Warsaw, ay tingnan!

My visit to Warsaw was primarily because of the weekend, after all, a city of a million has more to offer than, for example, Vilnius or Gdansk. I already visited Warsaw in 2005. Back then it was in November, cold and rainy. With a youth group, we spent a whole day visiting the city. Above all, the terrible history of the ghetto stayed in my memory.

With these impressions of a gray and gloomy city in my mind, I decided to limit my time there to a minimum. Arrival on Friday evening, departure on Sunday afternoon. However, I was proven wrong. This time I got to know Warsaw as a bustling metropolis. Skyscrapers in daring shapes with glass facades dominated the city center west of the Palace of Culture, Stalin's skyscraper, which had shaped the skyline until then.
Despite occasional rain showers, the city center resembled an anthill of partygoers who enjoyed life exuberantly. The openness and optimism that radiated from summer Warsaw were contagious. In the hostel, I had long and extensive conversations with Paul from Italy and Gabriel from Australia.

During the day, there was a two-hour city tour, a visit to the observation deck of Stalin's Palace of Culture, and a meal in a traditional Polish milk bar on the agenda. Finally, a walk through the beautiful (completely reconstructed) Old Town. I covered a good number of kilometers. The soles of my shoes started to disintegrate and my right ankle was already noticeable for the second day in a row.

Saturday was rounded off with an extended bar tour.