Poland aka: Polska

http://www.goodbyelenin.pl/

I was driving through Poland and stopped in Warssaw. I was quite stunned – I´ve never saw a city that has traffic jams 24/7.

I expect it would be quite poor and that not many people would speak english. And I was wrong. Even the old serving lady at the milk bar could say "Chicken! Pork! Goulash! Soup! What you want?). I was there in 2009 and Poland joined the EU in 2004, I guess that made a difference. The train system is efficient, not fast, but cheap and reliable. The buses work well. The food is great, filling, heart warming, a bit peasant, but so good. The cities are maybe newly renovated, I dont know, but the old town struck me as particularly in good state and really beautiful. A mix between Germany and Russia (granted I’ve never seen Russia) dominates the architecture. I was in awe at every corner. And Warsaw isnt the horrible industrial capital everyone describes. The old town is nice, lots of shopping to be done, of course it’s larger than the rest, but it’s by no means horrible.

Loved Poland. Highly recommend it.

Going to be there in a couple of weeks! We’re vising Krakow, and I think the most important part of our stay there is going to be Auschwitz. I’m very much looking forward to it.

Here are some travel tips and meanings/pronunciation of names in brackets.

I have visited Warsaw many times because my in-laws are Polish and I’m learning the language.

Before visiting Poland, make sure that all your travel docs are in order, as police may ask for them during your journey.There are many people from the east moving through Poland to other EU countries, so they check on long train journeys.

Visiting Warsaw even for a short time is worthwhile. Most of the sights are in the city centre and you can easily go around on foot.If possible, organise a day’s tour with a guide, as he or she will be able to translate and explain the many wall plaques and monuments, which point to interesting parts of history.

Places to visit:

Stare Miasto (star-e miya-sto) – meaning old town.

Quaint cobbled lanes, old shops and completely re-built after WW2.

From the Central station, you will see Stalin’s ‘gift’ (paid for by Warsaw) – a huge building with a tall clocktower with amazing views from ontop.

For shopping – street Nowe Swiat (nove shvi-owt) meaning new world. Walk along the Royal Road to Lazienkie (wazi-yenki) Park

and walk among the old chestnut trees and admire the neo-classical architecture. The huge Chopin monument stands there, where in summer free concerts are played.

Take a taxi or bus to the palace Wilanowie – nice laid-out gardens in summer.

Buying train tickets might be tricky, as you can only get them from kiosks, which close early at night. If you cannot speak Polish and are alone, ask a young person to help you, as many of the older citizens can speak (or try not to speak) Russian and maybe some French, but little English.

Some visitors have complained that Poles are not friendly. Knowing some Polish helps a lot, but remember that Polish society is not the touchy, feely sort.Touching a stranger can be taken in the wrong way, so keep your hands to yourself, be polite and sensible.