I love Libraries & Art: Warsaw's back streets

My final day in Warsaw. (I almost just wrote Berlin! They are similar.) Wandering libraries and art museums. But first thing was to bus to the bus station and buy my ticket for the following day. I'd built it up to a long nightmare with an unsmiling attendant in the midst of confusion and suffering and it ended up being a five minute simple experience ending in a smile- one of the easiest encounters of my trip. After that was out of the way, I was off to my greatest loves, art and books.

The Modern Art Museum, which is in a temporary location, small, beautiful and free. Simple in it's B&W display, with a tiny cafe at the entrance where I topped off my visit with an espresso.

So true and yet, I can't help but think money is freedom. It is.

So similar, it's shocking.

The artistic metro station, Plac Wilsona. It was nice but I was underwhelmed. But with a 16zl (4Euro) 3-day transport pass, it was not a waste of much time and no money.

Poland's symbol, on the side of an old bank which survived WW2.

I love the layers.

The opera house.

Old town

Old town market square.

Kafka Kafe. Excellent salad, coffee and interesting people watching.

The most beautiful library in the world.

The ceiling of the most beautiful library.

They have a garden atop.

Warsaw from the roof.

Inside the library from the roof

Ok so I was thinking that the people in the library could probably see up my skirt since it is all windows but hopefully it was kind of far away and they really couldn't see anything but if they did see something I hope it made them happy at least.

Rooftop Garden (another one!)

I went to see the Polish Little Mermaid who is supposed to have muscles but then this was there instead. So I took a picture. You can just imagine the muscular little mermaid. I hope you can imagine it.

The stadium and a tram. I rode a tram over that bridge too.

Obi Cafe

They were having a bike scavenger hunt and most of the teams were all dressed up in their spandex.

But this team was normal and laid back. I wanted to be on their team. If I were in the race.

Warsaw: Visit. But be strong. It is not for the weak. It is worth your efforts. Fearlessly attempt public transport. Polish people are nice and helpful but speak mostly Polish. Not so much English or German, but you will get by. I did. Anyway. It's a very interesting, very large town. Go!

End of Lviv, Introducing Warsaw!

I have had a technical failure since arriving in Warsaw, and my netbook no longer attaches to the internet, so I am back to paying for online time and transferring files via flashdrive. Not so fun, but it frees up a lot of time otherwise. I have also become dependent on the hostel reception to look up travel information, like bus schedules and whatnot. That is actually an improvement.

End of Lviv:

She was singing opera in Rynok Square. It's the first time I have heard a street performer do opera. It was really beautiful.

Taking the train to WARSAW!

(Unlike Copenhagen, their lightboards work and are accurate, and the trains were even on time.)

It really was non smoking. (Unlike Denmark also.)

Dinner. Yum. I did not finish the beer or I would have passed out and missed my station even though it was nearly an 8 hour ride. It was 8.3% beer.

This kid was eating the whole train ride, and opening and closing the door like he was five. His grandmother didn't say one thing to him. The lady who was sitting across from me kept making faces at me, so at least i had a partner in my judgement and annoyance.

First thing I saw in Warsaw (almost).

Central train station

Cafe inside Warsaw Rising museum

Remnants of WW2

Palace of Culture. It was all lit up in blue when I first got off the train. I thought I died and went to heaven. Warsaw was so peaceful and quiet and blue, and I was surprised. But then it was nearly midnight on a weekday. It is different during the day.

I would like to study here too

Marie Curie was from Warsaw

Cinnamon honey latte. Sounds better than it was. I would rather have had an espresso. But I am a snot like that.

This was a bar/cafe like in the middle of an intersection. And they had a pool. How Polish! Crazy Polish.

In the contemp art museum. I liked it. And they were free on Thursdays.

Fin means End.

More WW2 leftovers

I really liked this door

Warsaw is quite the city to visit. It's hard. I mean, you need to be a bit intrepid to get around. There's not a lot of English. It's really spread out. Even with a transport pass, my legs are aching from all the walking. I felt I liked it the first day, but I think that I would not want to live here, it is a difficult city, and I think a bit dark. But then that is true.

I took the tram to the ghetto area, which is still poor and kind of in ruins. And it was quite ghetto. I got back on the tram and decided I would leave the area.

The population is 1.7million, but I wonder what the land size is--- it is very spread out.

I will be here 2 more days, and then to the lakes region where I can canoe and look at Hilter's Wolf's Lair (where one of his people tried to assassinate him, unsucessfully).