everything chopin - warszawa

was worried there wouldnt be enough time to visit Wilanów palace since today was the start of my belarus tour. but luck held and in the morning we visited the palace, my 2nd highlight of the polish trip. again it didnt disappoint me. not being extravagantly big nor over decorated, the palace felt intimate. the exterior was richly decorated but not overwhelming. the interior was also lavishly adorned but not exaggeratedly so, unlike the ones in St Petes. really loved this palace. and of course, complete with an english and a french garden.

then of course we didnt fail to see the chopin statue in Łazienki park. like everything was mozart in viena, here in warsaw, it's everything chopin. although not a fan of piano pieces, it would have been nice to sit at a chopin concert but there was no time.

the old town was small but it had some nice souvenir shops and i finally found the polish china and bought 2 small pieces. had a delicious perogi lunch at zapiecek,a tiny but packed restaurant specializing in dumplings, that had mouth watering apple mint juice. after lunch, i wandered past the square and came upon the old town city walls, ramparts in red brick. it started to rain finally after an entire week of heat and blue skies. of course my raingear was back at the hotel.

checked in to the ibis warszawa stare miastro and knocked on Witalij's door to introduce myself. all set for the belarus tour for the following day, I walked back to the Sheraton, a 45 mins walk through the nowy swiat, nice street with upperscale shops and restaurants.

the 5 star sheraton was a luxurious hotel. big room with double beds and a wonderful bathroom but the room offered no views. so should I stay another night at the Sheraton, my favorite hotel chain, or sleep in the 2 star basic ibis?

last night we dinned at the buffi theater restaurant literally next door to the sheraton. the food was wonderful.my mushroom soup was exquisite. tonight, our last dinner was in a big tent, at a restaurant on nowyswiat. i had duck in cherry sauce. we walked back to the sheraton in the evening twilight. memorable last night in poland.

since the belarus tour was leaving at 8AM, i've finally decided to stay the night at the ibis so i didnt have to rush in the morning. grabbed a taxi and it deposited me at the ibis. no more luxury hotel from now on. but at least my room at the ibis has the view of the Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East.


Wilanów photos:




Warsaw photos: