In the summer of 2019, I set off to two weeks of Interrailing. I won the pass in a project called Discover EU and that’s exactly what I planned to do. However, as I was only 18 at the time, my parents wouldn’t let me go on my own. That kind of altered my original plans, but I hoped the trip would be fun, nonetheless.
The first stop was Warsaw in Poland with two of my friends. I don’t even know what got me so excited about Poland. It’s just our neighbouring country, but for some reason, I really wanted to go. And I still do want to go back.
The journey was long and, indeed, there was a 2-hour-long delay – at the end of it, our conversations were something like “How much longer?” – “1,20€.” But in the end, we arrived, which boosted my mood and energy. Warsaw was huge, yet homely. I don’t usually like big cities but there I felt a sort of familiarity.
And, I came prepared. I had a huge list of things to do and places to see including the prices and opening times. So the next day, after amazing buffet breakfast (who doesn’t love that?), we started our touristy bit.
Firstly, we went to the Palace of Culture and Science, which was huge building that greeted us upon our arrival the previous day. It was gifted to Poland by USSR in 1955 and the views were beautiful but that was about it. So then, we wanted to go to the National Museum, a massive gallery with a very affordable ticket. I decided to see every single corner of it and thus, I fell behind the schedule. Moreover, on the way there, there were young people trying to promote something. So my friends and I, naturally, decided to “prank” them by speaking Russian instead (may I just add that we don’t speak Russian). The surprise in our faces when the person responded in Russian and we had to run away from this embarrassing moment.
And in the evening, we went to the Chopin Museum. I am a big fan though don’t ask me about the names. I just enjoy listening to Master’s music. And I must say it was a cool experience with the museum having many different booths where you could listen to different piece. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that much time.
The next day, we were really tired, but I wanted to push it. Afterall, we had to leave the following morning. Therefore, we went to the Warsaw Rising Museum. And, to save some money, I insisted we walk without realising how far from our hotel it was. Also, the weather got bad and it rained, so yeah, that day I wasn’t the favourite friend. But when we got back from our visit and took a nap, the skies and our moods cleared up though at this point we couldn’t care less about other museums so we just walked around the Old Town and the Vistula river. Good vibes only.
And in the morning, I continued onto my second stop.
The lesson learnt: don’t overdo it with your activities in one day – you’ll have a travel burnout.
And finally, something you all have been waiting for – the traditional dishes worth mentioning:
Zapiekanki – a slice of roll topped with different things (mine had chicken and pineapple – don’t judge) and toasted nice and crispy.
Gofry – Polish waffles, or, in other words, sweet heaven on a plate.
