Day 9: Warsaw and the $25 Mistake
At 8:55 am, the night train arrived in Warsaw Centralna station. I had slept surprisingly well in the bed of the night train. I wasn't all that tired, so I locked up my luggage in some lockers then walked to re-discover the historical part of the city.

WALKIN' 'ROUND

The city was not completely the way I remembered it. It may sound silly, but when you are concentrating on details, as an amateur photographer, you notice more. You notice both the good and the bad.

Warsaw's touristy Old town is nice, but could use a fresh coat of paint. The whole area. Understand that all of it was razed to the ground by the Germans at the last throws of WWII (during the Warsaw Uprising) and, afterwards, the Polish people spent a very large amount of money to reconstruct the area. They had to use relatively inexpensive materials, as there simply was not money. It shows. Reconstructions in the former West Germany, for example, were done in a much nicer way, with real stone and not plaster, for example.



The town looks a bit rugged around the edges, but that's Warsaw, love it or leave it.

Still, there were a lot of very interesting details.

I ate at Pod Samsonem restaurant for lunch. It was not all that busy.

I walked more. Took more pix.

I was a bit cold and I hadn't drunk anything in several hours, so I decided to find a place to grab a beer. There was a cool looking place called "Polyester" that caught my attention. On the door it said, "Hot Spot" and something about free Internet access. Sold!

As it turns out the place was very nice. Plush pillows, classy interior, etc. If I were to move here, I'd totally bring friends here. PLUS, the wifi worked! Granted it was a bit slow, but it worked! I was so excited that I finally was able to get online. I was able to blog a bit!

A large beer at this bar cost about 7 zl there or about $2, which is a bit more expensive than the normal beer in Warsaw, but the atmosphere was very very pleasant. The wait staff was attractive. As I sipped a beer, via iChat, I communicated briefly with Kevin and Paul as they were getting ready for work.

The menu said that if we liked the high speed, we should tip the waiters/bartenders. I had used the wifi for over an hour, so, after I paid, I left a 10 zl tip (or about $3.20.)

I gave the receipt and the 10zl to the waitress and wished her a happy new year.

"You didn't leave enough. It was 14zl," she said.

"Oh, I already paid."

Then she understood that I was giving her an outrageously large tip. She thanked me as I walked out into the nippy air.

THE $25 MISTAKE

I realized that I was too far to make it back to the train station by 3:05 pm, so I snagged a taxi. At Warszawa Centralna, I reunited with my luggage and checked the schedule for the track number. Track number four, it said. I was on the track a good 10-15 minutes ahead of the arrival of the train.

I was surprised that there was nobody on the track. The sign did not indicate that a train was coming, which was a bit odd, but that was not uncommon. A few days before, my Warsaw night train had not been marked. 3:04 came. Then 3:05, 3:06, 3:07. F***! I missed the train somehow!

I went upstairs and a couple of young people, presumably students, showed me that track 4 was correct, for the OTHER train station. I had been looking at the wrong column. The train had quietly left from track 1. Damn it! There were no other possibilities for traveling to Zamosc that night!

I could get half way, to Lublin, then stay there or try to get a bus to Zamosc. Or... I thought about it... I could stay another night in Warsaw. Hmm, there was that nice, inexpensive place. What was it called? Granada? Gromada?

Somehow, the unused ticket fell out of my pocket. I was out $25.

I took my luggage outside and soon the taxi brought me to the Gromoda hotel, in central Warsaw. I wouldn't call the place pretty, but for $50 a night, you get a clean room and an excellent breakfast.

I was very tired so I decided to nap.

THE DREAM

I was in a very deep sleep and the little brother (i.e. my new cell phone) went off. In my sleep, I was expecting a phone call to conference with the Germans.

The woman on the other end was to be the operator. She asked me if I wanted to speak with Mats. I responded to her in German that it was fine to talk with Mats.

The operator hesitated and said some other things. I was half asleep and nothing was registering.

Finally, she said that she was from Lens Crafters in Western Hills. She explained that I hadn't had an eye exam in a year and I was due for one soon. I said something in German, then explained that I was in Europe and that I was annoyed that she had wasted $5 for the call. I hung up and pulled the blanket over my head and continued the deep sleep.

FANTOM

Around 6:30 pm, I woke up and I decided that I would go to Phantom club. Dennis was available for a half hour massage, for $10. Sold.

I hung out there for a few hours. At the end, I actually drank mineral water, as I was quite drunk. I managed to stagger back to the Gromada where I again slept very soundly.
- posted by Matt @ 12:58 PM