Eastern Europe - Part 3
Warsaw, Poland
By Dr Shamim Ahmed
After having spent some memorable days in Vienna, we left for Warsaw by train. The journey through the heart of Eastern Europe took about eight hours. Due to technical glitches, our train was delayed by a few hours. By the time we reached our hotel, it was past midnight. It was heartening to find the receptionist waiting for us. English is poorly understood in Poland, though we overcame the problem thanks to the friendliness of the Polish people.
The Polish capital boasts palaces, monumental buildings and well laid parks. We were caught by rain the first morning. Nevertheless, we visited the Royal Castle in Warsaw, which served as the official residence of Polish monarchs for centuries. It is located in Castle Square, at the entrance to Warsaw Old Town. We were awed with admiration as we toured the great apartment and its magnificent great assembly hall, the neighbouring national hall and the lavishly decorated throne room. The Royal Castle museum is rich in historical relics, paintings, wall murals and art, as well as furnishings and drapes used by past kings and queens.
A large esplanade links the Castle to the Old Town. There are several cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops in the neighbourhood. We enjoyed lunch with beef steak, pasta with shrimp and tomato soup at the square caf.
The Castle Square leads to the Old Town Market Square. We walked along the quiet cobbled streets to the Market Square, with its renaissance buildings. The Old Town is charming with its block houses in different colours, open restaurants and cafes, cozy souvenir shops and markets. There are many churches around to visit. It appeared that many buildings have been restored or are in the process. We spent a few hours in this beautiful and historical place. Hidden courtyards and squares, gardens and statues delighted us as we made our way to the eastern side, where the view over the Vistula River to the right-bank is one of the loveliest in the city.
Warsaw city is calm and quiet, with no noticeable mad rush. We spent an entire morning at Wilanw Royal Palace, located in the Wilanw district. It was built for one of Polands most famous leaders, King John Sobieski III. Its walls are adorned, inside and out, with impressive murals of some of the kings most famous military victories. The Palace museum is a repository of the countrys royal and artistic heritage. The museum houses costumes, statues, and paintings at the lavishly decorated grand entrance hall and the grand dining room. We spent some time strolling in the manicured French-designed lawns and gardens, adorned with beautiful sculptures.
For a taste of something completely different from the glitz and concrete of downtown Warsaw, we visited Praga district. A cultural hub, it is definitely worth a look, boasting some of the oldest buildings and picturesque parks with vibrant nightlife in the city. We relished a late dinner at one of the city malls with pasta and shrimp, mushroom soup and smashed potatoes.
Warsaw has plenty of top-drawer museums and visiting them is a rewarding distraction and a pleasant reminder that culture doesnt have to be boring. My only regret is we did not find time to visit Chopin Museum to pay our respect to Frdric Chopin, a Polish composer and pianist of the Romantic era. Mentionable, Warsaw airport is named after Chopin.
We were simply amazed to visit various places of interest in Eastern Europe during our two-week foray. The countries are still laid back. There is no mad rush anywhere. The people are friendly. We were overwhelmed to find so many palaces, parks, museums and art galleries. The old town square with the iconic astronomical clock and Charles Bridge of Prague, the picturesque Hofburg, Schonbrunn and Belvedere palaces and the museums of Vienna, and the Royal Castle and Wilanow Palace of Warsaw are enshrined in our memories and are worth visiting. It is a different world altogether.
Photos: Writer.
