Warsaw, Poland July 2018 Trip Report

Our final stop was Warsaw. We went via train. We had purchased 1st class tickets just because they weren't much more then the 2nd class. It was an express so the trip would only be 2.5 hours. After getting settled, a steward came around with a snack, coffee/tea and a menus for breakfast. There were 3 items to choose from. A different steward brought the breakfast. Sometimes I am just amazed. Needless to say it was a lovely ride. We were staying at the Polonia Hotel, just a short walk from the station. Wow, what a difference a city makes. Warsaw is a large city, with so much construction going on it rivals Manhattan. Very modern, very high buildings. Yet, we walked down a street and they were renovating and laying large cobblestones. Something I equate with old world charm. We had 4 nights/3 days and we were anxious to get started. After settling into the hotel we decided to walk to the market square. We walked up the royal way and stopped to buy concert tickets for Friday night. We ate dinner at the chain Rick recommended, Zapiecek. They serve large portions so sharing is an option. We walked back to the hotel for coffee and a good nights sleep.
The next day we purchased the Warsaw pass at the Palace of Culture and Science. We hooped into the Dollhouse museum, which was fun, before heading to the top for the 360* view of the city. I can never get enough bird's eye views of any city so it was wonderful. We had a coffee at the cafe. Since the pass came with the HOHO bus pass, we hopped on then hopped off at the Chopin Museum. We hopped back on and took the full loop. We went down Embassy Row, past the park, and back to the Culture Palace. We had appts for massages at the hotel, couldn't resist since they were so inexpensive, so we walked back. We went out again for a light dinner.
Friday morning we lingered at breakfast because it was the most elaborate spread we had ever seen. They had everything thing you could imagine, even fresh honey on or in the honeycomb. Not sure what the correct wordage is. They had egg stations, fresh breads galore, meats hot and cold, juices, salad fixings, besides organic butter, they had lard as a choice. Very extensive. They didn't leave anything out. So, we the. Decided to walk off the fulfilling breakfast and once again starts walking into town. Then, low and behold, we saw it, our donut place. Smiles all around turned to frowns as we were so stuffed. We made a mental note to return at a later time. We took a different route this time and ended up on the royal way anyway. We stopped in The Church of the Holy Cross to see Chopin's heart, then ventured to theNational Ethnographic museum of Warsaw. Well worth a visit, one of my favorites. Disappointing gift shop though. We had a coffee at the museum cafe then started walking again. By now it was very hot and when we walked past the Saxon Gardens they were having a ceremony to honor their police officers. We stayed and watched awhile talking to some people in the crowd. Next stop was the Royal Castle and museum. Here we used an audio guide. So many beautiful pictures and the architecture is awe inspiring. We were ready for our main meal of the day and hubby liked the menu at the restaurant in the castle. I didn't like the room and no one was there, a bad sign for me. The host told us we could outside in the garden so we went with him. There were trees, flowers, the river view, umbrellas, it was a small slice of paradise. We ate a very slow lunch and enjoyed the afternoon. At this point my cousin's hubby wasn't feeling well so he decided to go back to the hotel to rest, my hubby accompanied him. We girls decided to do some shopping so we walked to the New Old Town Rick wrote about and shopped. We hopped into the Warsaw city museum mainly because we needed to use the WC and it belonged to our pass. It was a snooze. Pass it by unless you need the WC. We were starting to feel guilty so we decided to walk back to the hotel.