Saturday, March 24th. Warsaw. Yesterday we walked around Old Town while today we focused on visiting the Palace of Culture and Science and the Warsaw Rising Museum.
Our Airbnb was essentially at the bottom of the Royal Castle so it was in a great location to explore Old Town. It wasn’t as cold as the other places we’ve visited but the super cloudy sky made the place look so dreary and depressing.
During World War II, Warsaw Old Town had been razed to the ground. After the war, the government rebuilt the Old Town again. In essence, Warsaw Old Town is the newest Old Town in Europe. It felt strange to be walking around and admire what were supposed to be old buildings but they were actually quite new.
Even standing in the Market Square and Castle Square felt different from being in the Baltic States’ Old Town.
And there were not that many people around.
After walking through the streets of Old Town, we exited from The Barbican and explored the New Town for a while.
Then we went back to Castle Square by walking along the Old Town Wall.
We stopped by a cafe to get some ice cream and cake at Paczek w Masle, and we went through a small market to look at some handmade arts and crafts, including woodwork and woolwork. Arthur woke up sometime during our walk, so we stopped by Cafe Nero to feed him, changed his diaper, and hang out with him before he went back to sleep.
Afterwards, we walked down Ulica Krakowskie Przedmiescie before we headed home. Along the way, we stumbled across the many Chopin benches.
When we got home, we took a nap and ordered in through Uber Eats from a restaurant called Podwale Piwna Kompania. The food was really good. Super easy day.
This morning, we had a later start to our day, but we started it with a long walk to Palace of Culture and Science.
We went to the Viewing Deck at the top to see Warsaw from above. The fog made the city look so drab and sad.
Then we walked to Warsaw Rising Museum. This was a long walk, and because there was nothing much to see along the way other than the usual big city concrete buildings, the walk seemed so long… and a bit boring.
When we got the the museum, Arthur woke up, so again, we did the usual feeding, and diaper change.
Then we walked around the museum to learn more about the 1944 Warsaw Rising event.
Afterwards, we went back to Old Town to eat some really good pierogi at Old Town Zapiecke. This time, we took an uber.
There was a protest at Castle Square. It was about abortion. I had read in CNN just the night before about how Polish women would go to Germany to get an abortion because of the strict Polish laws.
After the meal, we walked through the square again to go home. This time, the sun was shining so bright in the horizon.
The past few days in Warsaw have been somewhat short, but it was good. The vibe has been quite different compared to the Baltic States. It definitely felt more city-like and new.
Nevertheless, it was getting warmer, and it felt nice to not be so cold!
two backpacks and a diaper bag 