Days 7 and 8 - Trains to churches - Warsaw
Day 7..
I’ve incorporated these two days into one blog as not much happened yesterday other than a long 6 hour train journey. The best thing was the free tea dished out half way through, oh and the two really cute schnauzers that got on at Poznan. Other than that for me is was a very quiet trip but not so for the poor guy sitting next to me who hadn’t printed out his ticket, expecting the electronic version to be enough, he got stung for the cost again - 70 euros........ouch!
I had picked up a cold from somewhere so wasn’t really feeling to well so caught a taxi from the station to my HOTEL - yay. The hostels were fine and good for meeting people but it is soooooo nice having your own big bed and bathroom - jumped on the bed and would have kissed the bathroom floor but that would have been weird and a tad gross! I decided to eat in the hotel as wanted an early night with Netflix (fell asleep during the film), I ordered a hamburger, it was lovely even though it had red sourkraut in it, odd but tasted fine.
Day 8.
Still feeling full of cold so first job this morning is to find an Apteka and get some cold and flu tablets. Had breakfast in the hotel - I still can’t get over how these Eastern European countries think that eating salad for breakfast is OK!!!! Sorry, can’t do that, give me cereal and toast. They do have some weird concoctions, there is this regional dish on the breakfast counter that can only be described as looking like something the cat coughed up, they spread it on bread and stick a pickle on top - doesn’t look very appetising.
Didn’t stray far from the Old Town as it’s so beautiful. Lots of statues, palaces, churches and old buildings. Oh, and they love Chopin - there are plagues and inscriptions outside most churches and important buildings saying he played there at some point in his life - he must have been a very busy boy, good job he started when he was only 8!
Must tell you about the Devine intervention I had - I was walking to the old town and the road was completely blocked by workmen doing repaying and re-reading. I stood there for a moment look for diversion sights- nothing. Then, along comes a priest, does the same as me for a moment then walks off in another direction and I swiftly follow him through a private government car park (not even the guard challenged us) and out onto the main road again. Well, with all the churches I’ve visited this week I think I have must have earned some frequent attendance points (like avios frequent flyer points) and this was my reward. Thank you Father.
There are also lots of statues to the plights of the Polish, mostly around the war but other struggles as well. The sculpture outside my hotel is a memorial to the Fall and Murdered of the East depicting a lot of crosses on a train to signify the atrocities endured by the Catholics, Jews and Muslims in WW2 and later.
I’ve incorporated these two days into one blog as not much happened yesterday other than a long 6 hour train journey. The best thing was the free tea dished out half way through, oh and the two really cute schnauzers that got on at Poznan. Other than that for me is was a very quiet trip but not so for the poor guy sitting next to me who hadn’t printed out his ticket, expecting the electronic version to be enough, he got stung for the cost again - 70 euros........ouch!
I had picked up a cold from somewhere so wasn’t really feeling to well so caught a taxi from the station to my HOTEL - yay. The hostels were fine and good for meeting people but it is soooooo nice having your own big bed and bathroom - jumped on the bed and would have kissed the bathroom floor but that would have been weird and a tad gross! I decided to eat in the hotel as wanted an early night with Netflix (fell asleep during the film), I ordered a hamburger, it was lovely even though it had red sourkraut in it, odd but tasted fine.
Day 8.
Still feeling full of cold so first job this morning is to find an Apteka and get some cold and flu tablets. Had breakfast in the hotel - I still can’t get over how these Eastern European countries think that eating salad for breakfast is OK!!!! Sorry, can’t do that, give me cereal and toast. They do have some weird concoctions, there is this regional dish on the breakfast counter that can only be described as looking like something the cat coughed up, they spread it on bread and stick a pickle on top - doesn’t look very appetising.
Didn’t stray far from the Old Town as it’s so beautiful. Lots of statues, palaces, churches and old buildings. Oh, and they love Chopin - there are plagues and inscriptions outside most churches and important buildings saying he played there at some point in his life - he must have been a very busy boy, good job he started when he was only 8!
Must tell you about the Devine intervention I had - I was walking to the old town and the road was completely blocked by workmen doing repaying and re-reading. I stood there for a moment look for diversion sights- nothing. Then, along comes a priest, does the same as me for a moment then walks off in another direction and I swiftly follow him through a private government car park (not even the guard challenged us) and out onto the main road again. Well, with all the churches I’ve visited this week I think I have must have earned some frequent attendance points (like avios frequent flyer points) and this was my reward. Thank you Father.
There are also lots of statues to the plights of the Polish, mostly around the war but other struggles as well. The sculpture outside my hotel is a memorial to the Fall and Murdered of the East depicting a lot of crosses on a train to signify the atrocities endured by the Catholics, Jews and Muslims in WW2 and later.
Warsaw Square, originally built in the 13th centenary with wooden buildings it’s was rebuilt in the 15th century and became the centre of cultural life. The city walls were built in the 14th centenary.
Sigismund’s Column: Sigismund III Vasa was responsiblle for moving the capital city from Krakow to Warsaw so quite an important guy in Polish history. You can see he was also a football supporter by the scarf around his neck - how on earth did they get that up there?
Hope the cold is backing off. You did good touristing despite lurgy 😀
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