We Saw Warsaw
How fantastic it was to be back in Poland and finish what we started in 2020. When we visited Krakow in 2020, anyone from there or who had been there was telling us that was the better choice between the cities. Much older and prettier they said. And they were right, but I did love Warsaw for different reasons. For starters, it is much larger with lots more to do and experience.
I loved seeing North Fish in the Zlote Tarasy shopping centre next to our hotel and we made this our first stop after checking in. It’s just good to see healthy food in a food court and this place had saved us in Krakov when plan A fell through. Our first coffee fix is at Coffee Works, a little chain that has the largest selection of coffee makers, grinders and accessories I have ever seen in a shop, never mind a local coffee shop. In fact, there was more here than at that the London Coffee Festival this year. Other coffees were consumed at Kawarnia Coffee, after a visit to the haunting Uprising Museum and at the somewhat forgettable Kafka Coffee after visiting the wonderfully renovated building that is now the Elektrownia Powiśle shopping centre (main pic). Not forgetting the triple hot chocolate and chocolate desserts experience at Mr Wedel’s in the old town.
We had a great Japanese dinner at Kiseki where you can buy a platter of an assortment of tiny servings, a great way to try food from the nation I adore but have never taken to the food. I feel find something I love one day. There’s a quick meal at Barn Burger and on the last night, a wonderfully served meal at Siam Thai, always a goto wherever I am in the world. Although I’ve never actually been to Thailand. This was the night we discovered the excellent Cheesecake Factory for eat-in dessert. Just why don’t we have these places in the UK?
The best breakfast was probably at City Sam’s which I would have revisited had we been in Warsaw another day. The Singapore omelette is divine, it tasted like home. The brekkie at Byc Moze was, let’s say average and overpriced. The coffee and pastries from Costa (they get everywhere) on the train when we went to Krakow was more fun and better value.
As an accident made us cancel the Warsaw day trip when we were in Krakow last year, this time we based ourselves in the capital and day tripped back to relive the (non-accident) memories. This is how the beloved decided he wanted to spend his birthday, not for the first time. As in almost every country we travel to outside the UK, the train was impeccable, super comfy, inexpensive and on time. Sigh.
Back in Krakow, we started with a proper breakfast and coffee at Karma. This time we easily went back to the parts we wanted in a day. It’s doable when ignoring the tourist attractions we’d previously visited but had to go back to the fantastic Book Book and the old town. We even met up with a friend visiting from Birmingham for a coffee after which, it was time to head back to the fantastic Mercure hotel we stayed at previously for the beloved’s birthday meal. Ordinarily, we’d always eat away from the hotel base for meals but the Mercure was offering 50% discount last time we were here - as so many restaurants were in the summer of 2020. The food at Winestone was fantastic then and the service was 5* as it was throughout the hotel during our stay. So we felt we owed them another visit and the food was lovely again, albeit full price. Still great value and lovely to be around as they were getting reading for the festive season.
There is a contrast between the two great cities. Warsaw isn’t as new as I’d been lead to believe, probably more by people from Krakow. I understand their love for their home city. I imagine the relationship to be much like Barcelona and Madrid’s. Like any European city, there are lots of pretty old parts of Warsaw and our 34th-floor view from the hotel gave us a good glimpse of this.
Onwards to Berlin.
November 2021
