Warsaw wonders

Warsaw, Poland. Monday, 23rd May, 2022.

Sleep broke at 04:40 or so hence the alarm had become redundant again. Comfortably finished our morning ablutions and were down for breakfast at 07:50. Enjoyed the first meal of the day! Chatted with the lady at the reception about Europe and India, till 08:35, when Uber arrived, driven by Marek. A comfortable ride to the main railway station of Krakow, followed. The driver dropped us at platform no. 5 in the rooftop parking lot. The lift took us down to the train platform. Very convenient! No need to visit the station concourse, which is one storey below the train platforms.

Waited for our train - the 3506 Inter City Express to Gydinia Glowny; via Warsaw. After a while, a train from Warsaw arrived at platform no. 5. After all the passengers had disembarked, the cleaning staff took over. At around 09:15, the train was announced as the 3506 Intercity Express to Gydinia Glowny. We were of course eager to board the train and occupy our seats (41 and 43; coach 6) but the doors were locked as cleaning was going on inside. Waited for long on the platform. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the doors were unlocked. Just 10-12 minutes before departure! The coach of this crocodile-faced express was wonderful, with a pleasant decor, extremely comfortable seats, plenty of leg space; and most importantly complete cleanliness. Sipped a beer (tin purchased at Prague) on the very pleasant journey.

Went to the restaurant car in coach no. 3 and picked up a coffee with Petite Beurre biscuits for Urmila. It was fun trying to maintain my balance with the cup of coffee in one hand and my TAB in the other; the biscuits safely in the pocket of my jacket. I almost made it without incident but just as I was crossing from coach 5 into 6, the train curved and the jerk caused a wee bit of the coffee to spill, through the small aperture in the lid of the cup! Never mind!

Reached Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw main train station) on time, at 12:25. Consulted Google Maps, took help from locals to exit the station and come to the surface. We found ourselves on the pavement of a long and broad road, flanked by tall, modern buildings; and trees; on either side. A little ahead was a junction. Trams (in an eye-catching yellow colour) were plying in addition to other vehicles. Among the modern constructions were skyscrapers, that chiefly lent the modern look to the city.

Google had us confused about the location of the tram stop so once again took the help of a local. He guided us to the right tram stop, which was in the middle of the road facing us, just a few metres away. We waited for tram no. 41. I had purchased the Warsaw 24-hours tickets on the app Jakdojade, but the tickets had to be validated before first use. The app said that we could do it on the tram. No. 41 soon arrived, we boarded it, Urmila found a seat and took care of the suitcases while I got busy trying to validate the tickets. Searched in vain for the QR code on the TVM inside the tram. Asked a girl who was standing near; she too did not know! At the next stop, another girl boarded the tram and aimed her mobile at the ceiling of the tram! Only then did I spot the QR code - it was stuck above the TVM, near the ceiling! I tried to scan the tickets, without success! Made four attempts to scan, each attempt separated from the previous one by three minutes during which an attempt to scan was automatically blocked by the app! Finally gave it up! Urmila was enjoying the ride - there was enough greenery bordering either side of the broad road and what surprised but impressed us was an unending row of modern buildings, all in sober colours, flanking the road! Warsaw looked different - quite unlike the typical European capital city boasting sturdy stone buildings with their eaves and gables; and red roofs. Reached our stop, named Postepu.

The scene was pleasing, with a flyover perpendicular to the tram tracks, the road to our right ascending, the one to our left flanked by trees on either side. Following Google Maps, we arrived at Hotel Holiday Inn, a huge, seven storeyed structure, with a large and impressive lobby. Checked into room no. 719 on the seventh floor. The room was spacious, front-facing. Deposited our luggage, had a quick wash and left for lunch - located a Polish restaurant, ten minutes' walk away.

Enjoyed the walk, which included crossing the main road (and tram tracks) by ascending to the flyover by a lift and descending back to the road, on the other side. Enjoyed fried chicken with vegetables and boiled potato. Sipped a Polish lager, of course. Urmila had her usual cappuccino!

Meal done, we walked back to the tram stop of Postepu and boarded tram no. 41 to ride till the stop of Kino Femina, 15 stops away! Managed to scan and validate the tram tickets successfully, after one more failed attempt! With my mind now at ease, I settled down to enjoy the ride with splendid views of the city that continued to impress. Changed into tram no. 26, to go to the Old Town Square. The stop for this, named Stare Miasto was just two stops away. We passed through a short tunnel before reaching Stare Miasto. As soon as we disembarked, we got the feeling of being in the traditional Europe!

The old-world buildings with their trademark red roofs and other robust constructions were now visible. We had to climb two flights of stairs to reach the Old Town Square. It was huge, with a pillar at its centre; cobbled streets branching off all corners. We strolled around for the next one hour or more, enjoying the feel.

Checked out a couple of shops for fridge magnets; found a couple of good ones. Also purchased local chocolate. The cobbled street took us to another town square, with many interesting buildings along its sides. At the centre was the statue of a mermaid and next to her was a huge water hand-pump that actually gave out water!

Followed a cobbled path in a different direction and soon found ourselves at a 'view point' that overlooked a huge, well-manicured, terraced garden; beyond which lay the river Vistula. It was a very pretty sight. Strolled a little further along the boundary of the view point and then returned to the first town square by a street parallel to the one taken earlier.

Back to the tram stop. Followed the same route back to Postepu. We spotted Lidl supermarket a couple of stops before Postepu, hence disembarked and walked to Lidl, housed in one of the many impressive modern buildings flanking the road. Purchased 'garam masala' powder, whisky-with-cola and a few hard-boiled sweets. Back to our room by 20:00 or so.

Off to Frankfurt, tomorrow afternoon.