of the meals on this trip, Kel and I shared everything to maximize the taste testing. Tonight we split some kielbasa, grilled camembert cheese with cranberry sauce, frytki's, some red cabbage, sauerkraut, and plenty of pickles.
Just as we were finishing our meal the live band started up. You would thought someone flipped a switch...just like that every Pole in the place was out on the dance floor. It was crazy. Oh...they LOVE 80's music...especially Tina Turner. No idea why, they just do. Just love it. Of course I was able to capture a little HD footage as well as get my photo taken with the lead singer! We even got out there on the dance-floor for a bit...
We were here pretty late as the entertainment was endless and the brewskies were flowing, plus it was pouring out so nobody wanted to leave. Took the "Wawa" cab home to the apartment.
Once home Mark concocted us a few "tatankas". That's some Zubrowka bison grass vodka and a glass of apple juice. Tastes like apple pie in a glass! Oh man were those good. So good infact that we smuggled 3 bottles of the Zubrowka back in our suitcases...can't wait to make few here at home!
Saturday May 21
Saturday morning got off to a late start for us...a bit hungover and still fighting the jet lag. We did wake up to Mark in the kitchen making homemade bagels. Apparently you can't get a bagel there in Warsaw so he just makes his own. Luckily he was already about 75% done so we didn't have to wait too long to eat...
Our first stop for the day was to see the remains of the Jewish ghetto wall. The Nazis built the wall in the 40s and it was over 10' tall. Only a few fragments of the wall remain and this is one of them.
From here we drove over to Pawiak Prison. This prison housed over 100,000 Poles and Jews and was where 40,000 of them were killed. It was actually built by the Russions in the 1800's but it was the Nazis who made it notorius. Much of the prison is destoryed, but out front is a replica of a long dead tree covered with obituary notices for prisoners who died here during the war. What remains of the prison, the basement portion, is now a museum...
After Pawiak we made our way on foot to the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes. This monument was built in '48 and commemorates the Ghetto Uprising...it overlooks the former Jewish Ghetto.
We next walked to the Bunker Monument which marks the bunker where a guy named Mordechaj Anielewicz led the Uprising from.
Our final stop on this little walking tour through the old Jewish Ghetto was the Umschlagplatz Monument. This marks the spot where an old rail stop used to be that was used as the loading point for over 300,000 Jews who were shipped to the death camps around Poland. The design is meant to invoke the cattle cars that were used for transporting them. [which I really didn't get a good shot of]
After all the walking we were in need of a break, so we stopped at an ice-cream stop for some Lody [ice cream].
So tasty and hit the spot after walking arond in the heat. Up next was a trip to the grocery story to get some supplies for dinner. Mark was going to be cooking for us! For those who watch the Tour de France you'll certainly recognize the Carrefour name, a French grocery store chain.
We made our way back to the casa so Mark could get started. He was going to make fish, roasted veggies and some rissotto! He also made a soup for the first course...
Everything was great! Nice job Mark.
Later that night we made our way over to New Town to check out the new water fountain show that was just starting up for the summer. Picture the Bellagio in Vegas, just much less. Still it was cool to see and a great night to be outside...
There were thousands of people out there watching!
From here we drove over to the Praga section of town [across the river] to check out a few small bars/restaurants for some drinks. We went into this one place that was small and crowded, but had some good live music, so we stayed there for a bit.
We got back to the apartment pretty late but Mark had been wanting to check out the local college bar just down the street called Plan Be. The girls said no way, so Mark and I set out alone to check it out. I told him I'd stay for one drink. To say we were old was an understatement! We had our beer and then called it a night!
Sunday, May 22
I made us some scrambled eggs for breakfast before we made the 15 minute drive to the outskirts of town to check out the Wilanow Palace. The palace was built in 1679 and was the royal residence for many years. The grounds that surround the palace are equally as beautiful.
These are the kind of pets Kelly likes!
After the palace we walked down the street to get a few drinks and cool off a bit...
Where did Jeanne go?
From here we drove around a bit in search of this "beach" area along the Wisla River. Along the way we pasted the Warsaw Zoo and check out the two bears who are visible to the public passing by.
From here we drove to lunch at a fantastic restaurant called San Antonio. We were able to get a table in the garden which was perfect. The service and the food here were both 5 star! We were treating Mark and Jeanne and of course the final bill was like 1/2 of what you would have expected it to be back home. Gotta love Poland! This was one of the best meals we had all trip.
Yes...I do always ask Kelly to replicate the poses that statues are doing...and for some reason she always does it! Back to the food. Here's what we had. For apps we got an order of Pierogi wlasnego wyrobu do wyboru x kapusta i grzybami lub miesem cielecym i kwasna smietana [home-made pierogi filled with cabbage and servied on Polish mushrooms or with delicate veal on sour cream] and the Slynna salata "St. Antonio" z owocami morza [The famous San Antonio seafood salad].
And for the main course Kelly got the Pappardell pasta with mushrooms and I had the piers z kurczaka faszerowana wedzonym bekonem z sosem z soszonych pomidorwo, grillowan cukinia i opiekanymi ziemniakami [chicken breast filled with smoked ham, served in a sauce with dried tomatoes, gratinated zucchini and roasted potatoes]
With our time in Warsaw winding down we shot back to the apartment to throw in a load of laundry [this helped reduce the amount of stuff we had to pack]. With the laundry in we walked to Lazienki Park not far from this house. This is Warsaw's version of Central Park and it's just beautiful. The park also has an outdoor theater where they hold weekly Chopin concerts...
After the park we hit up 9pm mass, which was intersting because it was in Polish, but hey, we've been to mass before in Italian, so it wasn't too hard to follow along.
Once back at the apartment we presented Mark with a little gift we had gotten him back here at home. A kid that I know from college who lives nearby and does this cool sketches had done one of a jug of Carlo Rossi wine. Mark used to drink this stuff like water in college, and still does actually, so I though the sketch would be perfect for him. He loved it!
We had a little lemon grenita that Mark had whipped up, while Jeanne wrote down a ton of great tips for us in Krakow, and then it was off to bed so we could catch our early morning train down to Krakow...
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We had an absolute blast in Warsaw and so much of that was because Mark and Jeanne were such great hosts and tour guides. Warsaw certainly isn't a "tourist city", so having two locals who could show us around, take us to great restaurants, and most importantly, speak Polish, was a HUGE help! No way we would have had as good of a time without them. Thanks again guys!
As always...comments and questions are appreciated. Just leave them below in the "comments" section.
Check back next Friday for installment #2; Krakow.
Where to start? I'll start at the end with the Carlo Rossi sketch. That can't be beat. Hilarious. I'll never forget the water wars of Regan Hall. Then, mushrooms. I ate them at every meal in Poland. Then, there are the pictures of a grocery store trip with Mark which is always obligatory and usually leaves one wanting to kill him a couple of hours in. These are great pictures and make me look forward to going back.
Posted by: Phil Ross | June 04, 2011 at 02:21 PM
Great trip...I hope your dad doesn't want to drag your mom there. The pierogis look awefully good.....
Posted by: maryann richardson | June 06, 2011 at 06:18 AM
I really enjoyed reading this!! Great photos and Mark making bagels is just amazing. Thanks Kevin :)
Posted by: Elizabeth Graciano-Smith | June 06, 2011 at 07:51 PM
I really loved going thru your adventure here. I only wish that I could have gone to Poland and seen some of the " old country ", the land my Father came from. My sister Nancy and I talked about it a few times but ......... ? Glad you & Kelly had such a nice trip. Thanks for posting all the pictures and telling us all about it.
Posted by: Tom ( Pieniazek ) Pierson | June 11, 2011 at 07:03 PM