Considered to be the dish which Poland is famous for, Pierogi is good for all occasions. Whether eaten in a high-class restaurant, in a Warsaw market place cafe with a cold beer, or home-cooked for a few friends – its hard not to tuck in and enjoy them. And as in last night, they can always be washed down with a few vodka shots!
There have been celebrations ongoing today around Warsaw with the President of Poland speaking in Plac Piłsudskiego surrounded by dignitaries and members of the governmental elite.
However, the weather is wet and miserable and the televised events showed umbrellas bending in the wind and plenty of grim expressions. So here’s a much more cheerful image I took on the same day last year; the Polish flag flying in the wind attached to a crane at the Złote 44 construction site (there are now no more cranes here or construction works!).
This is ‘Hala Głowna’ – the main hall of Warsaw’s central railway station. The long white board on the back wall details all the routes and times out of Warsaw. If you wish to make a booking, you have to find the right destination and choose a time and then relay it to the person in the ticket booth. Even in this modern age (according to the cashiers) their computers don’t list the times and dates when trains leave. Many people queue for a long time before being told they have to go and choose their time off the board or visit the information desk. This is a place that fosters customer frustration and communistic bureacracy!
Along the path which runs next to the River Wisła there are many nice views looking up towards the town walls. One of the most interesting is the murel which is painted across the flood wall and stretches the length of the path. It details sketches and quotes from a famous Polish comedy called “Rejs“ (The Cruise). As we walked, my wife kept reading the quotes to herself and quietly chuckling as memories of the film came back to her. A little strange if anybody was watching!
(back to Warsaw tomorrow!)
Here is the entrance to the Basyliszek Restaurant in the Old Market Square. The restaurant is full of dragon motifs and the photo above shows the golden dragon above the front door. The food is traditionally Polish and the service and settings are done in a very formal way. It’s not expensive (for the Old Town) and a little more quirky than many of the other places to eat nearby.
Every Saturday afternoon/ evening during the summer months, jazz bands travel to Warsaw and play in the Stary Rynek. When the weather is good, the festival attracts crowds of people which creates a lively atmosphere. The cafès do a roaring trade and unless you get there early enough, a table outside at one of the restaurants is almost impossible to find. Listening to live jazz and drinking an ice- cold Tyskie is one of the nicest ways to spend a summer’s evening in Warsaw.
Built between 1825-1833, the Teatr Wielki (Great Theatre) has hosted ballet, theatre and opera performances for over 150 years. The first production held here opened on 4th February 1833 and was Gioacchino Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’. Earlier this year we went to see ‘Manon Lescaut’ (in 4 acts!) by Giacomo Puccini as part of the 13th Ludwig van Beethoven Festival. The performance was very enjoyable and they thoughtfully translated the lyrics into English and Polish on a screen suspended above the stage. Admittedly, the champagne and caviar afterwards was a welcome addition!
Every Sunday (between May and September) around the statue of Fryderyk Chopin in Łazienki Park, a grand piano is set up and his music is played by various well-known pianists. A pleasant afternoon can be spent sat on the grass listening to the tinkling of the ivories and relaxing to the sound of Poland’s most renowned musician. On sunny days the park gets very busy, but there’s plenty of grassy areas to laze about on to soak up the rays. A very pleasant way to get sunburnt!
For the next couple of weeks near Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) there will be a number of columns lit up which depict over 100 of the most famous and awarded Polish movies created over the last century. According to the exhibition, there have been more than 1,500 feature films made in Poland which have survived the battles, wars and conflicts which have plagued the country during this time. They could not all be displayed here, but there are still enough screen shots and pictures to provide plenty of interest.
These quaint little shacks can be found on most street corners in Warsaw and sell a myriad of trinkets, toys, newspapers, adult magazines, deodorants and generally all sorts of bargain basement rubbish. The most useful thing they sell are tickets for the public transport system which currently cost 2.80 PLN for a one-way ticket. The person serving you sits buried amongst all the cartons and boxes which fill the inside of the booth, and you have to look very carefully if you want to catch a glimpse of them. Usually, the only thing you see is a hairy hand reaching out to give you drobny (change).
