Warsaw, Poland – A Spring Adventure
A weekend in March without plans? That was what happened to me. I searched for a few options and eventually decided to head back to Warsaw for a new visit. This time it was a new solo trip with Susann and Little A staying in Sweden. I had found a cheap Thursday flight from Stockholm Skavsta Airport with a return on Monday morning.
Just a few weeks before going I did, however, receive an e-mail from Wizz Air. My flight had been rebooked. They had offered me to instead travel to Poland on Wednesday, a day earlier than first planned. After a few checks, especially with Susann, I was able to accept the change. I was going to check in and finish of my work on Wednesday before heading out on adventures. It was going to be day trips to both Lublin and Bergamo in Italy. But it was a very uneventful Wednesday, so let us look at Thursday onwards.
Day Trip to LUBLIN
Early on Thursday morning, I headed the short walk to Dworzec Centralny w Warszawie, the central railway station. My plan was to catch the train to Lublin, a city about two hours to the southeast. This is the ninth largest city in Poland and has played an important role in Polish history. For me it was time to explore both the new and the historical centers. Especially the Old Town was impressive. It was a day with a lot of walking and I was tired once I got back to the train station. sadly it was over an hour until the next train with available seats. Instead of risking to stand the whole way back to Warsaw, I decided to wait.
While waiting I continued my walk to what is probably the most famous but also horrific place in Lublin. I walked to the gate of the Majdanek Concentration Camp. This was one of Nazi Germany’s extermination camps and it is estimated that 78.000 lost their lives here. My walk took me along the edge of the camp, which was enough for this time. I had already seen Auschwitz during a visit of Poland in 2013, but that was still enough for my part. Instead, I walked back towards the train station to catch my train back to Warsaw. It had been a long day and the sun was already on its way down upon my return to my accommodation. It was time to prepare for the night, I was going to need to wake up early the next day.
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Day Trip to BERGAMO
Friday morning began with a very early wake-up. I had a flight to catch. I had missed the possibility to go on day trips like this since Wizz Air moved their route between Stockholm and Gdansk from Stockholm Skavsta Airport to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. But it was finally happening again. This time it was a day trip from Warsaw to Bergamo in northern Italy.
My flight to Bergamo took off at 6:15 and I was standing in the city’s center at 9 in the morning. It was going to be a day of walking around both in and at the outskirts of Bergamo. My initial walk took me to the cable cars, or funicolare, to reach Città Alta, the old town. From one cable car, I walked to the next and reached San Vigilio. It was here my long walk really began. I walked around the hill and got to enjoy some nice views, forest trails, and picturesque small settlements. It really felt like the big city was far far away. It was not until I was back in Città Alta that it felt like I was back in Bergamo.
My walk continued back to the funicolare to get back down to the modern city center. It was in the center that I found some kebab for a late lunch and sat down to rest some. My feet had started to tell me that I had walked a bit too far already. Well, I still had more exploring of the city center to do because I wanted to see some of the impressive buildings and squares. Eventually, I had to rest. So I took the bus back to the airport to be able to sit down for a few minutes. Once at the airport, I walked to the nearby shopping center OrioCenter. It was a huge shopping center where I had hoped to find something interesting. However, I was unable to find something interesting that would survive the trip back home. Instead, I sat down to enjoy some finger food and a drink before heading back to the airport.
My flight back to Warsaw eventually departed at 20:30. It had been a long day when I arrived back at Warsaw Chopin Airport and took a taxi back to my accommodation. Still with a smile on my face that I had once more been able to go on a day trip like this.
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A Morning Walk
Saturday was my first day to explore Warsaw. Yes, I had barely seen anything during my first three days. During earlier visits I had explored the central shopping center of Złote Tarasy, usually without finding anything of interest. I wanted to find something nice for Little A, so I headed towards another shopping center this time. Which also meant walking through, for me, new parts of Warsaw. I was heading towards the Westfield Arkadia as I enjoyed the sunshine.
My walk took me by places such as the park Ogród Saski and the City Hall. Another major site was the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. No, I didn’t enter this time, maybe sometime in the future. But I did see the impressive monument for the ghetto’s heroes. It is hard to visit Warsaw without getting a hint of the horrific past of Poland.
I eventually reached the Westfield Arcadia. And I walked around for about an hour but didn’t buy anything. In the end, I left without finding anything of interest for Little A.
Rain in Warsaw
Leaving the Westfield Arcadia was not as easy as entering it. A wall of water greeted me at the doors. It was raining heavily and all I could do was wait for the rain to stop. The wet ground afterward did, however, not stop me from having a nice walk through the city. Walking by the Fort Legionów, through the Old Town, and along the Royal Route before I got back to my accommodation. A perfect walk to see some of Warsaw’s major sights. Even though the sun eventually showed up again, I was quite wet from the initial rain when I got back. With not enough change of clothes with me, I just had to wait for the jeans to dry. Something that limited further explorations of Warsaw for the time being.
Heading Back Home
Not much happened during my last day in Warsaw. The Sunday was spent resting after a few intense days of exploring Lublin, Bergamo, and Warsaw. Considering my very early flight on Monday morning, it was a good thing that I had been resting.
I woke up at 2 a.m. on Monday to prepare to leave. My flight was departing already at 5:45 from Warsaw Chopin Airport. It was really an early morning flight. Luckily I had no trouble getting a taxi and was soon through security. That is when the second challenge begins. How to stay awake and not miss boarding? I usually continue to just walk around, almost in circles. A successful wait later and I was onboard and on my way back home to Sweden.
