February - June, 2017: Ahh yes, Poland - my adoptive nation as I have come to call it. There is something about the Polish culture that leaves me wanting more...similar to the feeling of eating your babcia's home cooking whilst washing it down with a shot of wódka.
Kocham warszawę!! (eng. I love Warsaw!!)
I was granted the chance to do an exchange semester through my college in Canada, to study at the Warsaw School of Economics - I jumped at the opportunity to live in Europe again, yet alone in a city in central/eastern** Europe. Maybe it was the thought of living in a post-communist country that gave me a rebellious-high to leave the comfort of my (you might have guessed it) polite and safe Canadian town to experience life in a radically different city than my own. Mama-Doll was skeptical when I told her of my plans to move to Poland for a semester, but once she came to visit me in June she fell in-love with this city the way I had :) As for my father, being the champ he is I had the feeling he was more interested in my social/night-life than my actual academic life in Warsaw.
As much as I love Warsaw, I will admit it is not the most beautiful city, however that being said this city does offer much charismatic charm that greatly makes up for its aesthetic qualities. Even the plain remains of the communist-style building's contribute to the charm of the city. The food and with it the array of different eatery's, its nightlife (both mainstream and underground), the shot-bars (are unlike anything you will see anywhere - they light the bar countertops on fire, people!), its history (built back up from the ground after being turned to dust and ruble from the conflicts of WWII), the way the locals speak English in their adorable polish-accent (yes, I find this cute). I will also mention here, that the official symbol of Warsaw is a mermaid - anyone who knows me well enough understands my great appreciation for these majestic beings. PLUS! For my plant-eating readers, Warsaw ranks high on the charts for vegan restaurant options!! Imagine that ;) I have mentioned a few-times that Warsaw in my opinion is the little sister of Berlin - some overlap in their personality. Some may agree with this, others may not - its your opinion to decide.
There is no feeling quite like FINALLY pronouncing, albeit brokenly the name or word in a foreign language. Polish comes with many tongue twisting words such as for example the metro-stop in Warsaw, Świętokrzyska - how many times on a Friday night did us non-Polish, vodka drinking fools try and annunciate this word, whilst communicating how to get to the club we were heading to. Or the word for cookies, ciasteczka (don't order this at the bakery).
Or the ultimate pronunciation breaker - the word for girl would make some want to remain gender-neutral...dziewczynka!! I dare you to try ;) I would finally conquer all 3 of these.
This however is what I have come to love about the Polish language- these absurdly difficult to pronounce words give the language itself a linguistically compelling character over other flat ones like English for example. I was very proud of myself when I could finally order half a loaf of sliced bread at the bakery in Polish. (pl. poprosze pół chleb pokroić) ;)
Along the way I made friends from around the globe that greatly contributed to my time in Warsaw. Within the first week I had found my social circle, and amongst that circle, my group of girls that made my time in Warsaw that much greater -- a kind of extended family or if we're going to make it cliche my own international version of "the sisterhood of the travelling pants" if you will... each of us do represent a different country. To this day we still dream of our time spent in Warsaw, and all the wild shenanigans we got ourselves into...and our tentative plans of buying a loft-style flat in Warsaw to continue the shenanigans.
So, enough chit-chat -- Come explore my short, yet very sweet lived life as a Varsovian - the city that gave me my taste for wódka [vood-kaa] ;) ... (more pictures will be featured, later).
Viva la Polska!!
P.S. At this point I have uploaded only my favourite photos -- there are quite a few more I will share a bit later :) For now, you'll get an impression of Warsaw.
**some Poles take offence to calling Poland "eastern Europe" thereby to remain neutral I will continue with "central/eastern".
June 2021: After four years I finally made it back for a visit! With my dear friend Marianna whom I met while living in Warsaw. T'was a fun trip down memory lane! Here, my list of our favourite places we went to dine/drink in our beloved Warszawa. Smacznego!!
* all of the places we dined at offered great vegan/vegetarian options if not the entire menu.
Breakfast/Cafe
- Bułkę przez Bibułkę I attempted this pronunciation once and immediately gave up as soon as my 5zl glass of prosecco arrived. To you non-zloty* payers - this is the equivalent to
ca. 1,10 euro/$1.60cdn ... if you know me and my thirst for prosecco, you will know that I did not leave that place thirsty. They also have a great brunch/lunch menu with three locations across Warsaw.
*zloty (zł) is the official currency of Poland.
- Charlotte french eatery with their catch phrase being "chleb i wino" (bread and wine). More on this place in my Krakow post!
- Miss Mellow being Canadian I have my high standards when it comes to banana bread - this was the first place in Europe that not only met but exceeded those expectations! The ratio to chocolate chips and walnuts and mashed banana was perfect. They also feature great coffee drinks and delicious house-made pączki (Polish donuts). A must visit! https://www.facebook.com/missmellowwarsaw https://www.instagram.com/missmellowwarsaw
- Niezłe Ziółko a cute little place with yummy breakfast and pastry options. https://www.facebook.com/niezleziolko.warszawa
Lunch
- Matcha Bistro & Bar Matcha - the beverage we millennials have in our blood. This eatery will surely not disappoint with their offerings of matcha- drinks, ice-cream, cakes, etc.! They also yummy ramen.
- Bar Mleczny translated to "milk bars" this the place to go for traditional, no-fuss, quick, tasty and low price Polish food. Some can be described as "canteen like" while other's that I have gone to were like Babcia's kitchen. As the name suggests they do cook with much dairy however many non-dairy/meat-free options are available as well. And try the Pierogi!!
English very rarely exists in these establishments so bring a polish friend or a translator ;)
This is the one I went to in Warsaw https://menu.mlecznebary.pl/mleczarnia
- Hala Koszyki more on this place under "Drinks".
Dinner
- Thaisty the best pad thai I may have ever tried in my life! Poland's top Thai chef runs the kitchen and whips a large variety of authentic Thai dishes that will leave you drooling for more. This was defiantly I restaurant I waited four (long) years to go to again.
- Bibenda Delicious tapa style dishes! This is the place where sharing = caring as you will want to taste/share/savour everything on the menu. My friends had dropped their forks longer before I was able to stop munching...and their cocktails fit well with the cuisine.
- Mezze ever since I travelled to Turkey back in May 2019, meze has become one of my favourite cuisines. Back in 2017 when we were living in Warsaw, this place become one of our top go-to eatery's. They will serve you all the classics in a modern and very casual atmosphere. They do not skimp on their serving of hummus so be sure to leave plenty of room in your tummy!
- Hala Koszyki more on this place under "Drinks".
Drinks
- Hala Koszyki I can only describe this place as a sophisticated food-court without the yucky fast-food chains. Various types of cuisines circle around a generously sized bar. This was also one of our favourite places to visit when we lived in Warsaw.
- Bar Pacyfik If I could go back in time I would tell 2017 Melissa to go this bar and to take all her friends with her! Sadly I only found out about this bar from a friend during our short visit. They also serve tasty Mexican food however I put this bar under the "drinks" column as I was positively overwhelmed at their drinks menu. It took us longer to decide what to sip than what to eat. We drank some sort of liquor that is made from agave or cactus or...I don't fully remember but it tasted like a short yet exotic vacation under the Palm trees. I went to the washroom and it felt like a night club. Our server was still tipsy from the night before. Everyone seemed to know and be friends with one another - it was a good time and a great place to be.
- Cocktail Bar Max & Dom Whisky I tried describing this place to a friend and it went something like this... "a dim lit bar with this tower-like thing in the middle that shelves all their liquors and is so tall it reaches all the way through the ceiling to the second floor. A little Harry Potter-ish". Only in an establishment like this am I cool enough to pull off vodka on the rocks ... when in Poland ;)
It's really too bad their website makes zero justification for how cool this place actually is.
- Loreta Bar Rooftop drinks overlooking the Palace of Culture and Science. Their menu was short but sweet and well thought out. In all my years this was the first place I had a classic martini...with olives!! Something Marianna and I came to agree on was very much needed.
Wow! makes me want to go and visit right now! curious to see and experience all of it and hope u will give me a personal tour