The Rebuilding of History.
This is a small but beautiful town, we have a lovely room overlooking a river and we come across a great vegan place close by and lunch on something healthy. The cafes are super cool and trendy.
The main square is beautiful and is surrounded by tiered dolls houses, most of them rebuilt after the war. Beautifully detailed doors, horse and carriages waiting in the square for tourists, bubbles drifting on the cool winter air.
We source a lovely cocktail bar and then move on to Konference restaurant, it has a hidden room where they plotted to overthrow communism. We eat more of the pierogi and other full on heavy winter fare and drink the cheap wine, thinking of how lucky we are that we're not in hiding, fighting for our freedom.
The next day we wander again and in the evening we eat in the main square at Pierogarnia. We sit upstairs admiring the diamond and amethyst of the necklaces of Xmas lights and the twinkling beautiful tree and eat plentiful and delicious Polish food.
And from upstairs we have a great view of the beautiful horse drawn carriages clip clopping around the square.
The daughter has submitted her article to be published and she is free to enjoy the next city of Warsaw. We caught the early train. I've got a cold, pre Covid times when there was little to worry about except feeling a bit off. The station is huge and modern, full of interesting shops. We emerge to a stunning modern landscape and catch a taxi into the old centre. We enter the Aparthotel Sleepwell which is beautifully decorated and the smell of apples and spice hits us with candles aglow.
Lunch at a great Thai place, Thai Me Up. We're beginning to miss Asian food. I wonder out in the afternoon to check out the town, and find a great chocolate shop and have an amazing apple and cinnamon flavoured dark hot chocolate. Later, we find a cute restaurant for spinach crepes where the waitresses are all stunning and dressed in traditional Polish flounced skirts printed with roses.
The next morning we head out to the old town. After WW11, 90% of the historical centre was in ruins and they rebuilt it by 1952 using paintings by Canelleto's nephew. It's very different to the other cities, very distinct architecture. We found a shabby chic cafe for coffee and cake and people watch. It still has a 1950's surreal feel about it.
The souvenir shops are beautiful , we buy presents and memories and we pass mermaids everywhere which seems strange until we look it up. The legend of the Warsaw mermaid is that she originated in the Baltic Sea and she had a twin sister, the more famous Little Mermaid of Copenhagen. The Polish mermaid swam up the Vistula River, saw some fishermen and decided to free the fish caught in the nets. The fishermen were justifiably angry and tried to catch her but she began to sing her siren song and they were all suitably charmed. Not long after, a rich merchant caught her but the fishermen freed her and from then on she promised to protect them. Exhausted we go to the Fall bar for fantastic food, interesting people and cocktails. I had one with cardamon, lavendar vodka, prosecco and passionfruit juice. Highly recommend.
We go to a cool post war famous restaurant for dinner, Kameralna. In the 50's it was a melting pot of artists, literary people, the famous, the infamous and revolutionaries. With the beginnings of capitalism, it closed but has now reopened.
It's very cool, great Polish menu, fantastic staff who fill us in on the history and at the end an obligatory shot of lemon vodka.
Poland, you are so interesting! Until next time.
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