Polonia

Ciao tutti, it's a few days late, but I thought I'd tell you all about Poland! I went this weekend somewhat on a whim; I had had a free weekend last month and found some affordable tickets and since they were way cheaper than those I was considering for France, I decided to just go for it! I hadn't really considered visiting Poland, simply hadn't thought of it, but I was really curious, especially since I'd never really heard anything about it. I had a flight Friday, March 6, into Warsaw, and another Sunday the 8th out of Katowice, about 1.5 hours from Krakow. I ended up booking a hostel in Krakow for both nights, and spent the afternoon Friday looking around Warsaw.

I originally considered spending the whole weekend in Warsaw and just skipping Krakow, but I then after doing a little research decided to focus on Krakow. It's apparently the place to see if you're going to Poland, and at the very least, I did spend a few hours in Warsaw. I'd heard about the damage it had sustained during World War II, and how the old town had been painstakingly rebuilt until it resembled almost perfectly it's prior condition. So I flew in last Friday at about 12.30 (I don't have classes Fridays) and took a bus to the train station and immediately got lost. If you've ever heard of the train station in Warsaw, apparently it was specially designed and built a few years ago, and everyone in Poland hailed its efficiency. Then they changed their minds when NO ONE could get around it. To explain a bit, it involves a veritable labyrinth of underground tunnels and two large buildings across from one another. One is a parking/shopping area (so nothing to do with transportation) and the other houses ticket lines and waiting areas. They are connected by the tunnels, which also have several other openings, and you access the train platforms through the tunnels. Now I get it! But honestly, I wandered around for the longest time trying to figure out what I was doing, lol. I finally bought a train ticket for Krakow that evening and then (painfully) found a bus stop for the center so I could see what all the fuss was about.

Well, then, while on the bus, I asked a girl who spoke decent English if I was on the right bus. She told me, no, you need a different one and you'll have to walk a long way from the end of the line. I started wondering if it was even worth seeing Warsaw, and if I should just go back to the ridiculous train station and wait. I rode the train to the end of the line and after wavering for a few moments, resolved to find the center if it was the last thing I did! I walked across the square towards where my guide book claimed the main road to be, found it, turned to my left, and there it was. Long way my butt.

The old town was really beautiful, and had amazing charm. The weather, though cold, was comfortable and extremely beautiful and clear. I walked around for a while and got yelled at by Polish guys (it's the same, really, everywhere you go. oi.). It was just really cool, kind of like a colorful old maze, and it was nice after a stressful week trying to get all my work done to have time to just wander and look.

My first view of old Warsaw (or Warszawa)

Square in the center of the old town

That evening, I took a train from Warsaw to Krakow, or Cracovia. I got in about 8, yet didn't make it to the hostel until almost 10 because of yet another labyrinthine train station. Everyone at the hostel was really friendly, but after everything that day I just went straight to bed. I generally just book a bunk in a dorm because it's cheaper, so I had several roommates, though none were there. The next morning, however, I was rudely awoken by a group of Spanish guys returning from their night out at 7 am. I tried rolling over and flailing about so they'd notice me and quiet down, but that lasted about 30 seconds. Finally they went to bed, but not before I managed to catch a glimpse of them in their tight European underwear. Lovely.

That morning I went out to explore, and just wandered around the city for a while. There are some absolutely gorgeous churches there, and the whole city is full of character, much like Krakow. One of my favorite parts was the Czartoryskich Museum (say that 3 times fast), which has Da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, along with Rembrandt's Landscape with the Good Samaritan and a few really remarkable post-impressionist works. In the central square (the largest town square in Europe!) there is an old town hall building that holds an art gallery on the 2nd floor and at street level is an open air market. It was really adorable, and the goods were really unique compared to what I've seen elsewhere in Europe. For example, they had adorable carved wooden jewelry boxes and toys, and after going back to the square 3 times to look at everything, I finally caved and bought a little blue box. It's so cute! And has a little key! Lol.

That evening I had intended to go to a Mozart and Chopin (I never realized he was Polish!) concert at a church I'd visited, but I changed my mind when the weather took a turn for the worse. I also met a girl at the hostel, Lisa, and we hung out most of the evening. Honestly, hostels are really what makes traveling alone possible, I think. During sight-seeing and the actual traveling part, it can be pointless and even annoying having companions, but it's nice meeting people with different backgrounds. I've collected a lot of random emails, and this weekend in Barcelona (I know, it's exhausting! But I'm psyched! Gorgeous weather!!) I'm meeting up with a girl I met in Greece who lives there, Lina. But anyway, Lisa (who is Australian, and hilarious) and I ended up going down to the hostel's bar and hanging out with a couple others who didn't want to go outside. I also ran into the Spaniards from that morning, lol, who apologized, bought me a drink and collectively proceeded to flirt with me throughout the evening. They were absolutely hilarious, especially since they kept unconsciously lapsing back into Spanish so that it almost gave me a headache talking to them!

Sunday wasn't extremely interesting; I left early for Katowice and spent the afternoon doing homework and killing time before my flight out. I decided even before I left Krakow, though, that I'm absolutely going back someday. I mean, I say that about every place I visit, but it was just so different from everywhere else I've been! Cheaper, too. I'm actually thinking now about saving money for a while and then spending some time traveling in eastern Europe. I'm going to Prague next month over spring break, but there's so much else to see! Plus, I love how cheap it is. Perfect for me, lol.

Town square: on the ground through the arches is the market.
Also on the square were groups of stands selling flowers.
After all the rain and cold, I've been getting unnaturally
excited when I see flowers. Yay! Pretty!

Wawel Cathedral, part of Wawel Castle,
where the Polish monarchy ruled from.

St. Mary's Church on the town square,
and on the right...flower sellers!! Yay!