I didn't bring anything to read, while we were in Seoul. I looked in my son's book shelf and found a book that was written by Leon Uris, (Mila 18). It reminded me of the time we spent in Poland.
.:My Review:.
We arrived in Warsaw by plane, (LOT), and a taxi took us to theLe Royal Meridien Bristol Hotel.
The Hotel
The hotel in in the centre of the city, in old town. It is all white and has what we call a ''Widows Walk'', (tower), on the top.
Our room was decorated in pastel colours. We had a twin beds with a night table between them. At the foot of each bed was a small table to put your comforter on, when you went to bed.
Near the window, (that look over a patio), were two wing back chairs and a small coffee table between them.
There was a TV, that we never watched, and a phone that we never used. We didn't use the mini-bar, either.
The closet was not large, but large enough to hang up your cloths, and it had a safe on the back wall. There was a dresser for cloths you fold.
The bathroom was all tiled in white and gold colours. There was a toilet, tub/shower and a sink, with a small mirror over it. There was a basket of amenities near the sink.
The lobby had a few sofas, chairs and tables with a vase of flowers on them.
There was a cafe, (where we ate breakfast every day), and a dinning room, (where we ate once).
There was a small shop that sold newspapers, and toiletries that you might have forgotten to pack.
There was a Fitness Centre, that we didn't use.
The address:
Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42/44
00-325 Warsaw,
Poland.
.:Warsaw:.
Warsawis the capital City of Poland. It has risen from the destruction of World War II and the years that they were rules by the Communist.
It is easy to get around the City by using buses, trams or the underground.
What We Saw
As you enter the central square you are overwhelmed by the beauty of the ancient buildings and clock tower. At night the square is ablaze with thousands of lights.
Azienzki Park is a beautiful park that was the former summer residence of one of the former Kings. There is a palace within the park and a lake.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is an arch is all that remains of the Saxon Palace that was destroyed during World War II. It gives an indication of the destruction which occurred in the city.
Old Town has been rebuilt in its original style with narrow streets.
The Modern Art Centre is in Ujazdowski Castle. There are some fantastic modern works of art and the café is almost as interesting because of the interior design.
On Saturday we went to the Great Synagogue, and took part in the Reform service. This synagogue was designed by Leandro Marconi, (who also designed the Pawaik Prison).
After the service we walked around the area, trying to imagine what our friend's families felt like, when they were living in the Getto. I began to cry, because I know that I couldn't have endured what they did. 2,000 Jews survived WW II. Today there are many lovely homes in this area. There were a few monuments to the uprising in the Ghetto.
There is only a small piece, ( 10 feet high), that is left of the 11 miles of the walls, that surrounded the Ghetto. On Mila Street, we saw the bunker where 100 people died.
We saw the Stadium, (where they had found the bones of over 100,000 people, that had been interned at the city's cemetery). We said ''kaddish'', (the Jewish prayer for the dead), at one of the gates of the Stadium.
Wilanow Palace is on the outskirts of the city is a former Royal residence. There are some magnificent gardens to wander around and there is a huge poster museum in one of the outbuildings.
Food
You must try a ''zapiekanki'', (a baguette that has a pizza like cheese topping), ''barszcz'', (hot beet soup) and ''placki'', (potato pancakes).
The best Polish beers were: Okocim Porter, Okocim ''Zagloba'' Pils, Perla and Zywiec.
The best vodka are Belvedere, Chopin and Lususwa.
The wine we liked was Winnica Golesz and Leoville Barton, (similar to a Bordeaux).
We tried to find a Milk Bar to have lunch. These are canteens where you can select the Polish food you want to try. We didn't want to eat in the fast food places, and the Milk Bars were the cheapest places to eat.
One night we ate at Argo. They served food from Georgia. We enjoyed the ''lobia'', (a spicy black bean casserole) and ''hatchapurit'', (a pita like bread filled with cheese).
Chianti's is a restaurant in a cellar. It is lit with candles, and serves wonderful home made pasta.
Karczma Gessler serves Jewish food, (hot and cold beet soup, blitzes, cabbage rolls, brisket, chopped liver, potato pancakes etc.).
La Boehme is quite trendy, because it serves French Food.
Las is a restaurant that serves Korean and vegetarian food.
Blike Cafe is the oldest cake store in the city. Their donuts are the best thing to order.
Shopping
There are a lot of shops but I like to browse through the bazaars, markets or bargain with the street Traders.
We went to see the Galeria Centrum on Marszalkowska, because it is the largest department store in the city.
I bought some amber necklaces. Amber feels like plastic, so you have to test it, by lighting a match, and touching the amber. If it burns it's not amber. If it doesn't and you smell a pleasant scent it is.
My husband bought an antique silver pocket watch with a chain. We bought a small water colour painting of a street in old town. We bought a bag of Inka Coffee beans, (because we enjoy strong coffee).
.:Suggested Reading:.
The Crown Prince by John Barchilon.
Madam by Antoni Libera.
The Winds Of War by Herman Wouk.
Mila 18 by Leon Uris.
.:My Final Thoughts:.
I enjoyed our visit to Warsaw.
Thank you for reading my review.
To be continued
©LL2004 written in Seoul
