Walking through Warsaw

My friend, Stacey Bry, who is also studying in Oxford, has a best friend from home in California named Sam. Sam is attending medical school in Łodz, Poland, so I went to visit her for a few days.

Sam and I woke up early to travel to the train station in Łodz to take a train to Warsaw. Since I had arrived at night yesterday, this was my first experience really seeing any part of Poland. This country is different than anywhere I have ever been. Prior to visiting Poland, I had been to Canada, England, France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. All of these countries are Western European or North American, while Poland was part of the Eastern Block. Communism reigned here until.

Most of what I saw in Łodz this morning was a bit run down, graffitied, and dated. City buses were from the 1970s. Somehow the biting cold and grey skies added to the feeling of desolation. One of the most interesting things I noticed about Łodz is its colors. Buildings are painted with a palette of blues, yellows, greens, and oranges, often times with many colors on one building. We drove by the most beautiful church that looked like a massive mosaic. The colors seem to contrast the cold, grayness almost defiantly.

When we arrived in Warsaw, I noticed that none of the signs were in English. Most of the other countries I had visited had signs in both languages, but the train station in Warsaw had nothing. If I hadn’t been with Sam, I don’t know how I would have found my way out. The station was underground and a maze of stores selling baked goods, kebabs, convenience goods, books, scarves and hats, and clothing. Sam booked us discounted reservations at the Marriott Warsaw, which was conveniently located next to the train station. We didn’t even have to go outside, as the underground walkways went straight to the hotel.

The opulence of the Marriott Warsaw was a welcomed treat after living in my cold, dark, decaying flat in England for the past two months. I was definitely tempted to crawl under the plush covers of the soft, fluffy bed and stay there all day. On a prior trip to Warsaw, Sam and her father met a man, Mark, who works as a driver for Marriott. Sam had arranged for Mark to meet us at the hotel, so we went downstairs where he was waiting with his very nice car to give us a tour of the city.

It was so wonderful to visit the city with a local. As we drove, Mark pointed out buildings of interest, such as the largest cemetery in Warsaw, the row of embassies, technical schools, and particularly interesting parks. Warsaw has one of the only Muslim mosques in the world without a tower, as the surrounding residents protested its construction. Apparently they didn’t want to hear 5 AM prayers every day. The streets of Warsaw were lined with people selling wares from carts and stalls. We even drove past the largest bazaar in Europe. Its stalls stretched for such a long distance! Mark informed us that it is possible to buy fake identification and even fake university diplomas at the bazaar. Why am I at university then? I should have just stopped at the bazaar to buy a degree!

Our first stop was Wilanow Palace, built for Polish King Jan III Sobieski in the 1600s. One source called it the Polish Versailles. When Mark parked the car, a man came up and asked if he could “guard” the car. While homeless men and women sell “Big Issue” magazines in Oxford, guarding cars seems to be a popular way of earning money on the street in Warsaw. As we walked up to the palace, I realized how little I knew about Poland. I knew nothing of its history, culture, or language, and this fact made me sad. Once again, I was struck by the beautiful colors. The palace was white with yellow, red, and blue trim, and recessed statues decorated its walls and adorned the roofs.

From the palace, we drove to the 200-acre Łazienki Park with the beautiful “water palace”, surrounded by water on all sides. There were so many beautiful sculptures, statues, and buildings in the park, and I enjoyed watching the peacocks walk along the paths. For such a cold day, the park was surprisingly busy. At the top of the park, we saw the memorial to the composer, Chopin. A short walk took us to a statue of Józef Piłsudski, Poland's first chief of state, who is considered largely responsible for Poland having regained her independence in 1918. It was next to Belweder Palace, essentially the former version of the U.S. White House, as it housed several presidents and a chief of state, including Józef Piłsudski. It now serves as a residence for visiting heads of state.

We got back in the car and drove to Old Town Warsaw. About 85% of the buildings in Warsaw were destroyed during World War II, including 25% by the German forces during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Thankfully, much of Old Town has been rebuilt, with squares surrounded by buildings of the most amazing colors. Many are adorned with painted or carved embellishments, and restaurants are covered with flowers and decorative lights.

From Old Town, we drove to see the last remaining wall from the Warsaw ghetto. In 1940, 440,000 people, about 37% of Warsaw, were crowded into less than 3 square miles, or 2.3% of Warsaw's area. Food rations inside the ghetto were around 200 calories per day. I had to hold back tears and the desire to be sick as we drove through a park that used to be inside the ghetto. The conditions are just unimaginable.

Poland is a country that is still very much in need of rebuilding. Sam told me that she views Poland as a diamond waiting to be pressed from coal. Though the government is now a democracy, the people still feel the effects of the former Communist rule, and many are unsure as to how to adjust to the new administration. Łodz is campaigning to be the European Capital of Culture in 2016, and a great amount of work is going into revitalizing the city. It will be interesting to see where Poland goes in the next ten years!