Warsaw: Overview

August 7, 2017

Unfortunately, Warsaw was the only city on this trip where we did not stay in the city center. This was due to the fact that we stayed here the longest and had the most classes so we wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Despite this we were able to venture into the city quite a few nights and on class trips so we managed to get a good feel for the culture and atmosphere.

My favorite part about Warsaw was the Old Town. The buildings are various different colors and the area is very well kept. The city of Warsaw was about 85% destroyed during WWII but in the Old Town they reconstructed the buildings to their pre-war glory. You can’t tell that they only date back to the mid twentieth century. Coming out of Old Town is the Royal Way, or Novy Świat. This is where you would find the most tourists as the street is lined with restaurants, shops, and bars. (Fun fact: on our tour of Warsaw we walked past the building that Prince William and Kate were in, as they happened to be visiting the city that day). Outside of Old Town the building aren’t as appealing as the Soviets had built them during the occupation. Many feature questionable architecture and dull gray coloring.

My favorite day in Warsaw was when it was raining horribly and we had to duck into a cafe to get dry. It ended up being a famous chocolate shop, E. Wedel, and we all got delicious hot chocolate drinks. When the rain let up we went to a cheap restaurant recommended to us by a University of Warsaw student and I, surprisingly, had an amazing sloppy joe. After dinner we went to a bar called Piw Paw where the walls were covered in bottle caps and they had over ninety beers on tap. We then ventured outside and took a stroll down the Vistula River where we found a small outdoor bar and enjoyed the rest of the night outside. All in all, Warsaw was a great city with many hidden gems and I hope I get to return some day and find more.

Written By

Sarah Tyrrell

I am a rising second year International Affairs and Economics major and going on a Dialogue to the Czech Republic and Poland. This program focuses on the 20th century in Eastern Europe from World War II to the Cold War. I chose this Dialogue because I wanted to immerse myself in a different culture and learn about important events in history from a different perspective. I am excited to be able to study one of my favorite topics in depth and in the region where all of these events took place. By the end of my study abroad experience I hope to have developed new language skills that will be useful back home as well as an appreciation for another country’s customs and history.