Warsaw, Poland!!
October 6, 2021
On our way to the hostel we walked by the Palace of Culture and Science and were getting hungry so stopped in McDonald's to see the Polish menu and grab a quick snack. We got potatoes with cream sauce and a Lion McFlurry, which was a candy bar similar to Twix. Then as we got closer to the hostel we noticed crowds of people with EU flags walking around.
We quickly checked into our hostel and then rushed out the door for mass at Holy Cross Church. The hostel had left us a little note with Biscoff cookies as a welcome present! The church was gorgeous and we got to attend mass in a fourth language while abroad. One of the restaurants that we had planned to eat at while we were there was conveniently located right next to our hostel! We did the fried mixed Polish perogi dish for dinner, which was pretty good.
We were exhausted from the day and had to wait 2 hours for our food, so we went to bed by 11.
On our way to the Polin Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto we briefly walked by Old Town and took some pictures. It was a 25 minute walk and we also passed by some beautiful buildings on the way there. AND FALL LEAVES!
We grabbed lunch at a cute lil restaurant called A'propros Bistro, which was absolutely divine, before heading back to the hostel so that Lauren could present over zoom haha. On the way back we walked around Krasiński Palace and the park around it.
After the presentation we started walking to the Palace on the Isle, but first had to try some Polish donuts. Although the fried donut part was amazing, the jam filling was not very good at all. The donut holes, however, were phenomenal.
The Palace on the Isle was gorgeous, as was expected, although one tiny detail put a dent in our plans: it was CLOSED, contradictory to what google maps had told us. After mourning we decided to make our way to the next location on the itinerary, King Jan III's palace, which was a 40 minute bus ride. Before committing to that travel time, we decided to make sure that tickets could still be purchased and then found out that the last admission was at 3 pm, despite google maps saying it closed at 9 pm. Tears may have been shed, that palace looked EPIC. From there, we walked to the Warsaw Mermaid.
Since it was very dark by 6:15 and all the palaces were closed, we decided to head back to the hostel and hit up a grocery store for some Polish snacks for dinner.
I had read online that hot chocolate at E. Wedel is a must and holy cow, that is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It was so ridiculously thick and creamy. Truly a mind-blowing experience and has redefined hot chocolate for me. It was an early night in.
Then we walked to the University of Warsaw and walked around the library and gardens.
We returned to the Palace on the Isle, which opened at 10. Although there seemed to be a lot of school groups, we were the only ones to actually tour it. We got to tour 2 palaces for only 25 cents, insane.
Then we toured Myślewicki Palace. While inside I mentioned to Lauren that we should do a Coburg trip since that is where Prince Albert was from and we are HUGE fans of the show Victoria, included on Amazon Prime. So now we are planning a trifecta of Coburg to Nuremberg to Prague in December.
We found our souvenir rocks in the park and then headed to lunch. Kielbasa with fries, delicious.
My feet were in serious pain so we took the tram back to the hostel so I could change to my Birketnstocks. We had to run to catch it since I realized that we were at the wrong stop haha. We finished our trip by exploring the Old Town, which was a 2 minute walk from our hostel. We also went to some souvenir stores and got some cool stuff!
The palace was stunning and had a fascinating history. We had an audio guide for it, which was extremely informative. Then we went to the Old Town Market Square, where there was a mini Warsaw mermaid. While taking pictures from different angles, Lauren did not realize the slope and fell pretty hard and I couldn't stop laughing hahaha.
From there we headed to the Barbican and the Wishing Bell then got dessert before dinner and finished the trip with some more E. Wedel hot chocolate.
October 13, 2021
*during a 3 hour lecture*
Lauren: what are you doing from Sunday to Wednesday?
Me: nothing
Lauren: we should go somewhere
Me: ok
*an hour and a half later the flight gets booked*
October 10, 2021
You know the drill, we took a bus to Koblenz, a train to the Cologne airport, and a plane to Warsaw. While in the Cologne airport, we stopped at the grocery store to get some pre-flight pretzel croissants and paired it with some ham that I had brought from home haha. Then we went to find our gate and quickly got through security. For the first time, we actually had a flight during the day!! Landing at 4pm?? Seeing the city and trying to figure out how to get from the airport to our hostel (bus, train, then 30 minute walk) in daylight?? That's a new concept for us!
On our way to the hostel we walked by the Palace of Culture and Science and were getting hungry so stopped in McDonald's to see the Polish menu and grab a quick snack. We got potatoes with cream sauce and a Lion McFlurry, which was a candy bar similar to Twix. Then as we got closer to the hostel we noticed crowds of people with EU flags walking around.
We quickly checked into our hostel and then rushed out the door for mass at Holy Cross Church. The hostel had left us a little note with Biscoff cookies as a welcome present! The church was gorgeous and we got to attend mass in a fourth language while abroad. One of the restaurants that we had planned to eat at while we were there was conveniently located right next to our hostel! We did the fried mixed Polish perogi dish for dinner, which was pretty good.
We were exhausted from the day and had to wait 2 hours for our food, so we went to bed by 11.
October 11, 2021
Our hostel included a free breakfast, so we got coffee and food before leaving for the day.
On our way to the Polin Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto we briefly walked by Old Town and took some pictures. It was a 25 minute walk and we also passed by some beautiful buildings on the way there. AND FALL LEAVES!
Polin Museum
Mila 18
We saw a monument of a building from the Warsaw Ghetto (Mila 18) and the monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising before the Polin Museum opened at 10. There were tons of kids there on a field trip and we had to wait for all of them to go in the revolving door before we could start the 3 hour tour. It was the history of Jews in Poland, which of course is very sad. It was very in depth, interactive, and had rooms like cafés, theaters, a replica of a wooden synagogue, and a whole street set up. 10/10 would recommend going there, very well done.
I made a coin that says "good luck and blessings" on top and "Elena" on the bottom
We grabbed lunch at a cute lil restaurant called A'propros Bistro, which was absolutely divine, before heading back to the hostel so that Lauren could present over zoom haha. On the way back we walked around Krasiński Palace and the park around it.
After the presentation we started walking to the Palace on the Isle, but first had to try some Polish donuts. Although the fried donut part was amazing, the jam filling was not very good at all. The donut holes, however, were phenomenal.
Copernicus monument
The Palace on the Isle was gorgeous, as was expected, although one tiny detail put a dent in our plans: it was CLOSED, contradictory to what google maps had told us. After mourning we decided to make our way to the next location on the itinerary, King Jan III's palace, which was a 40 minute bus ride. Before committing to that travel time, we decided to make sure that tickets could still be purchased and then found out that the last admission was at 3 pm, despite google maps saying it closed at 9 pm. Tears may have been shed, that palace looked EPIC. From there, we walked to the Warsaw Mermaid.
Myślewicki Palace
Lazienki Park
Palace on the Isle
Since it was very dark by 6:15 and all the palaces were closed, we decided to head back to the hostel and hit up a grocery store for some Polish snacks for dinner.
I had read online that hot chocolate at E. Wedel is a must and holy cow, that is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It was so ridiculously thick and creamy. Truly a mind-blowing experience and has redefined hot chocolate for me. It was an early night in.
October 12, 2021
We decided to start the day even earlier so that we could see more in the daylight. We started out by seeing mostly unknown churches since most places don't open until 10.
Presidential Palace
Church of the Holy Cross
Then we walked to the University of Warsaw and walked around the library and gardens.
We returned to the Palace on the Isle, which opened at 10. Although there seemed to be a lot of school groups, we were the only ones to actually tour it. We got to tour 2 palaces for only 25 cents, insane.
Then we toured Myślewicki Palace. While inside I mentioned to Lauren that we should do a Coburg trip since that is where Prince Albert was from and we are HUGE fans of the show Victoria, included on Amazon Prime. So now we are planning a trifecta of Coburg to Nuremberg to Prague in December.
We found our souvenir rocks in the park and then headed to lunch. Kielbasa with fries, delicious.
My feet were in serious pain so we took the tram back to the hostel so I could change to my Birketnstocks. We had to run to catch it since I realized that we were at the wrong stop haha. We finished our trip by exploring the Old Town, which was a 2 minute walk from our hostel. We also went to some souvenir stores and got some cool stuff!
Copper Roof Palace
Royal Palace
The palace was stunning and had a fascinating history. We had an audio guide for it, which was extremely informative. Then we went to the Old Town Market Square, where there was a mini Warsaw mermaid. While taking pictures from different angles, Lauren did not realize the slope and fell pretty hard and I couldn't stop laughing hahaha.
From there we headed to the Barbican and the Wishing Bell then got dessert before dinner and finished the trip with some more E. Wedel hot chocolate.
Barbican
the architect of reconstructed Warsaw
chimney cake with nutella
goulash for dinner!!
it's called brand loyalty
October 13, 2021
We were up by 4:30 to take a bus to take a train to take a bus to take a plane to take a train to take a bus all the way back to Vallendar. Needless to say, we needed coffee. Poland was epic and dope and amazing, but it also feels good to be home :)
P.S. I am now studying for exams and have booked a flight to Budapest for November!!!
Assuming Lauren ended up laughing, too! lol Sounds like a remarkable journey! Such wonderful memories! <3
ReplyDelete*disclaimer* Lauren is totally okay and laughed after getting up
DeleteWhat a whirlwind tour! Don't they have vegetables in Poland? :)
ReplyDeletenope, can't be found 🤷♀️
Delete