The overnight flight was exhausting, the transfer in Paris was super-confusing, and I haven't had much chance to explore Warsaw yet, but so far I like what I see. I think the next two weeks will be exciting.
Right off the bat I had to barter with a taxi driver. Thankfully I had read up on the situation before hand, so I knew that a ride to the city center from the airport should cost around 40 zl (approx. $13). I also knew that some shady cab drivers grossly overcharge tourists. So, when the first guy who approached me quoted 95 zl, I laughed. He asked how much I wanted to pay, I said 40, and he told me to take the bus. Oddly enough, when a legitimate driver approached not 30 seconds later, he quoted me 40-45 zl and I got in the car, while the first guy was already escorting some other unsuspecting tourists away. I was excited when the first song on the radio was some delightfully incomprehensible Polish rock song. And then the second song was....Born in the USA. You really can't ever leave America behind.
The area of Warsaw where I'm staying is busy and commercial and has a definite post-Communism feel to it. In ways it definitely reminds me of parts of Moscow, which is oddly comforting. The Palace of Culture and Sciences near my hotel even looks nearly identical to the huge, crazy building I lived in in Moscow. Apparently Stalin built these things everywhere - 7 of them in Moscow just wasn't enough.
I'm also loving the giant square bed pillows that Eastern Europe is so fond of. I haven't seen these in almost 13 years and they make me happy.
My first day here has also already confirmed something else for me: Poland is really cheap. Take, for example, my dinner. Mind you, Warsaw is the most expensive town in Poland and the restaurant I went to was moderately touristy and overpriced (but really close to the hotel). Still, I had a full plate of pierogis, an unlimited salad bar and a large beer and I left full, all for the equivalent of $11. After trips to Switzerland and Australia, this is quite a welcome relief. I can't wait to see what things cost in the smaller towns.
Anyway, today I'm really hitting the streets. I'm excited to explore the Old Town portion of Warsaw. The language isn't as mystifying as I expected, but I think that's at least party because my Russian really helps me to understand a lot of the words. However, I really need to break myself of my strong inclination to speak to people in Russian, because that's not really going to get me anywhere. So far, people seem to want to speak to me in Polish thinking that I'll understand, which makes things fun. I'm interested to see if this will continue.
Now, off to explore.
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