Guess where I went straight after I had checked in to my hotel this evening?
I am in two minds about the effort required to have a quick stop-over squizz at a city. If I hadn't been to Eastern Europe then definitely a few hours in Warsaw is worth it. There is a different feel to Krakow and a different style of building. More colourful I think. Not quite as impressive from my perspective, but that may be a Hobart/Launceston thing.
My other mind says - anything is better than hanging around an airport for four hours. So it is unanimous.
Warsaw seems to be a much more modern metropolis than Krakow. Krakow airport, by the way, was a large tin shed. A bit like Launceston before the upgrade, or Hobart airport in the 60s. Warsaw is much more up to date, and their central railway station is a magnificent modern piece of architecture. It is easy to see where the infrastructure money is going.
In Warsaw I caught the airport bus to the centre of Old Town. The ex-Pope is really big here, literally!
Attractive old town. Perhaps not as mystical as Krakow or Prague.
It is nice to get a look around before all the junk shops open. On the way back to the airport I saw a magnificent early to mid 20th century building. History says it must be pre-WW2 I think. It looked like that New York building that movies always seem to use as the site of the residence of the mega rich mega evil nemesis of the hero. I think an Australian media-baron lived there in real life.
When I arrived here in Rome I went straight to the fountain from my hotel, which is on what might be called the "African" side of Termini. I went via my favourite street corner, El Quattrocento Fontane, naturally. Then I went around to the cafe/restaurant near the Opera house, where I had risotto au funghi previously, and had risotto au funghi. Yum. On the way to the fountain I was disappointed at how dirty and seedy Rome was, but the feeling didn't last long. One look at that fountain, and the throng and the mess and noise just melt away!!!!!!
Rome "dirty and seedy"? Try Naples! But we had a great day in Naples, in spite of the garbage. Lots of pics of the ex-Pope in Rome at the moment too, as you no doubt are seeing. Hope you go to the top of the dome!!
ReplyDelete