Warsaw in the rain

Good evening blog readers,

So yesterday, I made the 6 hour train journey from Berlin to Warsaw in the rain. It was a pretty journey, but a boring one. As we got closer and closer to Warsaw, it suddenly dawned on me that I know not a single phrase of Polish. This was actually quite a scary thought for me, as a linguist more than anything. Not even capable of saying thank you, or please or sorry, I arrived in Warsaw station, tired and hungry, but excited for the things Poland had to offer me.

When I arrived it has to be said that I was not impressed with the aesthetic properties of Warsaw. Coming out of the subway from the station, tourists are met with a concrete jungle of skyscrapers, roadworks and a ghostbusters-esque Stalin building (the museum of technology). It's fair to say I was disappointed that Warsaw was not the cute, colourful town I was expecting.

After a good half hour walk, I finally made it to the hostel, on the verge of collapse and ventured out quickly for a KFC (just a three minute walk, ideal). After my fill of chicken, I headed straight to my bed.

Today, I began with a tour of the Jewish parts of Warsaw. It's quite cool here, in that there's a company which offers free tours, with the chance to tip if you feel satisfied with what you experienced. We walked for two and a half hours in the rain and explored all of the ghetto areas, the pre-war remnants (the few bits that are left) and monuments to the Polish Jews that died during the Holocaust. I have to say that it was really a worthwhile experience. I would never have found the things that our tour guide showed us.

After that, I made my way to the old town. After being unimpressed with the newer parts of Warsaw, I absolutely loved the old quarter. Full of cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings, I had found the beauty I was expecting from the capital. Afterwards, I walked through the rest of town and soaked up the sights of a much more attractive part of the town.

I then took a trip to a supermarket for dinner (camembert and bread, France, I miss you) and walked back to the hostel. I'll take this opportunity to say that it's probably a miracle that I'm still alive because crossing the road is an absolute nightmare round here. Also, why is McDonald's so good everywhere else but England?

This evening, just chilling with a few beers and getting to know the other inhabitants of my hostel.