As my tour guide on the walking tour said, Krakow may be a city that you fall in love with at first sight while Warsaw is one you first have to get to know.
August 10 2015
Even though I am “backpacking solo,” I was with people probably 85% of the time I was in Krakow. I needed a detox… so I can honestly say I made no efforts to meet anyone at my hostel in Warsaw. I was in bed within 20 minutes of arriving to my hostel (Krakow-Warsaw is about 3 hours by train and then it took me 15 minutes to walk to my hostel, Patchwork Design-which I almost didn’t find because it was in this really cool terrace). Some drunk idiots came in at like 430AM and were SO loud. Giving them some time to settle in, I bite my tongue… until I look up and they are literally all in their boxers jumping around.
So yeah, “YOU GUYS. Stop I am trying to sleep.”
They settled down a bit but then started laughing so hard because someone was snoring….
August 11 2015
A little (unintentional) payback: in the morning when I woke up at 730AM, I had snoozed my alarm so when I came back from the bathroom, my alarm was going off and the same boys that woke me up three hours ago were stirring and/or picking their heads up. I apologized, of course, but in my head “karma’s a bitch.”
Justina had given me the contact info of one of her friends that lives in Warsaw, Julio. I contacted him and we agreed to meet around 1030AM for a little walk around tour. I got some breakfast and coffee and FINALLY had some time to myself!!
Julio found me and we started to walk towards the center.
We ended up joining the very tour I said I wasn’t going to do… but the tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging and Julio was showing me the same things so why not tag along!
Did you know that 85% of Warsaw was systematically destroyed towards the end of WWII by the Nazis?? Not only was Warsaw targeted because it is the capital of Poland, but from what I understood, a large reason why the city was basically leveled was due to the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Throughout the entire German occupation, there was an “underground” Polish army rebelling and fighting back. On August 1, 1944 they began their armed uprising. For two months, this conflict continued. 16000 Polish soldiers were killed while 250000 civilians were killed… Not sure of the number of Nazis but it was also in the thousands. 
Once Warsaw had been defeated, any survivors were ordered to evacuate the city. Planned destruction followed. Then the Russians “liberated” the ruins of Warsaw.
^This statue commemorates all the children that acted as "runners" during the Uprising
^bullet holes etc in some of the surviving architecture
It took 1 year for the city to be cleaned up, and 5 for the city to be rebuilt. Warsaw has been compared to Disneyland since everything “isn’t real” but Warsaw isn’t trying to trick anyone. The buildings were rebuilt in their original style, or at least their original dimensions, but many of the buildings are labeled with the year they were built in. Some are already falling apart even though the city is only 50 years old since they were built rather hastily with minimum funds (thanks Soviets!)
At the end of the tour, our guide brought us to a mom and pop place for vodka shots (I graciously declined) but did have some of their “chaser” which is a piece of bread with lard and bacon on it. Healthy.
She was telling us that vodka is the only thing that is served at traditional Polish weddings and other gatherings and the grandparents are the ones that give their grandkids their first shot and are also the best drinkers. Polish abuelos and abuleas getting turnt!
Met a Venezuelan girl about my age and a Brazilian guy during my tour and we decided to get lunch by the main square. The Venezuelan girl asked me when I left Venezuela :D Moments like those make me so happy :))
I was considering going to a Jewish Warsaw tour, so basically the effect of WWII on the Jewish community, but I was running low on energy and the idea of listening to another 2.5+ hour tour was not appealing. So instead I decided to wander the bohemian neighborhood called Praga District. The tour guide told me to enter all the terraces and get lost wandering- there is a lot of street art around. Many of the buildings had also survived the city’s demolition so I would be able to see what Warsaw used to look like… So that was my intention.
Other than this one cathedral (that was full of begging gypsy children)
And this one mural (that had people nearby yelling at each other)
I would actually be a bit scared if I got lost in this area. It was dirty and a bit sketchy, and I felt very out of place and was uncomfortable taking my camera out…
So tram it back to Old Town…
This is funny to me. I have seen them only in Poland and Poland hasn’t even been the hottest place I have been. They have sprinklers out so people can cool off EVERYWHERE.
Went back to the hostel to prepare for yet another overnight trip, this time to Vilnius to visit Justina!!! I almost missed my bus….. I thought it was a train, first of all. Luckily I asked the receptionist at the hostel for directions and she pointed out it was in fact a bus leaving from terminal 4, whatever that means.
I got to the train station and was looking for the place the receptionist had pointed out on my map. When I got there and asked someone standing there if she was going to Vilnius she said no. Shit. This girl that was watching everything happen took me under her wing and tried to help me find it. She couldn’t- I have like 15 minutes to figure it out. She calls her mother. Still no help. We find another guy. He thinks it’s across the street [it’s not]. Time is ticking so I sprint to the train station… lady can’t help me because it’s the TRAIN station and not the bus station (even though the bus station is kind of combined). Less than FIVE MINUTES! I asked some janitors and they point me in the direction of the road that my stop was at (where I had started basically). I am full out sprinting its 1141 and my bus leaves at 1140. I come out of the underground and SEE A BUS!
I make it. Out of breath, sweaty, frazzled, but I make it. I am going to see Justina!!! And the bus was sooo comfy. Wifi and movies and a fully reclining seat :D
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