SomethingAboutPoland

NeSpoon - a little bit different street-art.

2011-04-27T11:43:00.004+02:00

Poland has its own unique street art and NeSpoon is an artist who certainly deserves attention. Why? Because of the pretty little things she makes. She is decorating Warsaw with so called “jewellery of the public space”. You can find them on walls, pavements, dustbins or even trees and baroque sculptures. NeSpoon prefers to call her work “outdoor art”, not “street art”. That’s because most of it is not strictly on the streets, but also in parks etc. Also the technique is pretty unusual. It’s ceramics. NeSpoon's typical and favourite pattern is Polish traditional lace imprinted in clay.

The purpose of NeSpoon's work is to make public places look better, more interesting, prettier. She says that she would like to save the world and make it a better place. But she perceives it is impossible to do it all by herself. So she is doing her best by adding her bit of positive energy into Warsaws streets and other spaces. She would like to bring a smile to people’s faces every time they discover one of her small applications.

NeSpoon is also the first artists I know who makes so called “children street art”. Ceramics made by her in shapes of colourful ladybirds and lovely dragons have a specific purpose. They are made to teach kids how to find something charming in walls and in the nooks, and that sometimes small things are also very important things.

The art of NeSpoon proves that you don’t need anything big and well exposed to make the city look happy and interesting. Searching for tiny details can bring you great fun and satisfaction. So, while having a walk around Warsaw (but not only!), keep your eyes wide open and maybe you will find pieces of urban jewellery!

PS. Visit NeSpoon’s blog: http://nespoon.blogspot.com/. And here is a little tip where to find some of NeSpoon's works in Warsaw: http://puszka.waw.pl/-warszawska_sztuka_mapa_szukaj-pl.html?q=nespoon

Adidas defeated

2011-04-04T22:49:00.002+02:00

Three demonstrations, the 6th anniversary of the Pope's death and a Graffiti Jam against Adidas - that is how the Varsovians spent last sunny weekend.
"Did you have fun?", you might ask and I would answer: "A lot of it".
There are two types of fun in Poland.
The first one is a kind of Ibiza-party-style, internationally recognized, transplanted into Polish soil from the West and treated as a holy cow. Having fun is obligatory if you want to be a cool part of a global village.
The second one is our traditional way of having a great time. We call it "zadyma", which literally means "a heavy whiteout", but is used to describe a state of chaos, fight (also a hooligan, but not only) and a demonstration of solidarity.
Spontanous gathering seems to be our national sport and it delivers us lots of fun.
Last weekend, in Zamkowy Square three groups of demonstrators met. There were: animals' rights' defenders, people commemorating the WWII masacre and Yael Bartana with her artistic project of bringing Jewish people back to Poland.
Can you imagine it? Vegetarians,combatants and the Jews - all at the same time and place.
A few quarters away (and a day earlier) there was a crowd of people praying and singing John Paul the Second's favourite song but I think our Pope would be delighted if he joined the Graffiti Jam in Służew.
There is a cult wall of streetart there. A couple of days ago Adidas blurred it to put their advert on it. It was the worst marketing move I have ever seen. 27 thousand people joined "Adisucks" group on Facebook afterwards. A great number of them gathered in reality to protest against this brand. "Money is not a king", they declared and on the the wall they sprayed a portrait of the Pope. He was a big fan of "zadyma" too.

Time for walking!

2011-03-25T10:42:00.006+01:00

Last autumn our incredible Helvetia Team explored Warsaw to find the best places for you to visit.
Today we are presenting Powiśle (a riverside area) and surroundings of Nowy Świat St - all nearby Helvetia Hostel.
Feel an atmosphere of a student life in a beautiful garden on the top of the University Library.
Visit the maginificent Copernicus Science Centre or the Chopin's Museum.
Have a cup of coffee and meet some of Polish writers and poets at Mariusz Szczygieł's "Wrzenie Świata" cafe.
Travel to the past watching photos in sepia in Fotoplastykon.

Pokaż Helvetia Hostel presents: Promener autour de Varsovie na większej mapie

When the green turns into gold

2010-10-31T23:57:00.001+01:00

Warsaw is known as a green town - not only parks, but also many streets are surrounded by trees.
It's often a surprise to foreigners to see so many nature within the city.
Spring blows up suddenly in May with fresh green which lasts until late summer,
but the best is going to happen in late October.
I call it the golden weekend, when about one week after first cold nights
all the trees turn into gold simultaneously. Then all the leaves fall down until November the first.
This year is different - thanks to sunny weather we had two such weekends, although it's November the 1st we still have a lot of coloured trees in all shades - from wild yellow of maples to the warm brown red of oaks.

The best leak of the week

2010-08-05T09:32:00.002+02:00

An 8 minute long animated film about the history of Poland presented in the polish section of this year's Expo in Shanghai. Here it is:

66th Warsaw Uprising's anniversary

2010-08-04T12:09:00.002+02:00

For the 66th anniversary the Warsaw's Uprising Museum has created a digital film about the post-war images of our capital shot from an allied plane.
The full movie can be viewed in the museum itself, but there is a trailer available on youTube:

EUROPRIDE 2010

2010-07-19T15:26:00.005+02:00

The Europride 2010 festival has ended yesterday in Warsaw! LGBT crowd joined by their supporters marched proudly yesterday on the streets of Warsaw. Here are a few snapshots:

Chopin from the block

2010-07-02T19:05:00.005+02:00

Seems like the Chopin's Museum on Tamka str. is up and running, which is great.
The bad thing is that you're not able to just enter and visit it's collection, you have to book tickets first.
You can find the details here.
Remember - you don't have to book for tuesday - on this day the entrance is free!

While you're there - check out the special graffiti painted on the two buildings next to the museum.

European Capital of Culture 2016

2010-07-02T18:35:00.003+02:00

Several polish and spanish cities are competing to become the 2016 European Capital of Culture.

Warsaw apparently is one of the candidates. To boost the contest a notch, the capital has issued a promo video made by Agnieszka Holland.

This is another one, that was rejected during the process:

Europride 2010 will take place in Warsaw!

2010-06-28T18:56:00.003+02:00

We are happy to inform you that this year's Europride will take place in our fair city.

For more information and current update please visit:

Europride2010 in Warsaw.

Polish President killed. National mourning announced.

2010-04-10T18:40:00.000+02:00

The Jewish Paths of Warsaw

2010-02-17T14:12:00.003+01:00

Using wonderful GOOGLE MAPS we have prepared another map than might be useful for sighseeing in Warsaw. We are pround to present "The Jewish Paths of Warsaw".

Click to open in new window

Pokaż The Jewish Paths of Warsaw na większej mapie

The Warsaw Ghetto

It was the largest in Europe occupied by the Nazis. Its population was estimated to be 400,000 people, about 30% of the population of Warsaw at that time.

To imagine the Warsaw Ghetto see (the fragments) of "The Pianist", a film by Roman Polanski

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivYHhW-v3x8

Winter Olympic Games - WARSAW 2110

2010-02-14T19:49:00.006+01:00

Warsaw has never been a candidate for Winter Olympic Games. And yesterday I would say that it never would be... But after my today's walk I have to think it over again. It's said that the climate is warming up, but...well maybe it's warming up somewhere else. I got used to the heaps of snow everywhere, but snowboarders jumping over peoples' heads in a park...that's definitely something totally new in the city.

Others may like it or not. For me this is the best winter in Warsaw in 21st century.

Have you ever seen a snowy mermaid ?

2010-02-02T10:44:00.006+01:00

One upon a time there were two beautiful mermaid sisters in the Baltic Sea. One day, they decided to make a travel. The first swam to the north, and visited Copenhagen (you can see her now sitting in the port). The second one decided to swim to the mountains. She reached Gdansk and then started they long travel up the Vistula River. In the middle of their way, she felt tired and decided to rest on a sandy beach. After she came from the water, she realized that she was sitting just in front of the Warsaw's old town. She liked the place so much, that she decided to stay for a longer time. Soon she became a friend of fishermen living at the banks of Vistula. She had very beautiful voice, and their songs were making peoples' life pleasant.
One day she was kidnapped by greedy merchant, who decided to imprison her and wanted to show her off at a fair for profit. Fortunately she was rescued by a handsome fisherman and his friends. The mermaid, grateful for the aid promised not to leave Warsaw and help to make the city safe for the inhabitants and travellers. She got to armed with a sword and shield - and with this weapon you can see her today on all monuments.
There are three monuments of Warsaw's mermaid: in the Old Town Marked, at the bank of the Vistula and the third (the least known) on the overpass at the Karowa Street.

Te fourth one we have built of snow last week in one of the Warsaw's parks.

Christmas shopping - final countdown

2009-10-14T20:20:00.011+02:00

Christmas shopping in Warsaw

There are several European cities you might think of while deciding where to do Christmas shopping and you probably would not put Warsaw among them. Still, we will try to convince you that Poland’s capital can be a good place to find an oryginal gift for a good price too!

For the best bargains come to Warsaw in the second part of November. This is when shopping malls get decorated for Christmas but it is not “a peak of shopping season” yet.
If you are fancy of Christmas illumination, trees and all this fever, visit Warsaw in the beginning of December. Traditional outdoor markets take place in the second or the third weekend of December in Zamkowy Square, or Mariensztat Square and in the centre of culture in the 21 st Łowicka St.
Shopping malls are open 7 days a week, usually between 10.00 and 21.00
Most of shops listed here should be open from Monday till Friday between 11.00 and 18.00 for sure. Check their websites for Saturday hours (Saturday = Sobota in Polish)
Here are some tips where to go for Christmas hunting:

Shopping malls in the centre of Warsaw:
·Złote Tarasy (ul. Złota 59)
shopping mall with amazing roof of glass, right next to the Central Railway Station
www.zlotetarasy.pl

·Arkadia (ul. Jana Pawła II 82)
the biggest shopping mall in Warsaw
www.arkadia.com.pl

One street shopping:
·Warszawska Nike (ul. Mokotowska 24)
The first Nike concept store in Poland, vintage & collector’s Nikes (Nike, as a Goddess of Victory is one of symbols of Warsaw :)
www.warszawskanike.pl

·Fumo (ul. Mokotowska 26)
Clothing with such brands as: Desigual, Cop.Copine, Skunkfunk
www.fumo.pl

·GaliLu (ul. Mokotowska 26, entrance from Koszykowa)
Neo-perfumery, natural cosmetics and Spa
www.galilu.pl

·Mimbla (Mokotowska 51/53)
Beautifully designes, wooden toys, Polish brands
www.mimbla.pl

· Niebieskie Migdały (ul. Mokotowska 61)
Furniture for children’s rooms
www.niebieskiemigdaly.com

· DDR Studio (Koszykowa 33/ Mokotowska, entrance from a backyard)
Furniture and more, vintage design (from the 50s.up to the 80s)
www.ddrstudio.com

· Słodki, słony (ul. Mokotowska 45)
Confectionary, buy makowiec, traditional Christmas poppy-seed cake
www.slodkislony.pl

Polish clothing:

De Lux:
· Joanna Klimas
Atelier and cafe run by one of top Polish designers (ul. Nowolipki 2). If you are not sure you can spend so much money, you can still afford a cup of coffee and have a look at the designer at work.
www.joannaklimas.com

· Maciej Zień
The boutique of this one of the most talented Polish designers can be found in Promenada shopping mall (Ostrobramska 75 C), expensive
http://zien.pl

Exclusive:
· Solar
(at most shopping malls)
www.solar-company.com.pl

Popular:
(at most shopping malls)
· Reserved
reserved.com

· Mohito
mohito.pl

Young designers:
· Polscy Projektanci (ul. Chmielna 30)
· Green Establishment (ul. Nowogrodzka 21)
www.gestablishment.com

Markets:

· Hala Mirowska (Pl. Mirowski 1)
Fruit, vegetables, flowers, some vintage can be found too

· Koło (Obozowa/Ciołka Streets)
flea market, weekends’ mornings only

Food:
· Wedel (ul. Szpitalna 8)
chocolates and sweets, for Christmas Poles usually buy ptasie mleczko and torcik wedlowski
http://www.wedelpijalnie.pl

· Krakowski Kredens (Nowy Świat 22)
Preserves from a grandma’s cupboard: jams, juices, liqeurs, sausages, Christmas baskets - all beautifully packed!
www.krakowskikredens.pl

· Pasieka (ul. Freta 7/9)
Restaurant and miodosytnia, a place where you can degustate and buy excellent Polish mead
www.pasieka.win.pl

· Blikle (ul. Nowy Świat 35)
140-year-old confectionary run by Blikle family
www.blikle.pl

The best Polish vodkas brands:
Żubrówka, Wyborowa, Belvedere

Others:

· Traffic (ul. Bracka 25)
Elegant book-and-musicstore, lots of Polish jazz and Chopin

· Bubu (ul. Solec 50)
Handmade jewellery, interesting designs and materials
www.bubusolec.pl

· Nowińska Gallery (at Bristol Hotel, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44
Unique amber jewellery, classic and avant-garde designs
www.nowinska.pl

· Bolesławiec (ul. Prosta 2/14)
One of the largest manufacturers of hand-crafted and hand-decorated tableware pottery, using the unique worldwide stamping technique
www.ceramicboleslawiec.com.pl

· Krosno glassworks
(at most shopping malls)
The largest and most well-known producer of household glass in Poland, one of the world market leaders in this trade.
www.krosno.com.pl/en

· Artykuły propagandowe (ul. Górczewska 24)
Polish flag, ballot box and more propaganda stuff...
www.okopowaflagi.pl

Pokaż Christmas Shopping by Hostel Helvetia na większej mapie

Polish fans of U2 in white & red

2009-08-07T18:01:00.002+02:00

U2__Poland_Live_From_Chorzow_August_2009_flaga_biao_czerwona
przez jenaniston

'Something going on here. There's something going on in this country,' said Bono during absulutely fantastic U2 concert that took place on the 6th of August in Chorzów (southern Poland)and he added: 'We could feel it the last time we came. This country is going somewhere very special. Is it faith? Faith in the future. Poland! Europe needs more countries like Poland...'
It was the second time when Polish fans of the group formed a huge Polish flag: those in grandstands were keeping white shirts, towels or papers, those in the field - the red ones. They did it for the first time four years as U2 started to play "New Year's Day" song.
The song was written in the 80s and treated about Lech Wałęsa the leader of "Solidarity", Polish movement that brought up Europe to the collapse of communism. Thirty years ago, when Bono sang: "we can break through, though torn in two we can be one" one could hardly believe it was possible.
Last night we turned red and white again to say U2 how important the song was for us. How important was mentioning US behind the iron curtain.

See Tomasz Bereźnicki's cartoon about the white&red flag for U2:
http://www.bereznicki.pl/

Free at last we can support now the U2 latest action dedicated to: Aung San Suu Kyi, democratically elected leader of Burma, who has spent many of the last 20 years under house arrest. Whatever the critics say, we believe that rock&roll can stop the traffic!
See more details on U2 official website:
http://www.u2.com/stream/article/display/id/4770

WARSAW WILL STOP!

2009-07-31T19:57:00.009+02:00

August the 1st
5 PM
WARSAW WILL STOP

for a moment to commemorate 65th anniversary of The Warsaw Uprising.

Facts
The Warsaw Uprising beggined August the 1st 1944 and was quashed after 63
days of heroic fight to liberate Warsaw from Nazi/German occupation. It was the
biggest and most heroic uprising during the Second World War.
Warsaw could have been the first European capital liberated; however, various
military and political miscalculations, as well as global politics — played among
Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt - turned the dice against
it.
During the 63 days of the uprising, an estimated 200,000 of Warsaw's
inhabitants lost their lives (so every day were dying as many people as in WTC).
Eighty percent of the buildings on the city's left bank were destroyed. After the
suppression of the Uprising, all of the city's inhabitants, both insurgents and civilians
were expelled from Warsaw and sent to POW, death, labor, or concentration camps.
After their departure, German forces razed the building that were still standing.
During communist rule in Poland (1945–1989), any commemoration of the uprising
was banned.

Monuments and museums

The Warsaw Rising Museum
The monument of small insurgent (Old Town, Podwale St.) – A
small boy in too big helmet and with the big rifle in his small hands..... not only
adults have fighted against the occupant.
Warsaw Uprising Monument at Krasinskich Square (shown two top phtos below) (close to Old Town,)

Links
www.warsawuprising.com
www.polandinexile.com/rising.htm

Books
Norman Davies, Rising 44

Photos: 1,2 - Warsaw Uprising Monument 3,4 - One of the aniversary events (2006)

Making a panorama

2009-06-25T16:00:00.009+02:00

Making photo panoramas is very useful skill of every photographer. City squares, mountain ranges,lakes - they never fit into one shot.
Some automatic cameras have even this function built-in, but since I'm a user of DSLR I'll focus on more professional method.

This is Mariensztat Market. Mariensztat is a very beautiful part of Warsaw, a bit forgotten, a bit neglected but with nice architecture and almost no tourists, although it's 5 minutes walk from Castle Square (this picture taken on Sunday afternoon, when Old Town was full of people). See it on Google Maps
It's perfect place for a rest, for an action of romantic novel or for...making a photo panorama. Moving people are the worse thing that can happen - they will have different position on the pictures and can make panorama stitching software crazy, or at least spoil the final result with a blurred ghost.

When I started to read about panoramas it turned out that I need a tripod and special head. Well - it's sometimes useful, but not obligatory. I've made a lot of nice panoramas without it, and this one was also done directly from hand.

So the basic recipy for a panorama is:
1. Set your camera in to manual mode and measure the light in the lightest part of the area and set the aperture. Use this setting to make all pictures.
2. Turn autofocus off
3. Make several shots covering the area you want to have on your final picture.
Each next shot should begin in approximately 2/3 before the end of the previous to allow seamless merge. To sum up: neighbour pictures must have common part.
4. Google for "panorama stitching software". I use PTGui. You can download trial version from here.
5. In most cases it's enough to load pictures and relay on the program. Software finds common point in the pictures, adjust them and merges into panorama.
6. Finalize result in any photo editing software. Crop, add some contrast, add some saturation and sharpen.

Of 'course this is not a full detailed description, but Internet is full of it it's no sense to repeat it once again because the objective of this post is of course...to encourage you to visit beautiful Mariensztat!

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

2009-06-18T12:41:00.010+02:00

Built in 19th century Augostow Canal is an engineering marvel that probably soon will be added to UNESCO worlds cultural heritage list.
This water way was built to improve transportation and avoid high taxes for transport on Vistula River, now is one of the main attractions of north-east Poland.

See on Google Maps

It's 105 km long (84 km in Poland / 20 in Belarus – not possible to cross the border) and there are 18 manually controlled water locks,
(14 in Poland) that allow kayakers to finish their trip 80 kilometers and 41 meters lower then the starting point.
It's popular as well for kayaking as for bike trips to the water locks. Marked bicycle paths go through beautiful scenery of surrounding forests and lake shores.

Wikipedia
About the region
Most beautuful kayak routes
Canoe and kayak routes in Poland

Warsaw - old pictures , new pictures - part 2

2009-06-15T16:39:00.006+02:00

Have you seen The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw? It's not far from the Old Town, next to the Saxon Garden. Well, looks like typical monument...but take a look at the old postcard. What you can see now it's only a part not existing Saxon Palace (built in 17th century, destroyed during World War II). There are plans to rebuild, probably the reconstruction will start after 2012.
Every hour there's a change of guards, it's good moment to shot some interesting pictures from Warsaw.

More
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Saxon Palace

3D VR 1905

2009-06-08T14:45:00.015+02:00

Three Dimensional Virtual Reality. It sounds very modern, but we have been having it in Warsaw since 1905! It is called FOTOPLASTICON and is still working in the same way as over hundred years ago.

Address: Al. Jerozolimskie 51 see on google maps Open daily except for Tuesdays 10-18, admission 1PLN (appr. 0,25 EUR), free on Sundays.

Now you can walk through the streets of many cities by using Google Maps street view option. Hundred years ago people had the same need of virtual traveling and fotoplasticons were very popular across the world.
Fotoplasticon gives possibility of viewing photographs, made with technology called stereoscopy. Each eye has it's own point of view (close left one, then right one - you'll see that the view is a bit different- in your brain these two pictures are mixed into 3D view).
So for viewing 3D photographs a "double" picture (see the photo above) is needed. It's made with special camera having two lenses. As the distance between lenses is similar to the distance between eyes, watching this double picture gives impression of three dimensions when you see the left picture with the left eye and the right with the right one – you need some kind of binoculars for it.
Exactly the same trick is made for contemporary 3D movies - there are two views and the glasses you wear in the cinema allow to separate "left" and "right" movie and direct it to the proper eye.

Interesting links:
More about fotoplasticon in Warsaw
Stereoscopy

20 years of freedom

2009-06-04T22:07:00.010+02:00

4th of June is important date in our history. On July the 4th 1989 we had first free elections - finalization our long way to independence. So each city organized some events - exhibitions, concerts, shows... Below - some photos taken in Warsaw. Pay attention to the first poster - it was painted by my classmate - 10 years old Mikolaj - currently known painter. I was really happy to see this poster again.

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

2009-06-04T11:16:00.010+02:00

According to ice cream my choice is always the same.
My brain has only one algorithm implemented,
in any programming language it can be written using two lines of code:

If ice_cream
then Malinova

See Malinova on google maps

Malinova café, appeared several years ago and quickly became a significant place of the all ice cream lovers.
You can take-away or enter painted in delicate violets interior and sit at a small round table surrounded by pink soft chairs. Before or after (or both) you can take a walk in Mokotowskie Fields Park or explore the green streets of Old Mokotów district - a mixture of old villas and modern apartments.

International Children's Day

2009-06-01T13:25:00.005+02:00

So today we are celebrating International Children's Day. For all travelling kids and they parents I've prepared a map of places in Warsaw, that could be interesting for both of them. On my map you can find parks, playgrounds, museums, skate parks, swimming pools and other attractions. Have fun!

View Warsaw For Kids in a larger map

Somewhere in Poland (3) - The Far East

2009-05-27T09:51:00.007+02:00

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 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 in 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 Planed - Bialowieski National Park could be a good choice -
meeting a bison in the wild it's still possible there. Finally, if you 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!

It's going to rain tommorow....

2009-05-26T22:04:00.007+02:00

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

2009-05-22T19:31:00.004+02:00

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!

2009-05-19T16:48:00.012+02:00

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

Wanna Cake?

2009-05-14T11:40:00.008+02:00

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.

Warsaw Street View

2009-05-06T16:29:00.006+02:00

"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

2009-05-06T10:47:00.017+02:00

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.

Bus connections in Poland

2009-04-29T09:31:00.008+02:00

There are a lot of bus connections in Poland - train won't take you anywhere. Because buses are operated by different companies, it's not so easy to plan a journey. So far it was not so easy even for me - usually I had to browse a lot of web pages (in Polish) and make some phone calls to find a connection.
Finally portal e-podroznik introduced a search engine, that allows to find a connection from one place to another, even in case when you have to change a bus and bus operator. What's also important it has also user interface in English. I hope i will be helpful. The timetable covers connections operated by differend branches of PKS (our national operator) and some independent local operators.

rozkład jazdy PKS i BUSY delivred by e-podroznik.pl

Somewhere in Poland - My Favourite Bridge

2009-04-27T09:30:00.008+02:00

My favorite bridge is in Tykocin. It's over the Narew River. Steel construction perfectly composes with the road and the white church in the background. In comparison to other truss bridges, this one is significantly lower and does not dominate the foreground. It looks perfectly in the early evening, lighten by warm sunlight.
Tykocin itself is a very good place to stop for a day or two. It's known as a place worth to visit, but there are no crowds. People stop here only for a walk, take some pictures and carry on they journey. In the evening the place completely regains his eastern atmosphere. This town has a perfect balance between doing ant not-doing.
You can go for a walk along cobble streets. You can take some good pictures of wooden architecture. You can visit old synagogue, old jewish cemetery. Or you can sit on the main square and observe as the time passes slowly.
The area around the city is worth mentioning too. It's surrounded by endless meadows with labyrinth of roads perfect for cycling, walking and horse riding. Birds and birdwatchers often meet here. It's enough to rise one's head to see a stork nest. Two national parks (Biebrza River NP and Narew River NP) are within one hour drive distance.

How to get: By car (170 km / 3 hours drive from Warsaw). By train / bus: Train to Bialystok, then bus to Tykocin.
See
Tykocin on the Google Maps

Warsaw - old pictures, new pictures - part 1

2009-04-24T09:54:00.006+02:00

From time to time I buy on Internet auctions old postcards from Warsaw. Then I take my bike and my camera and I ride to see what has changed. One of the most shocking comparison is Marszalkowska Street. One of main streets of the city was totally destroyed during the war, then rebuilt in ugly communist style. The only common thing on both pictures are the towers of The Church of The Holy Saviour Church in the background.

The power od Google Maps

2009-04-15T10:24:00.006+02:00

I didn't like geography lessons and one of the reasons was the fact that I have never had any artistic skills. Drawing maps have been a horror for me. I've never expected, that one day I would make a map just for fun. But I did. With Google Maps it's f... easy. My first map shows stores with all kind of outdoor equipment in Warsaw and bike shops and workshops.

Open map in new window

Pokaż Camping, climbing and bike shops in Warsaw na większej mapie

Streets in bloom

2009-04-14T10:12:00.004+02:00

Just before spring covers trees with fresh and bright green, streets and corners blossom with colorful flower stands.

...AND THE WINNER IS....

2009-04-11T12:15:00.006+02:00

Elena from Russia won the International Egg Painting Competition (IEPC) in Hostel Helvetia!

Congratulations !!! Thanks to everyone that joined that easter event, thanks for nice and colorful evening :-)

The tradition is still alive in Poland, however, to be honest young people in the cities do not pay much attention to it.
So the hostel was one of the few places in Warsaw, where young people were painting eggs - cultivating this "old and unfashionable" tradition turned out to be a great way to spend a nice evening, meet other people and chat - not only about the eggs.

More about egg painting

How to survive WET MONDAY?

2009-04-10T09:44:00.006+02:00

And what the f... is Wet Monday!@$#? Some DRY facts you can find as always in Wikipedia, but I'd rather recommend watching attached movie first. It's self explaining.

So, wet Monday (called also Dyngus day) is a way of celebrating Easter Monday in Poland. People pour water over their friends and relatives, children make fights with water guns, boys attack girls with buckets of water, hooligans attack everyone....

Who is at risk? Everyone! Attractive girls most.

HOW TO SURVIVE:

1. Avoid groups of people holding buckets with water. Meeting such group means instant shower.
2. Look around carefully. And look up! Avoid passing under someone's windows. You can be attacked by water bomb (plastic bag or a condom filled with water).
3. Do not stand next to the door in a bus.
4. Pack your camera, mp3 player and laptop into plastic bag when going for a walk.
5. Avoid bicycle rides through villages and suburban areas.

IF THE ABOVE FAILS:

6. DON'T PANIC. IT'S ONLY WATER.

More movies:

Usage of water bombs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29mJRJBsrkM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHYG3h4ByBA&feature=related

Cheap trip

2009-04-09T09:26:00.004+02:00

On my last credit card transactions report, I've take a look to some expenses from my last trip to Germany, and I've noticed that for Berliners making a trip to Warsaw is cheaper than visiting an aunt in Dresden! Just example: Train Berlin - Dresden: 42 EUR, Train Berlin - Warsaw: 35 EUR! So, Herzlich Wilkommen!

Do It 4 Fun!

2009-04-07T09:31:00.003+02:00

For many travellers one of the first impression of Warsaw is Central Railway Station. It's not a good impression. Dark, dirty, stinking...sad but true. Built in the 70s as a very modern and futuristic solution, have been neglected for the next decades. For many years have been the first position on "things to be changed in Warsaw" list, but nothing was done...until April the 4th 2009. That day Warsaw group Do It 4 Fun organized the event called "Fresh mob". Over 700 volunteers (people that found information about the event on the web and spontaneously decided to join it) wearing white aprons and masks sprayed the station with air refreshers.
Now it smells like sea breeze and apples. So hurry up and come to Warsaw, before the station starts stinking again!

No roads means BEST ROADS!

2009-04-06T11:10:00.020+02:00

I love cycling. And I love cycling in Poland. Why? Because we have almost no bicycle roads ! Sounds strange ? Maybe...but
bicycle roads lead to the places, that someone have visited, checked and found interesting. It's like someone
has planned your trip, without giving you a chance to do it on your own. I don't want do make someone's trips.
Instead of well marked bicycle roads we have inifinite amount of roads and paths that go through forests, fields, meadows.
You are allowed to use it. Most fields and forests are not fenced. The only thing you need is good map, a compass and the will to explore. And a bike of course.
Below some picters from my trip last Sunday. After leaving Warsaw with one of the local trains we spent wonderfull 60 km cycling through the fields, villages, meadows, forests and orchards. Would you like to try? In my hostel you can rent a trekkibg bike with 18 gears if you don't have your own - and then ... explore, explore, explore...
If you are planning cycling trip to Poland, please DO NOT USE GENERAL MAPS FOR DRIVERS (it's, what I can see, most bikers have:-( )! They won't lead you to the places shown my photos.

Palm Trees - do they grow in Poland?

2009-04-02T11:42:00.010+02:00

Not exactly... Apart from the one in the middle of Warsaw (aritificial to be honest...) we do not have them. So what is the PALM SUNDAY ? Well...
It's very colorful and interesting event taking part each year before Easter. More details in Wikipedia of'course. The next Palm Sunday is on APRIL the 5th 2009.

If you're staying in Warsaw it's not a far drive do Łyse (appr 150 km)
If you're staying in Krakow, you can go to Lipnica Murowana - each year this two places competite for having the highest palm in Poland.

Wyświetl większą mapę

Wyświetl większą mapę
If you don't want to go anywhere, just take your camera and go for a walk - pictures with pepople holding colorful palms will be a good souvenir from your trip! Some of my pictures taken several years ago in Łyse:

Polish Hussars taking part in Warsaw Halfmarathon

2009-03-31T11:43:00.001+02:00

Polissh Hussars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husaria - heavy weigh cavalry formation taking a part in Warsaw Halfmarathon, March 2009

Foreign military formations welcome! Check here for details : Warsaw Halfmarathon, Warsaw Marathon. The next Warsaw Marathon will be at September 27th.

Registration has just started, so it's also a good idea to think about a place to sleep. Maybe a hostel ?

In a train

2009-03-31T11:12:00.001+02:00

Intercity train from Berlin to Warsaw. A young girl enters our compartment, when she realizes that it's not her train it's to late. She starts to cry. She has no money for extra tickets.
Ticket inpector has no idea how to help her. He has no timetable, no terminal to check the schedule. Someone in the compartment takes his netbook, connects to the internet via gsm network and finds solution. Ticket inspector allows her to travel wihout valid ticket for the next 150 kilometers. He has no technical possibility to help her, but his feelings and tears of the girl seem to more important to him than company procedures.

Something About Poland

2009-03-31T10:58:00.001+02:00

Poland, although has been in European Union for since 2004 is still considered by some foreigners as Wild East. For some reasons - it is Wild East. We are just different to the Wild West... But sometimes some people when ask strange guestions to me: Do you have withdrawal machines? Are there bears on the streets? Do you have -50 C only in winter or during the whole year? Well...it's not so bad ;-)