A lot of people asked me why I wanted to go to Warsaw. Well, why not, I say? Admittedly the price of the flights with Ryanair had a lot to do with it. It’s basically a case of going down the list of destinations these days and picking one out. Why not be spontaneous and draw a destination from a hat? Fifty pounds return is a bargain and it’s a lot cheaper being there than here. Calling all beer drinkers!  You can have five pints for under ten pounds. I would venture so far as to say that I spent less staying there than if I’d stayed here in the UK over the same period.

When you go to Warsaw, call up the weatherman and ask for snow. I did. I was praying for snow and snow I got. Now some people, sunseekers in particular, might find me a little strange, but I think that Winter, and the Christmas period, are not the same without some of that wet, white stuff. I like seasons to be defined, so that you feel the change from one into the other. I like moods and atmosphere too. To my delight, it was snowing as we walked across the tarmac from the jet to the terminal and I got to see lots more of it during my time there.

I got the special Modlinbus (www.modlinbus.pl ) which took about forty minutes to arrive at the Palace of Culture and Science in the centre. I felt sure that I had arrived in Gotham City as I looked up at the huge art deco colossus, home of various museums, businesses and other cultural institutions that was formerly dedicated to that loveliest and gentlest of men, Joseph Stalin. All references to the man who initiated over forty years of repression and fear have since been removed. I didn’t see Batman taking on evil, but fully expected him to appear, especially at night when the structure was bathed in an eerie, phosphorescent green light.

From there it was a half hour walk to the strangely named MishMash apartment I had booked. Now this name might have caused some trepidation, thoughts turning to a flat that Jack built, but I am not easily phased and ventured on fearlessly through the falling snow. I stopped occasionally to take pictures of Saxon Park, for example, where there is a huge papal cross on a square leading to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This monument marks the spot where the Saxon Palace stood until the beginning of the Second World War. The devastation after six years of war was on a gargantuan scale, but I’ll come to that in more detail later. I carried on towards the old town, with its festive adornments of trees and lights and the obligatory ice-skating rink in the Rynek Starego Miasta (the old town market place) This is the sight of the most belligerent looking mermaid, holding aloft a sword and with a shield in the other hand. According to legend there were two mermaids in the Baltic, the other one ending up in Copenhagen. If you read about my trip there you will know that it’s the one I didn’t manage to see whilst there because it wasn’t in a bar (see http://www.cre8ivation.com/?p=5317 A Jolly Jaunt in Copenhagen.)  Warsaw’s mermaid promised to defend the town against attackers after being defended herself by some of its people.  She stands currently against a backdrop of the giant Christmas tree standing in the square, watching on as youngsters stumble and slip on the circle of ice whilst their parents sip mulled wine in the surrounding stalls. So, I finally rounded the corner to the Barbican and the city walls and reached my MishMash studio apartment which was on the top floor in the attic. Being tallish, I struggled at times not to bump my head in the small space which was rather like one of those Ikea space saving constructions where everything you need is there and every inch of space is maximised. It was perfectly adequate, comfortable and very warm and my home for three nights…just a little on the small side.

So on to sightseeing. Warsaw is one of those places where you can wander and take in the atmosphere, especially in wintry conditions, without particularly seeing distinct sights. If you want to see “the sights” there is an app available which I installed on my phone (Warsaw Map and Walks) You can use the pre-installed suggestions or customise your own walks by clicking on the sights you want to see. This then creates a GPS led itinerary which takes you to all the places you want to see.  You might be in for a shock when you see how far you have walked, though. The 19.1 kilometres I did on the first full day went some way to explaining the ache in the back of my legs.  So here are just a few of the things which I visited during my short stay. They are not in any particular order, although my personal favourite was the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which is probably obvious, considering previous visits to Auschwitz, Anne Frank’s museum, Jerusalem and Pearl Harbour. Anything WW2, Jewish or resistance related has me hooked.

1.     The Frederick Chopin Museum. I tend not to listen to classical music a lot, mainly because there is a limited time to listen to all the great new bands coming out today. I do, however, count Chopin, along with Bach, as the two composers I am most likely to have playing. The fusion of classical and Polish folk influences is one which I find paints pictures and images in black and white in my mind. The museum, which traces his life from Warsaw to Paris, is set in a grand building and houses various artefacts, such as letters, photos, paintings, sketches, manuscripts and scores. It has interactive elements too, such as booths where you can sit and listen to his compositions on headphones. The whole of the downstairs is set around the grand piano and allows you to listen to and discover more about his most famous works. I might be considered a philistine for this, but, thinking outside the box, I found the best part about the museum to be the wall outside, which is graffitied with musical staves. The backdrop of a tree makes this a mixture of art, music, poetry and nature, which leaves me spellbound with its bare, artistic simplicity.

 

2.     The Umschlagplatz- this was the point of transportation, from which five to seven THOUSAND people, mainly Jewish, were sent DAILY to meet their deaths in Treblinka. The first names of just 448 of the 450,000 Jews kept enslaved in the Warsaw ghetto are inscribed on this monument, along with biblical quotations, as a reminder of the horrors. It is worth the walk, just to experience a link with a not so distant past.

 

3.     Warsaw Ghetto Wall– this is a tiny section, the only surviving part of the eleven-mile-long brick wall that kept the Jewish population enslaved from April, 1940 until 1943 when the ghetto was destroyed. It is a place to reflect as you look up ten feet to where the barbed wire used to be and hear the silent echoes of all those thousands and thousands of innocent men, women and children who were taken from here to be slaughtered. It’s quite ironic that certain world statesmen talk of building walls when you see this, or the Berlin Wall or the one in the West Bank. Just thinking!

 

4.     Warsaw Uprising Museum- this is an outstanding museum, horrific at times that takes you through various stages of Warsaw’s history and its occupation, first by the Nazis and then by Stalin. The highlight is probably the 3D film giving you a birds’ eye view of Warsaw in 1945. It is utterly shocking when you look down at the total devastation and struggle to find a single building intact after six years of war. The plane takes you over the whole of the current old and new towns and the destruction on both sides of the river is mind-blowing. It is a testament to the courage, determination and pride of the Polish people that they were able to recreate the old town as it looked back then. Also in the museum is a huge Liberator B-24J bomber which was used in allied airdrops. You can experience the sounds of the sewers, into which many Jews escaped, in a specially created sequence of small tunnels, minus the water, stench and rats of course. There are some particularly graphic images of dead bodies and Nazi experiments on display which add to the stark reminder, if ever you needed one, about this horrific period of history. There is, however, an overriding sense of triumph and national pride, because Poland rose like a phoenix from the ashes to stand again.

5.     Podwale Bar and Books. Well I had to mention one bar amongst all of this culture and history, didn’t I!! I found this New York export in a renovated building in the old town to be incredibly atmospheric and quaint, yet with distinct grandeur. You have to ring a doorbell and it feels like you are being let into an exclusive club. The small downstairs bar had a very well stocked spirits bar, with daily promotions. I had an amazing dark and stormy or two. With Sean Connery’s James Bond running silently on the TV screen and French music, jazz and swing playing over the speakers, you could have been forgiven for thinking that you were actually going back in time or in a movie set. I didn’t get upstairs because cigars are not my thing but had a great time soaking up the atmosphere in the smaller bar without needing to go to the smoking room.  The staff were very sociable, knowledgeable and accommodating.

This was in complete contrast to Tygmont Jazz Club, where I had been led to believe I could see some live jazz. It turned out to be a club with young Polish students dancing to remixes of current chart hits (nothing against that but I felt like I had been mis-sold the club) It was costly to get in and I had to pay again to leave my jacket. The place was empty for about an hour before it started to fill up and get a little bit more atmosphere.

 

Now there are so many other things I could mention here, countless statues, museums, restaurants, bars, experiences, but I think that it is best that you just go for yourself and see what it offers. It is just over two hours away from the UK, flights are incredibly cheap and it is much less expensive while you are there. Off you go now!  

Words and photos by Si ©Cre8ivation