What is there to visit in Warsaw?

Warsaw is between the East and the West

A visit to Warsaw has never really been a priority but as we always make the best of Wizz Air offers we bought roundtrip tickets for 100 lei and so we reached Poland’s capital. We were not the only ones, as a multitude of travelers like us joined us on the way there and back to Romania. If they were all travel bloggers, we would have thousands of websites to visit.

First Impressions about Warsaw

I will not give you much information, I will only tell you about the vibe of the city.

We hopped on the train from the airport and I always get irritated with the stupidity and laziness of our leaders. The train is such a modern, convenient and easy connection to the city, yet it seems that it is not possible to have it in Romania. Any-who…They made it possible. It is modern, fast, clean and enjoyable to travel with. As a side note, on the way back to the city in Bucharest, riding on the ever-packed 783, I felt like in a third world country. Yes, I know…I can go take a taxi or call and Uber.

We got off randomly but in the city center and the “Casa Scanteii” from Warsaw was the first thing we saw. Casa Scanteii from Bucharest is destined for the press. The one in Warsaw is destined to culture and is much taller. There is even a place on floor 30 with a platform from which you can admire the panorama of the city. It is strange how a Soviet building on the exterior has an entrance that resembles a skyscraper from New York or Chicago in the 30s. Anyway, it is extremely interesting and imposing. Much more imposing than ours. And the location is very well-chosen. It stands out next to near-by skyscrapers.

Poland is a country with a similar destiny to Romania’s. If we were between the Russian Empire, the Turk Empire and the Austro-Hungarian one, they have always been in the middle of Germany and Russia. And they have always had issues with them. Fair enough, they have mostly lost (like us). Warsaw, during WW2, not only was occupied by Germans and Russians but it was almost completely wiped-out. I am not sure how the reconstruction began, on what foundations they reconstructed, but the old side looks impeccable and all the other neighborhoods are extremely spacious. It’s as if they predicted that vehicles will be in power and that is why they made everything super-dimensional in terms of transport. The highways are large and spacious, the buildings are far from the other and even if the architecture is Soviet (in the style of Romanian neighborhoods), there is no feeling of suffocation and public transport is an enjoyable experience. Everything arrives on time and it works wonderful.

At the same time, however, Warsaw is caught in between a very Communist city and the West from which it wants (or not?) to be a part of. Neighborhoods in the style of Titan from Bucharest are completed by modern buildings in the style of Pipera. The difference is that they chose the center for the tall buildings. And they harmoniously completed the old part with the new one. Malls and glass buildings that are not in your face have appeared and they fit the picture. Anyway…they still have some work to put in.

On the other hand, the Old Center, walkable, is perfect. The buildings which were wonderfully restored, wonderful restaurants, large squares paved with cubical stones, bars, cafes and so on and so forth all placed in a clean space. The palace completes the center and if you see what it looked like in 1941 and what it looks like now, you will be shocked. It was wiped out and restored in 20 years. That is why it is old but still new.

Plus the parks ! And what park! A multitude all over the place. Green is predominant in Warsaw.

People of Warsaw

I like them. They are not (they were not when we were there) many tourists and I am not sure how familiar they are with visitors. They do not really speak English but German and Russian are at power. You can find someone who is willing to wave their hands enough so that you understand. They are friendly and willing to help, smiling and clean. Those glittery and expensive (brand) clothes omnipresent in Romania cannot be found there. They are discrete. They have some level of poverty. There are some people selling different types of random items and willing to fool you but they are not aggressive and there are very few beggars. At least from what we have seen. There might be…

I liked how patriotic they are. I happened to find a gathering in the center. They were bringing flower crowns for a statue. I don’t know, don’t ask me. Something about heroes…But there were many of them, normal people, not politicians, somber and caught in the moment.

The politics of Poland to not receive immigrants in the country (as blamed as it can be) led to the absence of danger on the street. There is not much to provoke fear. Everything is calm and quiet. People in the suburbs and in the center do their own thing.

Ahhh…something else! These people are incapable of destroying something that they built. I am referring to dirt, graffiti, randomly placed posters. Everything is kept like when it was built. I am not sure if it is because of the fear of immense fees or because they are civilized. But it is pleasing to see a clean town.

Chopin and Copernic

Poland has a multitude of Nobel award-winners. 14 of them. Among which are Marie Curie or Lech Walesha, the last one. Still, Warsaw belongs to Chopin and Copernic. “The little genius/ The second Mozart” — the genius musician that marked piano and not only and the genius that demonstrated we are rotating with the planet in an organized solar system. You can find signs of them everywhere, the Chopin museum, concerts everywhere in the center. Or Copernic with a scientific center full of students where science is learned in an enjoyable manner. Music, literature and science. Plus a Nobel Peace Prize that went to Lech Walesa. Plus Pope Ioan the Second. Yes, him indeed. The famous and lover Pope was Polish. That is what Poland is proud of. Let’s admit they have reasons! A nation worth of admiration.

The nationalism that is often mentioned in the press did not harm Polish people. On the contrary, it helped them.

Is it worth a visit?

As long as you do not have the same expectations for Warsaw as you have for Paris or New York, it is definitely worth it. It does not have that many touristic attractions, it is not Prague or Rome but it has a special charm and a rhythm that does not get you tired. So if there is an opportunity, don’t think twice about it. Go and visit Warsaw, Poland’s capital that rose from its own ashes.