Oh, yeah! I've been meaning to mention this for weeks now, but keep forgetting. Several weeks ago, I *finally* saw a Starbucks in Poland. It opened about halfway up Nowy Swiat, looks pretty big and swanky, and like every other Starbucks out there. So I guess Warsaw finally succumbed.
We have a 3-day weekend starting on Friday. No real plans- gonna stay here and save money for a longer trip some other time. Think I'll do some cleaning, wander around, take pictures, maybe go to a museum or something, just explore. And sleep in.
Yay for lazy weekends!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
T'is the season for travel!
Wow... it's only 6:15 on a Wednesday night, and w Biegu is *packed*!! Less of the older crowd that shows up in late evenings and winter months, more young people. There's a greater mix of nationalities, too- I hear much more English right now, a guy next to me is reading a Dutch book, and another is talking to a blonde girl in Japanese. I guess the balmy spring weather inspires everyone to leave their houses and hometowns for a latte or some wine!
I really love this cafe- reminds me so much of the one back home. Lazy, mellow, full of artistic people, worn, comfy couches... some of the staff even look a bit like the guys behind the counter back home. I'm so glad I discovered this place.
I really love this cafe- reminds me so much of the one back home. Lazy, mellow, full of artistic people, worn, comfy couches... some of the staff even look a bit like the guys behind the counter back home. I'm so glad I discovered this place.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Man, life is *surreal* sometimes! So I'm just sitting on my bed, chatting with a friend and listening to British reporters on CNN warn me about the dangers of swine flu when I hear a knock on the door.
I throw a robe on and answer it, expecting to find someone to read the gas or electricity meters- those are inside.
Instead... I find two distinguished Polish Jehovah's Witnesses!
They were older gentlemen, very nice and polite, very distinguished, dressed in suits. They gave me a pamphlet and told me to read it. I read the paragraph quickly then said something about already following the Catholic faith (grew up in that, figured it was an easier out than "I don't belong to any religion"). I thought that might deter them. But they said, "fine", and pointed out some Polish paragraphs in a bible that they thought indicated one universal religion down the road, including the Catholics. So after learning a couple new vocab words, I politely refused them once again and thanked them for their time.
They said they were surprised to find me here, expected an older man, my husband or brother, perhaps. But they bid me a good evening and wandered off.
Surreal!!
I throw a robe on and answer it, expecting to find someone to read the gas or electricity meters- those are inside.
Instead... I find two distinguished Polish Jehovah's Witnesses!
They were older gentlemen, very nice and polite, very distinguished, dressed in suits. They gave me a pamphlet and told me to read it. I read the paragraph quickly then said something about already following the Catholic faith (grew up in that, figured it was an easier out than "I don't belong to any religion"). I thought that might deter them. But they said, "fine", and pointed out some Polish paragraphs in a bible that they thought indicated one universal religion down the road, including the Catholics. So after learning a couple new vocab words, I politely refused them once again and thanked them for their time.
They said they were surprised to find me here, expected an older man, my husband or brother, perhaps. But they bid me a good evening and wandered off.
Surreal!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Had a really good weekend. For some reason, I don't have a lot of energy today, so I'll keep it short- don't feel like typing a lot today.
Friday- productivity at work, frustration w/TV company afterward, got that settled, then went out to the Zen Jazz Bar for sushi w/a friend. Very minimalist, dark gray, black inside- stones, glass, flowing water, mellow. Good sake (the salmon). Chatted for hours, took a short walk, then had a peaceful stroll home. Heard commotion out back, checked it out, found a huge party that was singing along at the top of their lungs to "Beat It". Good times!
Sat- nice therapy appt., was on time today. Went swimming afterward, had an entire lane to myself for quite a while. Dropped stuff off at home, read for a bit, fell asleep.... woke up on the late side. Quickly got ready, met a friend at the University Library. Well, made a little detour on the way.... see, I'd mistakenly assumed that the *University* Library would be within the grounds of the *University*.... It's not. Found it eventually, though, and we wandered through the most amazing rooftop garden ever. It's huge! Feels like you're in a whole other world, with modern metallic bridges and paths in a traditional Japanese style. Forgot the camera, but will return later to take pictures. Two brides were taking pictures there- one was a meringue, the other wearing an elegant 50s-style dress of cream chiffon with black ribbon. Gorgeous day! After that, wandered over to another friend's to have dinner (tasty Lebanese food) and watch films. Watched Ten and Offside.... wow. Very powerful films talking about women's rights in Iran.
Sun- Slept in a bit, then got some food and utensils and headed out to a large park south of the city called Powsin. Has everything- sports facilities, trails, amphitheater, food, stalls selling books, jewelry, etc.... and lots of large grassy spots for relaxing. Chilled out with a bunch of friends for a few hours, soaked up the sun, then headed home. Had thought about doing some housework that night but instead, found myself at a spiffy theater down the road watching "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Fun and interesting film- really enjoyed it! Glad I took Spanish- I could still understand the non-English parts of the film (Polish subtitles). Gave me a lot to think about afterward, so I took a little stroll around a small park. Watched a fountain, mulled things over, came to some conclusions, still indecisive on a few things... but feeling better about everything, more certain of what I do and don't want. It's a nice feeling. Slept well.
Friday- productivity at work, frustration w/TV company afterward, got that settled, then went out to the Zen Jazz Bar for sushi w/a friend. Very minimalist, dark gray, black inside- stones, glass, flowing water, mellow. Good sake (the salmon). Chatted for hours, took a short walk, then had a peaceful stroll home. Heard commotion out back, checked it out, found a huge party that was singing along at the top of their lungs to "Beat It". Good times!
Sat- nice therapy appt., was on time today. Went swimming afterward, had an entire lane to myself for quite a while. Dropped stuff off at home, read for a bit, fell asleep.... woke up on the late side. Quickly got ready, met a friend at the University Library. Well, made a little detour on the way.... see, I'd mistakenly assumed that the *University* Library would be within the grounds of the *University*.... It's not. Found it eventually, though, and we wandered through the most amazing rooftop garden ever. It's huge! Feels like you're in a whole other world, with modern metallic bridges and paths in a traditional Japanese style. Forgot the camera, but will return later to take pictures. Two brides were taking pictures there- one was a meringue, the other wearing an elegant 50s-style dress of cream chiffon with black ribbon. Gorgeous day! After that, wandered over to another friend's to have dinner (tasty Lebanese food) and watch films. Watched Ten and Offside.... wow. Very powerful films talking about women's rights in Iran.
Sun- Slept in a bit, then got some food and utensils and headed out to a large park south of the city called Powsin. Has everything- sports facilities, trails, amphitheater, food, stalls selling books, jewelry, etc.... and lots of large grassy spots for relaxing. Chilled out with a bunch of friends for a few hours, soaked up the sun, then headed home. Had thought about doing some housework that night but instead, found myself at a spiffy theater down the road watching "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Fun and interesting film- really enjoyed it! Glad I took Spanish- I could still understand the non-English parts of the film (Polish subtitles). Gave me a lot to think about afterward, so I took a little stroll around a small park. Watched a fountain, mulled things over, came to some conclusions, still indecisive on a few things... but feeling better about everything, more certain of what I do and don't want. It's a nice feeling. Slept well.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Work today was productive, but the couple of errands afterward were a bit frustrating. I needed to go to the library and market. I'd finished the 3 books I'd checked out and *almost* finished the audio CD- had 2 more CDs to listen to. So I wanted to renew it. Before I left, I looked things up and thought I'd figured out how to say "I haven't finished this yet. May I renew it?" I told this to the librarian, she said something to me that I didn't understand, then zapped the barcodes and started to shelve it. We finally clarified that I wanted to check it out another time, and it's now due again in a month. I just wish I could express a simple need like this in Polish. I'm on the waiting list for a class now, and if they don't have space in a week, I'll sign up for individual lessons.
Then I went to the market. I picked up milk and lunch for tomorrow, a little over 11 zloty. However, all the ATMs here ever disperse are these huge 100 zloty bills. I keep trying to break them whenever I can, but today, that was all I had, plus 5 zloty and 10 groszy. The woman was kinda peeved with me, but I showed her my pocketbook and told her that was all I had. If no one wants to deal with these huge bills, why do they even make them? The ATMs should give out 10, 20 and 50 zloty bills; then we'd be good.
Another pet peeve with Poland is that I *always* feel in the way. Every little sklep and restauracja and cukierna is soooooo tiny. I always feel so huge, taking up the whole aile or passageway, always in the exact spot that someone wants to go somehow. And I'm not familiar with the language or selection in these places, so it takes a bit of time and examination to figure out what I want. But as soon as I pick a spot to look over things, it seems that someone else always wants to be *exactly* there. Kind of annoying, and a better reason to shop online more.
Then I went to the market. I picked up milk and lunch for tomorrow, a little over 11 zloty. However, all the ATMs here ever disperse are these huge 100 zloty bills. I keep trying to break them whenever I can, but today, that was all I had, plus 5 zloty and 10 groszy. The woman was kinda peeved with me, but I showed her my pocketbook and told her that was all I had. If no one wants to deal with these huge bills, why do they even make them? The ATMs should give out 10, 20 and 50 zloty bills; then we'd be good.
Another pet peeve with Poland is that I *always* feel in the way. Every little sklep and restauracja and cukierna is soooooo tiny. I always feel so huge, taking up the whole aile or passageway, always in the exact spot that someone wants to go somehow. And I'm not familiar with the language or selection in these places, so it takes a bit of time and examination to figure out what I want. But as soon as I pick a spot to look over things, it seems that someone else always wants to be *exactly* there. Kind of annoying, and a better reason to shop online more.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Today was just RAD. The IT guys at work gave me more RAM, so the computer quit crashing and I was able to finish all my work today. Felt very productive. Went home, dropped off my stuff, contemplated some cleaning, thought "I should organize the bathroom a bit". I have lots of little tubes and things all over the place.
I'd seen some cute, decorative and inexpensive boxes at Empik, so I thought, "I'll get some of those." For variety, I went to the one in the Centrum center. I got off the tram and spotted what looked like a little mini-mall called Sezam, decided to investigate.
It is *awesome*!!! They have a huge grocery store, more varieties of cheese than either Carrefour or the tiny groceries, and what looked like a great selection of meat, juice, other foods. And they have a separate wine/beer shop. On the floor below, they have a small shop of fancy women's fashions and a fabric store. On the floor above groceries, they have the Polish version of Target/Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. It was great!!! That floor had absolutely *everything* PJs, towels, dishes, kitchenware, furniture, hampers, tupperware, absolutely everything. I had to get out of there quickly before I spent the rest of my bank account, but I will definitely come back. I ended up getting a couple towels for swimming, a little notepad, a small plastic tray for the bathroom stuff and.....a bathrobe! I'd been looking for one for *ages*. My bathroom is always cold in the morning, and it's just nice to have one. Every other one I'd seen was upwards of 350 PLN ($100). No thank you! This one is soft and sage green. I'm looking forward to trying it out!
Went to Empik after that, and wasn't actually impressed with their selection of boxes, so I actually didn't get what I came for. But I did find a nice Thailand wall calendar for work and a ticket to see Flogging Molly in June. Both good things!
Took the tram down to w Biegu and am now enjoying a raspberry/strawberry smoothie.
Life is good!
I'd seen some cute, decorative and inexpensive boxes at Empik, so I thought, "I'll get some of those." For variety, I went to the one in the Centrum center. I got off the tram and spotted what looked like a little mini-mall called Sezam, decided to investigate.
It is *awesome*!!! They have a huge grocery store, more varieties of cheese than either Carrefour or the tiny groceries, and what looked like a great selection of meat, juice, other foods. And they have a separate wine/beer shop. On the floor below, they have a small shop of fancy women's fashions and a fabric store. On the floor above groceries, they have the Polish version of Target/Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. It was great!!! That floor had absolutely *everything* PJs, towels, dishes, kitchenware, furniture, hampers, tupperware, absolutely everything. I had to get out of there quickly before I spent the rest of my bank account, but I will definitely come back. I ended up getting a couple towels for swimming, a little notepad, a small plastic tray for the bathroom stuff and.....a bathrobe! I'd been looking for one for *ages*. My bathroom is always cold in the morning, and it's just nice to have one. Every other one I'd seen was upwards of 350 PLN ($100). No thank you! This one is soft and sage green. I'm looking forward to trying it out!
Went to Empik after that, and wasn't actually impressed with their selection of boxes, so I actually didn't get what I came for. But I did find a nice Thailand wall calendar for work and a ticket to see Flogging Molly in June. Both good things!
Took the tram down to w Biegu and am now enjoying a raspberry/strawberry smoothie.
Life is good!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Had a pretty good weekend. Went to a phyiscal therapy appointment on Saturday morning (exercises for my back), then went swimming for an hour, followed by whole-wheat samosas, salad and tomato soup at this vegetarian restaurant, The Green Way. I love that place- reminds me of SC! Very calm and tranquil, and delicious food. Went home, did some vacuuming, laundry and other cleaning, took a little nap, then went out to the stadium to watch a soccer game, KSP Polonia vs Lechia Gdańsk. Exciting game, ended in a tie. I ended up in the fan section- boy, are those guys loud! Everyone was wearing these great red, black and white scarves for Polonia, and they had huge flags and lots of cheers, and everyone knew the words. It was a lot of fun, and the teams were excellent. Lots of great soccer, I've got to come back and see more. Toward the end of the first half, I spotted a young priest I'd seen once before in the University area standing at the front in his black robes, cheering as loudly and wildly as everyone else. So I guess God supports Polonia Warszawa?
After the game, I checked out a couple Irish pubs, hoping to find a fun beer joint. Each one of them was *packed* full, smoky, loud live music- not quite what I wanted. So I headed home instead.
Sunday was nice and lazy. Totally slept in until a very yappy dog outside and a lot of pounding on the ceiling woke me up. I have no idea what they're doing up there! Chatted online a bit, then got dressed and went to the theater in the Palace of Culture and Science to see "Brideshead Revisited". Good film, though a bit depressing, lovely costumes. Absolutely gorgeous theater, very elegant, lots of red velvet curtains, gold trim, interior was a bit Art Deco, reminded me a little of Radio City Music Hall. After that, I wandered around town, aimlessly looking for dinner, and found myself in the old town. Ended up eating THE most delicious dinner at Fret-@-Porter, another lovely restaurant. Steak grilled in raspberry wine sauce, grilled vegetables, oven potatoes, salad with goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. I just took my time, enjoyed the day, savored the delicious food, just relaxed. I really could use more days like today.
Took the bus home, put a few things away, went to bed. Nice weekend, really.
After the game, I checked out a couple Irish pubs, hoping to find a fun beer joint. Each one of them was *packed* full, smoky, loud live music- not quite what I wanted. So I headed home instead.
Sunday was nice and lazy. Totally slept in until a very yappy dog outside and a lot of pounding on the ceiling woke me up. I have no idea what they're doing up there! Chatted online a bit, then got dressed and went to the theater in the Palace of Culture and Science to see "Brideshead Revisited". Good film, though a bit depressing, lovely costumes. Absolutely gorgeous theater, very elegant, lots of red velvet curtains, gold trim, interior was a bit Art Deco, reminded me a little of Radio City Music Hall. After that, I wandered around town, aimlessly looking for dinner, and found myself in the old town. Ended up eating THE most delicious dinner at Fret-@-Porter, another lovely restaurant. Steak grilled in raspberry wine sauce, grilled vegetables, oven potatoes, salad with goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. I just took my time, enjoyed the day, savored the delicious food, just relaxed. I really could use more days like today.
Took the bus home, put a few things away, went to bed. Nice weekend, really.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Boy, today is *just* not my day. I was all set to get a lot done at work today- I got some new software to expand electronic file folders so I can see the structure. This is, in theory, a great thing because there are *thousands* of folders and files, and it'll let me export them as PDFs or Word documents. Today, hower, the program only worked for a few folders at a time, then gave me some error message or crashed altogether. I had to call the IT department like, ten times and twice, the network kicked me off, wouldn't let me back on, and made my desktop disappear. I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked.
So after that, I went home, thinking I could at least do some laundry and get things done. However, there was a strange woodsy sort of scent in the washer- not mold, but kind of damp otherwise. So now I've got to call the landlord *again* and inform him about this and hope it's nothing serious.
After a bit of grocery shopping that took way longer than anticipated, I came home and grabbed the computer. I thought, "Okay, today has been all work- I'll just chill at w Biegu for an hour, have some coffee, chat with people". Except that there was virtually no wireless service- it connected to the internet, but was as SLOW as molasses in January. Took 15 minutes to TRY to connect to nhl.com. Utterly ridiculous. So I packed up, left to go home... and it had started to rain.
Back at home, I've managed to connect to the net, but the computer has brought up weird pages a couple times and stalled out when trying to close them. I think I'm just going to take this all as a sign that today is *done* and go to bed.
So after that, I went home, thinking I could at least do some laundry and get things done. However, there was a strange woodsy sort of scent in the washer- not mold, but kind of damp otherwise. So now I've got to call the landlord *again* and inform him about this and hope it's nothing serious.
After a bit of grocery shopping that took way longer than anticipated, I came home and grabbed the computer. I thought, "Okay, today has been all work- I'll just chill at w Biegu for an hour, have some coffee, chat with people". Except that there was virtually no wireless service- it connected to the internet, but was as SLOW as molasses in January. Took 15 minutes to TRY to connect to nhl.com. Utterly ridiculous. So I packed up, left to go home... and it had started to rain.
Back at home, I've managed to connect to the net, but the computer has brought up weird pages a couple times and stalled out when trying to close them. I think I'm just going to take this all as a sign that today is *done* and go to bed.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Easter Weekend part 3
Sunday, 12 April, 2009
9:45 am- Woke up to pounding on my door. When I opened it, there was a blonde girl there. "Yes?" I said. She looked at me blankly, then said "Oh, sorry!" Okay....
Got dressed and ready for the day, then went to the cathedral to see what Easter celebrations were like. The church was huge, very dark and ornate, echo-y. Also full of rather strong incense, so I didn't stay long. A family was baptizing their daughter, though, Nataliya Anastasia- pretty name! After a bit, I went back to the hotel, grabbed my coat and bag and went in search of lunch.
NOTHING is open in this town on Easter. Literally, *nothing*. I found ONE store where I got some water and a newspaper, but no real food. After wandering through all of town for about half an hour, I found myself at the train station. I had to check times for tomorrow anyway, so that was good, but as I stood there looking at the Warsaw times I thought, "Well! Why stay here all day if there's absolutely nothing open?" So I randomly decided to go to a town called Iława. I have no idea where it is or what there is to do there, but it's only an hour's ride away and there are several trains returning to Olsztyn later in the day. At the very least, I'll get an hour's sightseeing on the train!
This train is a LOT nicer than the one from Warsaw! Clean, open compartments, velvety seats, barely anyone on the train at all. I'm in a car with a couple of young families, riding past open countryside dotted with tiny farms and barns, and now a bunch of forestland.
2:45 pm- Well! Iława turned out to be a *very* nice surprise. It's a small town about an hour's train ride west of Olsztyn, and I liked it right off the bat because the small train station actually had an open food counter with real food, snacks, sodas, etc! I had some coffee and looked at the newspaper for a bit, then took off to explore. I walked for about 20 minutes through residential neighborhoods, down some quiet main streets with closed shops, just looked at stuff. I figured I could spend a few hours walking around here, then take the 5:15 back to Olsztyn, still on my involuntary fast.
I was about to completely give up on the concept of eating anything today when I saw a sizeable crowd gathered about two blocks away. I discovered that they were all in line for Amerikańskie lody- American ice cream and shakes! I happily joined the line and in five minutes, had a tasty chocolate shake.
Fortified by the first substantial food I'd had all day, I walked on, and just over the hill was a *gorgeous* little lake! The perimeter must have been about a mile, surrounded on all sides by quaint little buildings, small docks and houses. Rushes and reeds grew along the sides of the lake and I saw swans and at least two types of ducks swimming there. Very calm and serene! Lots of people were out enjoying the sunshine, walking their dogs and children, having a good time.
I also discovered that there were two OPEN restaurants situated along the lake! One was hosting some sort of party, so it was closed to the public, but I had a delicious dinner in the other, Restauracja Yellow. Tastefully decorated inside with abstract art and metal sculptures, I enjoyed some tomato soup, duck with apples and roast potatoes and a cappuccino. I took my time, people-watching and reading, just having a nice afternoon. I really like this town- in hindsight, I probably should have stayed just two days in Olsztyn and come here for the other two. Will certainly have to return sometime!
After dinner, I took a leisurely walk around the lake. The path was wide and smooth, none of these cobblestones that plague Warsaw. This would just be a lovely place to live, the perfect place to exercise each night at sunset. At the other end of the lake, I walked across the street to discover an even *bigger* one, with boats and everything. This is a really nice area of Poland, I've decided. Walked around there for a bit, then spotted a restaurant and hotel, Restauracja Tatark. I decided to kill another hour before the train left with dessert and coffee. The interior was like an old Tudor house, dark lighting with large wooden beams, solid wood tables, attractive decorations and lace, old historic photographs hanging on the walls. The restaurant also included a nice enclosed terrace that looked out onto the lake. The food menu looked tasty, so I'll have to come back for actual dinner sometime. Dessert was nice- cut fruit in a glass dish. Though, the doppio espresso looked more like a half espresso- small! Oh, well.
The restaurant *also* has free wireless internet, the first I've encountered since Friday afternoon in the Olsztyn library. It's been a bit odd going without the net for a few days. I think, though, that since I'm almost done with the trip, I'll just post this whole thing when I get home.
9:16 pm- Boy, THAT was close! I need to work on my time management skills a *lot* more. I lingered a bit too long over dessert and couldn't find a taxi to get back to the train station. People had told me to look for ones with green lights on, but I found two, asked if they were free and both said no. I can *never* find taxis unless I call them! I gave up on that and decided to book it across town. My navigation skills must have been really on, for I made it directly back to the train station in about 30 minutes, bought my ticket and some water, and boarded the train. It left the station going back to Olsztyn four minutes later.
I don't think I'd had an accurate idea of how long it took me to get out to the lake in the first place because I walked slowly, enjoying the sunshine, meandering around the side streets. I should definitely leave myself a lot more time in the future. Though, if I'd had to stay the night here, I would at least have known where to find a nice hotel!
Now on the train heading back to Olsztyn. Time to listen to music and relax a bit. My feet are tired!
10:30 pm- Took a bus back to the hotel, dropped off all my stuff and headed out to try one last pub. Decided to go to the Przymat Pub, just a ways down from the castle. Small inside, cozy... but they offer nice warm drinks, beer with juice and fruit, drinks that would be lovely on a really cold night. The interior was a mixture of gothic medieval, rural British Isles and just artistic Polish bar. I had a beer, relaxed and listened to the music they were playing- sounded very familiar but I couldn't place it.
"What's this music?" I asked the bartender.
"Coldplay", she replied.
"Hmmm- I've heard of them, but haven't *heard* them before."
"How is that *possible*?" she asked.
"Well, I just tend to like very different music than this,
I guess."
After a while, I finished the beer, walked around a bit more, then headed to bed. Long day!
Monday, 13 April, 2009
6:45 am- Got up early today, took the 8:37 train back to Warsaw. Most of the other things I would have wanted to do here were closed today, so I figured it would be fine to just head back early. Going down the stairs to the tracks, I noticed a sign. Apparently, even *Olsztyn* has a darned laundromat, with a cafe and internet service! Why can't Warsaw have one? Must continue the search.
Pretty good trip back- I had some spiced apple juice and water (the only things I could find to eat) and mostly napped a lot. Woke up when we pulled into the station just before Warszawa Centralna. We stopped for a bit and I figured we'd take off after a short pause. However, 40 minutes later.... train hadn't moved. I asked the conductor if the train was continuing on or what, and he had no idea. I couldn't tell if there was a problem with the tracks, the train, or what, so I decided to just find another way home. I got off, walked out to the front of the station and found a tram that would take me to Rondo Radisława. I thought, "Great! I'll have some lunch in Arkadia (the HUGE mall), then head home." Well, it should not have been a surprise to find that Arkadia was.... you guessed it- closed. All the malls are. *sigh*
I just took another tram home, though, dumped off my stuff, found my apartment in good condition, and went out for a walk. Found some lunch at a pizzeria by the old town, then wandered through the streets of the old town. LOTS of people out and about, street vendors, ice cream, etc. Everyone was enjoying a nice spring day, I guess. I hadn't been out there for quite a while, so it was nice to go back. Walked out to the soccer stadium and discovered that there's a game this Saturday at 7:15- think I'll try to go. I've decided that if I can't watch hockey and baseball very much here, I'll become a soccer fan. The matches are also very exciting, in a different sort of way.
Took the bus down to Nowy Świat and had dessert in a cafe called Cawa. I had an utterly decadent cup of coconut hot chocolate- thick, rich, perfectly accented with coconut, dark chocolate.... almost like molten mousse. Just heavenly. Read a book for a while, just relaxed, had my chocolate and some water with lemon, people-watched, enjoyed the rest of my holiday.
8:30 pm- Came home, turned on the TV to watch a hockey game featuring Poland vs Romania.... and after a little internet searching, discovered that the IIHF World Championships were going on right now and that Division I Group B (this bunch) were taking place between April 11-17 in Torun. I had originally planned to go there this weekend but figured that a different time would be better, since I want to visit a library and thought they'd be closed for Easter. *whaps self* If I'd stuck to the original plan, I could have been watching European ice hockey for the last two days! A pass for ALL the games is only 140 PLN, too! Ah, well.... water over the dam. Will have to plan on it for next year.
I guess that's about it for my wild weekend of traveling. Hope everyone else had a great holiday!
9:45 am- Woke up to pounding on my door. When I opened it, there was a blonde girl there. "Yes?" I said. She looked at me blankly, then said "Oh, sorry!" Okay....
Got dressed and ready for the day, then went to the cathedral to see what Easter celebrations were like. The church was huge, very dark and ornate, echo-y. Also full of rather strong incense, so I didn't stay long. A family was baptizing their daughter, though, Nataliya Anastasia- pretty name! After a bit, I went back to the hotel, grabbed my coat and bag and went in search of lunch.
NOTHING is open in this town on Easter. Literally, *nothing*. I found ONE store where I got some water and a newspaper, but no real food. After wandering through all of town for about half an hour, I found myself at the train station. I had to check times for tomorrow anyway, so that was good, but as I stood there looking at the Warsaw times I thought, "Well! Why stay here all day if there's absolutely nothing open?" So I randomly decided to go to a town called Iława. I have no idea where it is or what there is to do there, but it's only an hour's ride away and there are several trains returning to Olsztyn later in the day. At the very least, I'll get an hour's sightseeing on the train!
This train is a LOT nicer than the one from Warsaw! Clean, open compartments, velvety seats, barely anyone on the train at all. I'm in a car with a couple of young families, riding past open countryside dotted with tiny farms and barns, and now a bunch of forestland.
2:45 pm- Well! Iława turned out to be a *very* nice surprise. It's a small town about an hour's train ride west of Olsztyn, and I liked it right off the bat because the small train station actually had an open food counter with real food, snacks, sodas, etc! I had some coffee and looked at the newspaper for a bit, then took off to explore. I walked for about 20 minutes through residential neighborhoods, down some quiet main streets with closed shops, just looked at stuff. I figured I could spend a few hours walking around here, then take the 5:15 back to Olsztyn, still on my involuntary fast.
I was about to completely give up on the concept of eating anything today when I saw a sizeable crowd gathered about two blocks away. I discovered that they were all in line for Amerikańskie lody- American ice cream and shakes! I happily joined the line and in five minutes, had a tasty chocolate shake.
Fortified by the first substantial food I'd had all day, I walked on, and just over the hill was a *gorgeous* little lake! The perimeter must have been about a mile, surrounded on all sides by quaint little buildings, small docks and houses. Rushes and reeds grew along the sides of the lake and I saw swans and at least two types of ducks swimming there. Very calm and serene! Lots of people were out enjoying the sunshine, walking their dogs and children, having a good time.
I also discovered that there were two OPEN restaurants situated along the lake! One was hosting some sort of party, so it was closed to the public, but I had a delicious dinner in the other, Restauracja Yellow. Tastefully decorated inside with abstract art and metal sculptures, I enjoyed some tomato soup, duck with apples and roast potatoes and a cappuccino. I took my time, people-watching and reading, just having a nice afternoon. I really like this town- in hindsight, I probably should have stayed just two days in Olsztyn and come here for the other two. Will certainly have to return sometime!
After dinner, I took a leisurely walk around the lake. The path was wide and smooth, none of these cobblestones that plague Warsaw. This would just be a lovely place to live, the perfect place to exercise each night at sunset. At the other end of the lake, I walked across the street to discover an even *bigger* one, with boats and everything. This is a really nice area of Poland, I've decided. Walked around there for a bit, then spotted a restaurant and hotel, Restauracja Tatark. I decided to kill another hour before the train left with dessert and coffee. The interior was like an old Tudor house, dark lighting with large wooden beams, solid wood tables, attractive decorations and lace, old historic photographs hanging on the walls. The restaurant also included a nice enclosed terrace that looked out onto the lake. The food menu looked tasty, so I'll have to come back for actual dinner sometime. Dessert was nice- cut fruit in a glass dish. Though, the doppio espresso looked more like a half espresso- small! Oh, well.
The restaurant *also* has free wireless internet, the first I've encountered since Friday afternoon in the Olsztyn library. It's been a bit odd going without the net for a few days. I think, though, that since I'm almost done with the trip, I'll just post this whole thing when I get home.
9:16 pm- Boy, THAT was close! I need to work on my time management skills a *lot* more. I lingered a bit too long over dessert and couldn't find a taxi to get back to the train station. People had told me to look for ones with green lights on, but I found two, asked if they were free and both said no. I can *never* find taxis unless I call them! I gave up on that and decided to book it across town. My navigation skills must have been really on, for I made it directly back to the train station in about 30 minutes, bought my ticket and some water, and boarded the train. It left the station going back to Olsztyn four minutes later.
I don't think I'd had an accurate idea of how long it took me to get out to the lake in the first place because I walked slowly, enjoying the sunshine, meandering around the side streets. I should definitely leave myself a lot more time in the future. Though, if I'd had to stay the night here, I would at least have known where to find a nice hotel!
Now on the train heading back to Olsztyn. Time to listen to music and relax a bit. My feet are tired!
10:30 pm- Took a bus back to the hotel, dropped off all my stuff and headed out to try one last pub. Decided to go to the Przymat Pub, just a ways down from the castle. Small inside, cozy... but they offer nice warm drinks, beer with juice and fruit, drinks that would be lovely on a really cold night. The interior was a mixture of gothic medieval, rural British Isles and just artistic Polish bar. I had a beer, relaxed and listened to the music they were playing- sounded very familiar but I couldn't place it.
"What's this music?" I asked the bartender.
"Coldplay", she replied.
"Hmmm- I've heard of them, but haven't *heard* them before."
"How is that *possible*?" she asked.
"Well, I just tend to like very different music than this,
I guess."
After a while, I finished the beer, walked around a bit more, then headed to bed. Long day!
Monday, 13 April, 2009
6:45 am- Got up early today, took the 8:37 train back to Warsaw. Most of the other things I would have wanted to do here were closed today, so I figured it would be fine to just head back early. Going down the stairs to the tracks, I noticed a sign. Apparently, even *Olsztyn* has a darned laundromat, with a cafe and internet service! Why can't Warsaw have one? Must continue the search.
Pretty good trip back- I had some spiced apple juice and water (the only things I could find to eat) and mostly napped a lot. Woke up when we pulled into the station just before Warszawa Centralna. We stopped for a bit and I figured we'd take off after a short pause. However, 40 minutes later.... train hadn't moved. I asked the conductor if the train was continuing on or what, and he had no idea. I couldn't tell if there was a problem with the tracks, the train, or what, so I decided to just find another way home. I got off, walked out to the front of the station and found a tram that would take me to Rondo Radisława. I thought, "Great! I'll have some lunch in Arkadia (the HUGE mall), then head home." Well, it should not have been a surprise to find that Arkadia was.... you guessed it- closed. All the malls are. *sigh*
I just took another tram home, though, dumped off my stuff, found my apartment in good condition, and went out for a walk. Found some lunch at a pizzeria by the old town, then wandered through the streets of the old town. LOTS of people out and about, street vendors, ice cream, etc. Everyone was enjoying a nice spring day, I guess. I hadn't been out there for quite a while, so it was nice to go back. Walked out to the soccer stadium and discovered that there's a game this Saturday at 7:15- think I'll try to go. I've decided that if I can't watch hockey and baseball very much here, I'll become a soccer fan. The matches are also very exciting, in a different sort of way.
Took the bus down to Nowy Świat and had dessert in a cafe called Cawa. I had an utterly decadent cup of coconut hot chocolate- thick, rich, perfectly accented with coconut, dark chocolate.... almost like molten mousse. Just heavenly. Read a book for a while, just relaxed, had my chocolate and some water with lemon, people-watched, enjoyed the rest of my holiday.
8:30 pm- Came home, turned on the TV to watch a hockey game featuring Poland vs Romania.... and after a little internet searching, discovered that the IIHF World Championships were going on right now and that Division I Group B (this bunch) were taking place between April 11-17 in Torun. I had originally planned to go there this weekend but figured that a different time would be better, since I want to visit a library and thought they'd be closed for Easter. *whaps self* If I'd stuck to the original plan, I could have been watching European ice hockey for the last two days! A pass for ALL the games is only 140 PLN, too! Ah, well.... water over the dam. Will have to plan on it for next year.
I guess that's about it for my wild weekend of traveling. Hope everyone else had a great holiday!
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