Wake me up in July!
Before embarking on a new life changing experience, I decided to take some time off and enjoy myself in the company of friends, who appreciate life in its most vibrant colors. I never had Poland on my map of "places I want to go to", but it appeared as unexpectedly as my Polish friends materialized into a cross-cultural brotherhood and me its gender oddity that somehow found its way to fit in.
Besides all the delicious food I ate, and the amount of Prosecco that was consumed, these are the top 5 things that I absolutely loved about Poland and that made this trip memorable:
Bars and cafes
I can not possibly describe in words the cuteness and creativity of the bars and cafes in Warsaw and Krakow. From hipsterish to posh, to underground, to laid back,etc. Each place you go, has its own atmosphere and puts you in a unique state of mind.
There are a lot of nice cafes by the river, under vandalized bridges, in the squares, etc.
One of the places I definitely recommend to check out is Charlotte, which is located in the so called "Hipster Square", in Warsaw. Be it day time or evening it has a great atmosphere and it's always packed with interesting people.
Culture
I've been lucky to catch the last couple of days of the dedicated exhibition of legendary Mark Rothko, whose paintings are in the list of most expensive paintings among Klimt's paintings, Edvard Munch's, Monet's, Van Gogh's, Picasso's, etc.
Being in Warsaw and not go to Frederick's Chopin Museum is a crime. You could probably spend 3 days listening to all of the amazing Chopin's compositions and read all the interesting facts about his personal and musical life. Definitely on the "to do list".
There are of course loads of other places to see, but these two really left me impressed.
If you are ever in Krakow, I would recommend going to: Wawel Hill, Wieliczka salt mine, Auschwitz museum.
Lifestyle
Of course a nation's lifestyle depends a lot on what the country offers and what the local authorities provide and promote, such as the public city bikes that they have in Warsaw and Krakow, and unfortunately we don't have in Chisinau:
However there are some things that depend on the attitude, such as the way Polish people enjoy their public parks. I'd really want to see that amount of people in Chisinau's parks sitting on the grass, reading, enjoying the sun, having a picnic etc. , especially that our city is so green and there's absolutely no excuse for not profiting from it!
Old Town(s)
My love for old towns is mostly fueled by a lack of an official one in Chisinau. Taking care of the historical buildings and mapping their existence in history is part of a nation's culture and heritage. This is why I admire the way Polish have reconstructed Warsaw's Old Town after it was meticulously destroyed in 1944. It is mostly an attraction for tourists and locals don't go there that often. It's still a nice place to see and walk around, especially that it represents historical events that no Polish will ever forget!
Krakow's Old Town is really something to experience both at day time and night. It is an attraction and pastime both for locals and tourists. Its main square, 40 000 square meters, is the largest medieval town square in Europe. With a trumpet performance that is played every day, successively four times on the hour, by a trumpeter on the highest tower of the city's Saint Mary's Church, that s located in the square. The noon performance is broadcast via radio to all of Poland and the world.
Music
My visit coincided with the Burn Selector Festival in Warsaw, where I got to listen to James Blake and the Knife. Though I really like them both, the music was far too psychedelic for me to enjoy them as I'd wish to.
However, my music exposure didn't stop at Selector Festival. I got the opportunity to see the live performance of the Polish band Kamp!, that totally blew my mind. What is the point to have your audience sit if your music is sooooo raving that no one can keep it still - that was the case with these guys.
After listening to Kamp!, my Polish friends told me about another Polish singer that I really liked Brodka, so I recommend checking out both of them :)
And as it goes in one of Brodka's songs:
