Last official day of the trip!!
We woke up slowly at our place in Warsaw around 6am, but weren't really up and ready to leave until around 8 when we realized we were hungry and needed some breakfast. Down the staircase of our building, and into the old town square, we found a little breakfast cafe not for away where were had a croissant, cheese plate, yogurt, and some lattes...yum! Nearby, we walked over to the monument of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
As WWII was coming to a close, the Soviets were advancing and Germans were retreating, but Warsaw remained under German control. It was at this time that 40,000 Polish citizens decided to fight for their pride to rid themselves of the German army once and for all. The battle lasted for 63 days and was initially successful, but ultimately only served to enrage the German army. Hitler himself gave the order to raze Warsaw to the ground. While USSR's Red Army watched from just across the Vistula River - only a mile away, the German's, even though they knew their days were numbered, destroyed virtually the entire city in their efforts to squash the uprising - including killing over 200,000 of Warsaw's civilian population. After witnessing the aftermath, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower remarked, "I have seen many towns destroyed, but nowhere have I been faced with such destruction".
After seeing the monument, we went back up to the apartment to regroup and prepare for our final day. Back in town, we went over to the tower of St. Anne's Church and climb up to the top for a great view over the old town, castle square, and the Royal Castle. Next up on our agenda was the Royal Castle itself. After purchasing our ticket, we entered the castle and learned that along with much of the rest of the city, the castle was also completely destroyed following the uprising. However, local architects and the citizens of Warsaw themselves banded together after the war to rebuild the castle entirely.
It wasn't until the 1980's that the castle was completed (with much delay due to USSR's lack of support for the project). Now, the castle serves as a museum and is used for many official state functions. After exploring the inside and seeing all the staterooms, we were amazed with the rebuilding/restoration efforts.
Once we left the castle, we walked down the prominent Krakowskie Przedmiescie street and found a place for lunch called Zapiecek. I had the zurek soup platter which included a soup and tasty Polish white sausage. Jessica had another round of pierogis with stuffings of smoked bacon and cheese, spinach and cheese, and mushrooms. We both shared our meals and everything tasted amazing. Worthwhile to note - while we were eating our meal a very large parade marched by in celebration of 30 years of Polish independence from the USSR.
Refueled, we continued walking down the street until we reached the Presidential Palace where we luckily witnessed the last portion of the changing of the guard. Continuing, we saw a few more churches before reaching Nowy Swiat street and cutting across to witness the monstrous Palace of Culture and Science. It is the tallest building in Poland and was constructed by the Soviets in 1955 to house various public and cultural institutions.
Onward! From there, we caught the Warsaw subway (yes, they have one) to Lazienski park for a short walk around this popular location. Once we had enough, we hopped on the tram and took it back to the old town where we made the short walk back to our apartment.
After some rest, it was finally time for our last and final meal in Poland. We settled on a small place just off the main square called Gospada Kwiaty that we had walked past a few times previously. I had the venison stew with potato pancakes, and Jessica had the chicken in mushroom sauce. It turned out to be a great last meal. We were even treated to complimentary shots of cherry liqueur - although only one of us could partake in this activity :)
Following the meal, we walked around the old town once more, someone may have gotten a waffle dessert in retaliation for the cherry liqueur incident, but we made it back to our apartment where we are now packing up once and for all!
Stay tuned as Jessica will do one last update once we arrive safely back in Los Angeles. Thanks for following along!
Steps: 18,234
Miles: 7.73
Stairs: 31 flights
We woke up slowly at our place in Warsaw around 6am, but weren't really up and ready to leave until around 8 when we realized we were hungry and needed some breakfast. Down the staircase of our building, and into the old town square, we found a little breakfast cafe not for away where were had a croissant, cheese plate, yogurt, and some lattes...yum! Nearby, we walked over to the monument of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
As WWII was coming to a close, the Soviets were advancing and Germans were retreating, but Warsaw remained under German control. It was at this time that 40,000 Polish citizens decided to fight for their pride to rid themselves of the German army once and for all. The battle lasted for 63 days and was initially successful, but ultimately only served to enrage the German army. Hitler himself gave the order to raze Warsaw to the ground. While USSR's Red Army watched from just across the Vistula River - only a mile away, the German's, even though they knew their days were numbered, destroyed virtually the entire city in their efforts to squash the uprising - including killing over 200,000 of Warsaw's civilian population. After witnessing the aftermath, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower remarked, "I have seen many towns destroyed, but nowhere have I been faced with such destruction".
After seeing the monument, we went back up to the apartment to regroup and prepare for our final day. Back in town, we went over to the tower of St. Anne's Church and climb up to the top for a great view over the old town, castle square, and the Royal Castle. Next up on our agenda was the Royal Castle itself. After purchasing our ticket, we entered the castle and learned that along with much of the rest of the city, the castle was also completely destroyed following the uprising. However, local architects and the citizens of Warsaw themselves banded together after the war to rebuild the castle entirely.
It wasn't until the 1980's that the castle was completed (with much delay due to USSR's lack of support for the project). Now, the castle serves as a museum and is used for many official state functions. After exploring the inside and seeing all the staterooms, we were amazed with the rebuilding/restoration efforts.
Once we left the castle, we walked down the prominent Krakowskie Przedmiescie street and found a place for lunch called Zapiecek. I had the zurek soup platter which included a soup and tasty Polish white sausage. Jessica had another round of pierogis with stuffings of smoked bacon and cheese, spinach and cheese, and mushrooms. We both shared our meals and everything tasted amazing. Worthwhile to note - while we were eating our meal a very large parade marched by in celebration of 30 years of Polish independence from the USSR.
Refueled, we continued walking down the street until we reached the Presidential Palace where we luckily witnessed the last portion of the changing of the guard. Continuing, we saw a few more churches before reaching Nowy Swiat street and cutting across to witness the monstrous Palace of Culture and Science. It is the tallest building in Poland and was constructed by the Soviets in 1955 to house various public and cultural institutions.
Onward! From there, we caught the Warsaw subway (yes, they have one) to Lazienski park for a short walk around this popular location. Once we had enough, we hopped on the tram and took it back to the old town where we made the short walk back to our apartment.
After some rest, it was finally time for our last and final meal in Poland. We settled on a small place just off the main square called Gospada Kwiaty that we had walked past a few times previously. I had the venison stew with potato pancakes, and Jessica had the chicken in mushroom sauce. It turned out to be a great last meal. We were even treated to complimentary shots of cherry liqueur - although only one of us could partake in this activity :)
Following the meal, we walked around the old town once more, someone may have gotten a waffle dessert in retaliation for the cherry liqueur incident, but we made it back to our apartment where we are now packing up once and for all!
Stay tuned as Jessica will do one last update once we arrive safely back in Los Angeles. Thanks for following along!
Steps: 18,234
Miles: 7.73
Stairs: 31 flights
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