I Saw, You Saw, We all Saw, Warsaw

On the weekend, Anna and I went to Poland. We took the train on Friday evening, and arrived five hours later in Warsaw.

With the promise of a siberian tiger, we went to the open-air markets - the largest in Europe. Surrounding a football stadium, they were full of cheap clothes and alcohol, guns, puppies and whispering vendors.

Other items on the itinerary were the Palace of Culture and Science, described by our friend as: "the best panorama point in Warsaw, the ugliest and most characteristic object in our capital city. Some want to blow it up, but it is a gift from our formerly 'Brother-Nation' (Russians) and is big as the biggest building in the town." We were going to go up to the top, but ran out of time. Apparently it's the best view of Warsaw because you can't see it.

That night saw us warming up (for the night outside, as much as for the party) with Krupnick, a kind of honeyey syrup mixed with hot water and lemon. Afterwards we headed to "Le Madam", the hippest joint in town for a dance with the locals.

Sunday we went to the Old town. Warsaw is roughly divided into two sections: the old town and the new town. The old town is only slightly older than the new town. It was destroyed by the Nazis in WWII, but reconstructed after the war.

In all aspects, Warsaw's closeness to World War II made the city a moving place to visit - the evidence of the war is inescapable, and while it wasn't beautiful, it was an amazing history lesson; slap-in-the-face style.