We Saw Warsaw

We've only ever seen it snow in the mountains. A snowy day in a city atmosphere seemed a little like movie magic, something that only happens in New York at Christmastime. Our trip to Warsaw, Poland was really quick (early flight in on Friday, early flight out on Sunday), so our time was limited. But after looking up Warsaw "Top 10" lists, I wasnt too worried we'd miss anything. Theres honestly not a whole lot there, but what we did see of the city was enough to fill up what would have otherwise been a boring weekend at home. And having arrived back in Dublin just two days prior from a month-and-a-half holiday vacation to California, heaven forbid we relax a little. Ahh, such is the life.

Our flight landed at 10:30am, and lucky us, cheapo Ryan Air had to close its (really far away) airport because of ice, so they apologized & landed us at the (close to town) Warsaw airport. Score: one passengers! Took a taxi to our hotel, dropped our bags, and walked right back out into the rainy day. It was more of a drizzle, but it was so cold! I had on every layer I could think of, but since wearing a ski mask & goggles would just be weird, my face and eyes were numb after a couple hours of walking. And it was - hours of walking. My new boots are really very comfortable, but I dont think the makers thought of me having to wear three layers of fleece-lined tights, socks to my knees, and thick jeans altogether under the shoes. My toes fell asleep. Then at 6pm that night, the rest of me fell asleep too.

Did I mention we stayed in a 5-star Radisson Blu? And it was cheaper per night than a lot of hostels we've stayed in! One Polish Zloty is worth .24 Euros, so after conversion, we only spent 40E a night. The bed was soft, the pillows were puffy, the bathroom was gleaming, the hot chocolate was free. It was the best hotel we've stayed in yet. Not because there arent any better, but because we're cheap. But this was one case where it didnt matter! Our giant bed faced our 9th story panoramic window that looked out toward the Warsaw Palace of Culture, which is a gorgeous skyscraper that they light up at night. So on the second morning, we woke up, pushed back the curtain, and that magical thing finally happened to us: city snow!

We excitedly layered up & the front desk gave us umbrellas to borrow. The previous day we pretty much saw everything in Old Town, so we had zero agenda. Which is nice, but its much too easy to get bored if you dont have a direction. But somehow the snow falling around us, and the Christmas trees and decorations still all lit up, made it more fun to walk aimlessly for ages. I looked up a couple cafes beforehand, so we had a couple in mind. But one of our favorite things is to just walk until we get hungry, then just pick any little place to pop in. It almost always ends up being great, and we find the spontaneity exciting.

Well I guess not a lot of tourists pick the first weekend in February to visit a country that has such frigid winters, so we mostly had the cafes to ourselves! Also we usually eat at weird times anyway, so we probably just beat whatever "crowd" there would have been at a more normal hour. We were looking forward to the sausages, but neither of us realized Pierogis were Polish, so it was a happy surprise to recognize the word & order some. I thought a Pierogi was some kind of small sandwich, so the chunky thick-walled dumplings filled with cottage cheese, mushrooms, and/or salmon were a delicious peppery treat! Also Im guessing at the fillings based on tradition, neither of us could tell exactly what they were.

The leafless trees stood stark and black throughout the grey-washed city. Jolly multicolored strings of lights danced in the biting wind. A weathered green spire reflected in a puddle of muddy snow melt, a boot print crunched through the ice at the edges. American golden oldies softly blared from the old boom-box radio behind us as we sat tucked snugly inside the candle-lit cafe. Two mugs of hot honey meade and a shared bowl of chicken noodles fogged up the window as we watched the world go dreamily by, and talked about the future.