I had no idea what to expect from Warsaw. My good Polish friends had looked worryingly disappointed in my chosen destination in Poland. They maintained that Warsaw wasn't all that special and not altogether attractive. Landing here, in the endless rain and pregnant grey clouds I almost agreed. This is the first time I've been to a country where I really don't speak any of the language, where the roots aren't romtely similar to other languages I've been exposed to. To be perfectly honest, it's strange.. I'm so used to being able to pick up a notion of understanding that's a novel feeling. Not wholly unpleasant but a little disconcerting nonetheless.
A point for future travellers to note, the bus is a great way to travel but buy a travelcard and make sure you know exactly which bus to take. My travelling companion and I jumped on the 188 and at once noted that seeing out of the windows was impossible. All we could make out was a permanent cocoon of greenery with the occasional plaque displaying the name of the stop. Not terribly helpful in our case as all the names are made from the dregs of scrabble bags. Who knew that words could be formed purely from consonants? We finally passed what must have been a 368 point score word when a young man overheard our mutual panic at the non existance of 'town centre' and asked us in quiet English where we were going. It so happened that we in entirely the wrong direction so he got off teh bus with us and walked us to a tram station which would take us to the area we needed.
Now, those lucky enough to live in Croydon will be used to trams but these still hold a modicom of novelty for me. I was terribly excited abotu the tram, which didn't reduce when I saw the rickety, gaily painted double carriage come clattering down the wide avenue. Up we climbed (it's a good 1m off the ground) and made ourselve comfortable on their antisocial monoseating which, in garish red and yellow, felt a little like a macdonalds.
I have been won over by the charm of Warsaw although I will admit it looks far prettier at nighttime. We wandered around along the river to find a place to eat and I was struck by how happy and calm the inhabitants seemed as a whole. Smart shops bordered the avenues and these stayed open until very late. There was no rubbish on the street and no rowdy drunks a la Edinburgh. We settled on a restaurant promising polska cuisine which was a great success. Pork loin with plums accompanied with cabbage and beetroot. The obligatory dessert, Charlie was upset that his creme brulee was about a quarter of the size of my very generous apple pie. I know my dessert though, so would never make such a foolish error as to have an undersized portion.
Our first evening was concluded with a zobrowka and apple juice which, although it sounds repulsive, is delicious.. My first impressions of Warsaw are that it's a charming town and if you're lucky enough to bump into anyone, they'll be polite and light hearted people. That's the only problem with Warsaw- it's empty. Probably because, as my Polish friend would say, all the Poles are in London!
