Somewhere in Poland (3) - The Far East

The Far East is about 200km east of Warsaw. I know that in some countries it could be a distance to the nearest supermarket, but here it's a distance to different culture. Some guidebooks call our eastern border "exotic Poland". Only there you'll find a mixture of cultures containing Christian, Orthodox, and Muslim believers.
However, Poland is considered to be catholic country (33 millions of Christian catholics) and churches are significant signs in our landscape, finding a typical church in the Far East it's not so easy.
The Far East is orthodox (half million believers) and in the villages you'll find orthodox churches with characteristic towers with triple crosses. Some people do not even speak Polish there - the mixture of Belorussian and Polish with
characteristic "singing" accent is in use, as the settlers from Belarus had been here before the Poles arrived from the west in XVI century. So speaking polish does not mean 100% success in communication, however, those languages are similar, and after some tries you can get across when asking for a way or just chatting with someone in a village. What's more some inscriptions on shrines, crosses and graves are written in Cyrillic. Young people, that haven't had Russian at school are not
able to read it. Orthodox celebrate they events according to Julian calendar, so everything happens there two weeks later.
You can spend Christmas or Easter in Warsaw, and then two weeks and two hours drive later you'll have it again!
Not only orthodox, but also Muslims have found they place in the east. Two mosques built in XVII century are still in use by descendant of Tatars who were given this grounds four hundred years ago.
The East has his unique quiet atmosphere, even dogs in the villages seem to bark more silent. Wooden houses with characteristic shutters and porches and decorated corners are popular here.
If you accept only tourist attractions mentioned in Lonely Planet - Bialowieski National Park would be a good choice - meeting a bison in the wild it's still possible there. Finally, if you are interested only in clubs and bars sections of the above guide, you have to know that only in the region of Bialowieża grows a grass used for making world famous Żubrówka Vodka (Bison Vodka). Cheers!

Check out more interesting places in Poland:

Somewhere in Poland (2) - 843 km of beaches 

Somewhere in Poland - my favourite bridge 

Somewhere in Poland (4) - Water way to the border

It's going to rain tommorow....

How do I know it? Numerical weather forecast calculated on Warsaw University have been one of my favourite web pages for many years. The forecast it much more accurate than in TV. For planning all outdoor activities this page is a must. Of' course you should not reschedule your tomorrow walks, just take a raincoat. There's no bad weather, there's only bad clothing.

The Bridge of Sighs

Imagine there was a bridge upon this street. Those who were beneath it - had the right to live. Those who crossed it - did not. They were Jews walking between large and small ghettos in Warsaw during the II World War.The Chłodna Street (Cold St) was essential for a traffic in the city so the German occupation authorities decided to exclude it from the Ghetto and therefore they built the bridge that joined both parts of it. The Jewish called it: "Bridge of Sighs". The sighs for a normal life that went on under the bridge.
See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_ghetto
Today the Cold Street is one of my favourite samples of Warsaw. It is all this city is about: tragic history, skyscrapers of glass, suspicious business and underground culture. It is peaceful and nostalgic. All cobbled with forgotten tram-tracks in it. Go there to see what a strange feeling it is when you cross a symbolic line of the Ghetto Wall in a pavement so easily while for the Thousands it was a dream that never came true.
In the corner of the Chłodna St and Żelazna St (exactly were the Bridge of Sighs used to be) there is the Chłodna 25 Cafe - a very important place in a cultural map of Warsaw with loads of good off -artists' concerts in the evening and aromatic latte in the morning (open daily from 8am till the last customer). You will find a mural of the Ghetto Bridge just opposite the cafe.
When you walk the Chłodna St towards the West you will have a chance to meet suspicious guys standing in front of dark "houses of games", lawyers and sellers of brushes (all these guys work in the same ruined pavilion).
If you go the eastern direction instead you will get to the bustling Jana Pawła St (the street of the Pope John Paul II) and to the old Market Halls of Mirów. There is a fantastic flower market in the front of it. It is open every day all year round.
Before you take a tram to the city centre have a good look. Would you believe all this area was completely flattened of bombs?

Ride a cruiser!

Wow! This is something that Warsaw was waiting for years. It's hard to believe, but we haven't had any 100% backpackers oriented activity so far... There have been some guided tours, of' course there's a lot of pubs, clubs, concerts, events and generally a lot of to do...but nothing so special as ELECTRICTOURS. Now you can simply connect sightseeing with fun. Warsaw seen from the comfortable saddle of a cruiser bike with unique design looks much better, you can see more and bring home pictures with you sitting on a bike, that makes impression on everyone.


See Electrictours - Warsaw Bike Tours for details or ask at the hostel

To see other posts on cycling click here.

Wanna Cake?

Hidden in a green bush Cafe Misianka serves the best cakes on the right bank of Vistula. It's not widely known, but on Sunday morning it's hard to find a free table. For all off-the-beaten-track-cake-lovers it's a must!

See Misianka on google maps

Surrounding the cafe Skaryszewski Park (called by locals Skaryszak) is worth a walk or a bike tour. It has nothing to do with pompous Royal Baths Park, where everything (running, cycling, dogs & laying on the grass) if forbidden. Here you are free to do all these typical park activities.
Skaryszak provides typical and 100% local park atmosphere, with slowly walking oldies, running kids, and students reading books on the grass . It's big enough to provide a cozy place for everyone - in a shadow of big trees, on a sunny grass, or at the bank of one of lakes.
Te park not only provides relaxing atmosphere in all shades of green but also gives unique possibility of boat cruises in the middle of the city. "Pod Pstrągiem" ("Under The Trout") restaurant rents kayaks and water bikes, after some paddling you'll surely stay here for grilled trout and a a glass of cold beer.

Check out other cafes in Warsaw:

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!

Warsaw Street View

"Street view" option it's not (yet) avaliable for Warsaw on Google Maps but
I've find a local service that allows to view street panoramas of Warsaw.
Please click www.norc.pl for exploring streets of Warsaw in your browser.

Somewhere in Poland (2) - 843 km of beaches

I like the sea with it's faraway horizon, but I rarely go to the seaside, and never in the summer. I simply do not like this holiday atmosphere - noisy crowds, fastfoods, kitsch souvenirs and smell of fried fish. I'm looking for places when I can contemplate the horizon without seeing it through someone's deckchair. Poland has 843 kilometers of coast line, so it's still possible to find such place. Recently I've camped on a high cliff, 10 km east of Ustka. Wild camping is officially not allowed in Poland but (not officially) it's tolerated (except for national parks), finding a place for tent it's very easy in comparison to Western Europe.

See this place on google maps.

Othere places somewhere in Poland:
Somewhere in Poland - my favourite bridge
Somewhere in Poland (3) -  The Far East
Somewhere in Poland (4) - Water way to the border