Warsaw: The Polish are invading!

Our residency in Kaunas had to come to an end, on quite a sour note, when the receptionist asked if we could be out of our room as soon as possible so he could get the beds made. What's the point of having a check out time of 12 if we can't stay until then! Anyway, after a quick trot down the shops to pick up our lunch/dinner for our coach ride to Warsaw, we made good use of their facilities, used their wifi and sweated all over their sofa! Our coach was a late one, a 16:50 departure, that wouldn't arrive in Warsaw until 22:10! After settling in in the coach we soon forgot that though, it was fitted with entertainment sets in the headrests, preloaded with films, music and Internet. Having watched Interstellar and The Bucket List the time soon flew by and were pulling into Warsaw central bus station. All that was left was for Charlotte to drag me blind through the dimly lit streets to our hostel. We arrived stinking of sweat, so had a quick shower and settled in to bed.

Warsaw is a huge and sprawling city, so while we were located rather centrally, it meant the historic old town was a good 30 minutes walk away. With a big shop done at the local supermarket, we were ready to head out and about into the oppressive heat. The old town was almost completely destroyed during World War 2 but was meticulously rebuilt afterwards, with as much of the original bricks and rubble being used as possible. As ever on day one, our primary task was to hunt down a suitable pin badge, so we don't spend out entire time in a place looking for one. After what was a rather easy task, which made a nice change, we strolled around the packed old town, enjoying the sights and sounds of the big city, namely scaffolding and sirens. With the sun going down rather early now, we didn't want to be out too late, particularly having passed a few "interesting" characters the night before and with my terrible night vision I'd hardly be able to protect Charlotte from all the bad guys!

The next morning, after a brief consultation with the map, we decided to head for the furthest point from our hostel, which was Warsaw Citadel. Google Maps kindly informed us it was a 5.5km walk but we decided to go for it anyway. Fortunately, it was pretty much along a straight road, with the odd corner here and there. About half an hour into the walk, we had lost every other tourist in the city, which, bearing in mind how many there were, just didn't seem possible. As the buildings around us became more and more residential and the graffiti became more and more pronounced, we started to get a little bit wary. Blocks of flats flanked both sides of the roads we were walking down, surely we were in the wrong place? But then, there it was, tucked down a road between two buildings. We headed for the entrance. We were turned away by an armed guard as it was under renovation and closed. What a wasted morning. Disappointed, we traipsed off in search of the Vistula River, which flows right past the old town and through Warsaw's sprawling suburbs. After sitting and eating our lunch of a banana and an apple by the riverside, we strolled down the banks, relieved to feel a breeze for the first time in weeks. Breaking from the river, we made for multimedia fountain park, which has choreographed fountains that on weekend evening dance in time with music and include light shows, we were there during the day though, so it was slightly less impressive, but still nice to enjoy the cool spray coming from the fountains on such a hot day. Rejoining the river, we carried along the bank, enjoying the views of the national football stadium and the leafy looking Praga district on the opposite bank. We were heading for a statue of a mermaid, which, according to legend, protects the city with a sword and shield and is featured on their coat of arms. After hunting it down and taking a few snaps we decided to head for home, completely drained by the heat. Along the way, we dropped into a small supermarket and picked up some really cheap but good Polish beer and some chocolate to perk us up a bit. Energy topped up, we made the most of it and relaxed in the hostel for the rest of the evening, blog writing and admin.

Our final full day in Warsaw started off rather uneventful, we didn't really have much to do today. Not leaving the hostel until half 11, we just planned to stroll aimlessly but upon hitting one of the main streets, that all changed. Huge tanks and armoured vehicles lined both sides of the street as far as the eye could see and I was starting to fear the worst, had something bad happened over night? After following the crowd, we started to notice all the Polish flags being carried and draped from lampposts. Relief! We guessed it must be Independance Day or something (a quick Google later informed us it was actually ap Armed Forces Day). The tanks in the streets was certainly a sight to behold, like something you see from Russia or North Korea when they decide to show off their military hardware for the world to see. We were heading for Łazienki Park, which actually turned out to be where it was all happening. When we reached the park, the crowds were 10 deep, so we had no chance of seeing the parade along the road, instead we headed off and found a huge statue of the composer Chopin, who spent half his life in the city. Around the statue, there were hundreds of people looking towards the sky, we couldn't help but wonder what they were staring at, so we waited around to see what happened. Then we heard them. Polish Air Force jets and helicopters doing fly passes for the crowds, we certainly picked the right time to come out today and the right place to go! We even got to see what I assume was the Polish version of the Red Arrows, which was a real treat! With all the fun over, we moved with the crowds toward the city, passing a huge plastic Palm tree plonked right in the middle of a roundabout. By this time it was 2 o'clock and we were hungry and out of water, so decided to head for a supermarket to pick up some lunch. This was easier said than done on a Polish bank holiday, one after another we tried with the same notice on the door saying something about Armed Forces Day. Eventually, before we collapsed in a heap from dehydration we found one open and with a bit of luck, it was the closest one to our hostel. Fully refuelled, we headed back into the old town for one last time to top up our photograph collection and see anything we'd missed. After our feast of chocolate, crisps and sandwiches for lunch, we skipped dinner and slobbed on the sofa for the rest of the evening.

After the compact cities we'd been to recently, Warsaw was a bit of a shock to the system. Sprawling for miles in every direction, it's certainly not one for the walkers, although we stubbornly refuse to pay for public transport unless completely necessary. It is, however, rich with history, with plenty to see and do.

Next stop, Gdansk, on the Baltic coast, hopefully, with a nice cool sea breeze!

James and Charlotte