The Tale of the Four Poland's Old Towns (Part 1): Stare Miasto w Warszawie

Near the end of autumn, as it were for countries that experienced them, we had the opportunity to visit Poland. We flew with Qatar Airways, waiting in relative comfort by watching movies, listening to music, or otherwise getting some shut eye in the meantime. As far as airplane food goes, the meal served on-board was good and halal, as to be expected from an Islamic state-owned company. One transit and 14 hours later, the plane landed at the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, or Lotnisko Chopina w Warszawie in the local tongue.

Enjoy the flight

Immigration was bumpy at first---the officer asked for “proof of lodging”, which got resolved soon enough with some skilled document-waving at them. We picked up our baggage, withdraw some money from ATM to get local currency: Zloty, and went off to find our ride. Helping us in our search were three Indonesian students who were studying at Vistula University. They were: Zaki, Akmal and Iqbal. 

Chopin Airport

With some expert Uber hailing on their part, we managed to get a car and headed off to the inn, eager to get a good night’s rest after the grueling trip from before. Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication or something, the inn that had been reserved was annulled and given to someone else. We opted to take an alternate inn, which proved to be a very good choice, as it was nice on the eyes, comfy, and most important of all, reasonably warm to sleep in. I myself slept as soon as I lay on the bed; a well-earned rest for this traveler.

Beautiful restaurant with spectacular view of autumn

We enjoyed the following morning’s breakfast in a small and beautiful restaurant in-hotel, nestled discreetly, but with an open view to the garden outside. The trees there were mostly done with their shedding of leaves, but we didn’t let that deter us from having a bit of an impromptu photo session. Afterward, we walked around a bit more before returning to the hotel to start gathering our things for the next part of our journey.

City Walk

Our guide for this journey was Zaki, taking us on a lengthy walk through the city of Warsaw. Along the way to the Old Town, we saw plenty of landmarks, such as the Presidential Palace, the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, Warsaw University, and Hotel Bristol. The Old Town itself, in Warsaw at least, mostly consisted of relatively new buildings, after World War II devastated much of the city’s infrastructure, sparing very little of the Old Town save for Hotel Bristol.

Hotel Bristol, Presidential Palace, Warsaw University

Once we reached the Old Town, we climbed up the Taras Widokowy---a bell tower of the church of St. Anne---to get a good look at the Old City from above. Needless to say, it was an arduous task, but we managed to get to the observation deck. And to be frank, it had quite an impressive view all around, with the Old City spread out under you, the Vistula River flowing behind the church, and, for those with a football persuasion, might marvel at the Narodowy Stadium, placed a ways off on the other side of the aforementioned river.

Taras Widokowy

Amusing parts that I found of the tower were the small scribbling on parts of the bell stand overhanging the entrance to the observation deck. They ranged from incomprehensible gibberish to sappy promises of love and dates from yesteryear; a legacy not quite lost to time, but fading all the same. There’s really not much made by Man that’s ever permanent is it? Not a city, and not scribbles either. Will we be remembered enough to matter in the long run? Would that memory last? Who knows.

Warszawa Stare Miasto (Warsaw Old Town)

Next we went down and traced the Royal Castle, the King Zygmunt III Column, and the Market Square where the Syrenka Warszawska (Mermaid of Warsaw) monuments lay. We capped off our journey at a hidden gem; an Indonesian restaurant called Sambal Restauracja Indonezyjska. The food tasted remarkably of home, and we had a chance to thank the chef/owner of the restaurant for the great meal.

Sambal Restauracja Indonezyjska

Come afternoon, we headed to Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central), the main train station in Poland designed by architect Arseniusz Romanowicz. Relatively near it was a relic of the soviet occupation era; the 237 meter high Palac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science). After buying our tickets from a vending machine, we went down to the platforms and waited for our train. Around the same time, I took the opportunity to look around a small book store inside the station, and proceeded to buy a Polish translation of the classic Science Fiction novel Dune. I have liked Dune for quite some time, and having a copy of it in a different language was certainly something worth spending on.

Palace of Culture and Science

As far as capital cities go, Warsaw was not that different. There wasn’t much time to really get a feel for the atmosphere of the city, aside from the quite familiar urban landscape and decay that seems universal for most of the capital cities I’ve visited in the past. Given enough time, I’m sure I could discover more unique and rewarding sides to Warsaw, but time was simply not on my side then..

Autumn in Warsaw

(to be continued)