The Land of Po: Warsaw

Poland. With the exception of Warsaw, I really liked it there. I was supposed to catch an early morning flight from London and land in Warsaw with six hours to get my bearings, have lunch, and explore before flying to Krakow. Several things caused these plans to go down the toilet. I got to Heathrow around 1am that morning and didn’t sleep, so I was tired and disoriented upon arrival in Warsaw. My flight was late and it took forever to find the left luggage office and buy a bus ticket, cutting in to my already short time. Luckily, I had done some internet research at home and picked up a few tips. I knew how to take the 175 aka “pickpocket bus” from the airport to the city, where I should walk to see famous sites, and how to say thank you (Jen KWEE yeh). I didn’t know what to expect but I was determined to see Warsaw instead of napping in the airport.

Clutching my purse tightly, I rode the hot, crowded pickpocket bus into the city and hopped off when this monstrosity came into view:

The Palace of Culture and Science

Ha, such a Soviet communist name. But in all seriousness, it’s one of the worst things I have ever seen. Stalin “gave” it to Poland as a “gift” during his reign. It’s like giving someone a really expensive but ugly shirt embroidered with “I suck but the person who gave me this shirt is awesome.” Today, The Palace houses a movie theater and other cultural and scientific things, I’m sure, but when I went in, all I could find was the movie theater, not even a bathroom. The whole time I was in the city I felt like this thing was looking over my shoulder, watching my every move. I don’t usually have strong architectural opinions but man, what an eyesore. I feel bad for people who have to see it everyday.

I just really hate it

I walked around Warsaw in a daze, dwarfed beneath ominously huge buildings. The streets were dingy and some as wide as our freeways. Four lanes each way doesn’t do much for pedestrian friendliness. I wanted to walk to Old Town Warsaw, the market square that was destroyed by the Germans during WWII and rebuilt afterwards to look really old again. But I didn’t make it. The map made it seem close but I failed to take Soviet city block length into consideration. It’s like they were giants or something.

Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or my natural distrust of “Eastern Europe,” but Warsaw was not nice. It struck me as anonymous and sad. I know I’m being unfair in judging a city based on a short visit, but that’s my story. It’s possible I could change my mind if I visit again, but I don’t see that happening any time soon. If you have something good to say about Warsaw, please, let me know. I shouldn’t beat up on it too much, though. For a city that’s seen that much destruction and foreign occupation, the fact it exists today is a triumph, I suppose. Still, I cannot tell you how glad I was to get out of there.