Today was spent travelling. After waking up at 5AM, we raced to the bus stop and made it just in time to be at the train station by 6AM. We left Vilnius around 6:22AM and got to Kaunus a little after 9, then left for Bialystok and got there a little after 1. It was so nice to see a lot of the countryside, and it reminded us a lot of western Maryland with the endless fields and farms.
In Bialystok we walked around the town while we waited for our train to Warsaw to arrive. It was much like any city, and had little in the way of special sights. We wandered into a hotel restaurant and shared a plate of what they called pierogies, but they were not really like what we call pierogies in the States. Still, they were yummy and we saved some of them to have for dinner later.
The train to Warsaw was on a train like the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter! We had a cabin with a door that held six seats, of which only two others were taken by some women. At one point, a man came by with a snack trolley, but unfortunately he only took cash and we didn't have any Polish zloty on us so we couldn't buy anything. It rained for much of the ride, and it was quite relaxing to hear the drops on the outside of the train while we swayed with the motion of the track in our cozy little cabin.
Finally, we made it to Warsaw. It was getting pretty late, so we headed directly for our AirB&B, which was a super neat place with Space Capsules for sleeping! Once we arrived we reheated our leftovers for dinner, went downstairs to the little convenience market for some snacks and beer, then snuggled into our capsule for the night.
Sunday June 24, 2018
After waking up from our long slumber in the capsule, we went downstairs to a Cafe and refueled with an amazing breakfast, then headed toward Warsaw's Old Town. The Old Town was the original settlement for Warsaw and has some of the oldest buildings in the area. The first sight we wanted to see was The Royal Castle.
Walking down the streets of Warsaw's Old Town was like walking through a medieval town! All of the buildings are so close to each other and have such amazing architechural designs. We meandered through some shops and the town square, then headed off toward the castle.
Inside the castle there was so much to see and learn. After watching a few introductory videos about the history of the castle, we had learned that it was actually not the original castle. The castle had lasted through the ages; hosting royalty, politicians, and many other important people inside its walls. However during World War II, once the Nazis had invaded Poland, it was all over. We learned that the castle had been completely demolished and was then rebuilt using salvaged original materials. This project was mostly funded by the people of Poland in the 1970's. `They rebuilt it using the same design, only this time it was built a few meters higher so it would tower over the Old Town.
We went through room after room of extravagence. There were so many beautiful items, statues, busts, tapestries, paintings, furniture, vases, weapons, and much more. Almost all of the rooms had gold trim and most of them had a mural painted on the ceiling. It was like being in another world!
When we were done in the castle, we decided it was time to eat. As we made our way through the square, Aftyn ended up getting roped into dancing with a giant Chili Shaker mascot and got a free grinder full of pepper! Eventually we found a nice pizza place to get some grub. We sat outside at first, but then it started to rain, so we moved indoors. It was some of the best Vegan pizza we have ever had! The crust was flakey, and there was just the right amount of veggies on it...delicious!
By the time we had left the restaurant, it was nearly time to get to our bus. Walking through the square, we were stopped by a woman who had 2 white female peacocks and Aftyn couldn't resist. The woman put the peacocks on Aftyn and snapped a photo. She then looked at me and said "you too?". Oh, why not. The birds were very tame and well mannered. At first she put one on my arm, but then later placed it on my head! After she took a few pictures of us with the birds, she handed our phone back and said "The photos will be 10 Zloty." We told her we had no Zloty, so she asked for 2 Euro instead. We gladly paid, then headed to the bus.
The bus ride was not the most comfortable, but it was nice to not have to pay for transportation and a place to stay as well. Plus, we leave one city and wake up in a completely new city!
Love from Poland!
Checkout all of our photos in our European Adventure 2018 album:
What an amazing trip! You're such a great writer!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cara! Tim and I co-wrote this post, so I guess we are both pretty good! :-)
ReplyDelete