Hello Warsaw!

Coming out of the train station, it hits you instantly. You are now in a big city. A bustling business Center of Poland, with towering modern-looking skyscrapers (real ones this time, not those 10-something story high ones that they like to call "skyscrapers" in this part of the world..) surrounding the central rail station core. Beyond it, however, is an ongoing reminder of this being one of the previous communist strongholds (stronghold is a relative word, for all important decisions were basically made in Moscow). With large, dull, non-inspiring but deliberatively imposing concrete blocks of apartments and government buildings lined along all the big, wide, somewhat busy streets. When they say Warsaw isn't pretty, they are not kidding. But beyond the lack of esthetics lies a vibrant, functional city, who is rapidly embracing the fall of communism and, after overcoming a period of growing pains, is emerging as a stronger and more stable economy of Eastern Europe (a Ferrari dealership, the first of its kind in this region, prominently resides in ironically the former communist headquarters in Warsaw, and everywhere, large signs of expensive brands such as LV or Rolex overhangs still dull-looking communist style office towers). Poland never wanted to be communist in the first place, but was shoved down their throat after the Soviets "liberated" them from Nazi rule, and, like the local likes to jokes, "they came and then forgot to leave for almost 50 years".

The train here from Kraków was much more joyful than my previous rail journey, owning to me being able to buy an inter-city express train ticket online (for those who are interested in rail travel in Europe, I highly recommend you visit a resourceful site called "the man at seat 61" (www.seat61.com), whom a friend told me about. It's a very, and I mean VERY, comprehensive study of almost all train routes you can think of across Europe). The express train was a treat to ride. Wide-enough comfortable seats in a sturdy, quiet cabin, with the train clocking at up to 160km/hr across Poland's country side, making the trip from Kraków to Warsaw a rather comfortable 3 hour journey.

To further understand Warsaw's troubled past, I chose another one of these yellow umbrella walks, but this time with a communism theme (they have various special theme ones in addition to the usual "old town" tours). It was a fascinating experience. No Warsaw isn't very pretty, for much of its old town and new were completely destroyed during WWII. There was even talk of not even bother rebuilding it. But like it or not, the miraculous and efficiently rebuilt process of the city was actually one of the few communism efforts that could be called positive. In fact, unlike most other Polish cities that needed a rebuild, sensing the growing displeasure of the Polish people having to take in this new communism ideology, they chose to rebuild a large part of it in the old Polish look, and not all with large square concrete blocks. In that, part of Warsaw got its city back almost instantly, and on many streets almost exactly like they were before the war. The old town still got its old Europe charm, but by this point I'm almost all "old-Europed" out. Like Berlin, Warsaw has a youthful, energetic, optimistic feel to it. There's a film festival going on. Everywhere are large posters of upcoming concerns and cultural events. It's a livable city, not a walking museum, and pretty or not, it felt nice.