Digital Wanderer

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Vietnam — 2, Warsaw's Old Town

2011-05-11

As promised, some more photos of the old town. The houses are colorful, there are a lot of them and they are all beautiful, the streets have funny names, and overall everything is very cute.

View of the red brick Royal Castle in Warsaw and Sigismund's Column in a spacious square under a clear blue sky. 

Castle Square and Sigismund's Column, 1644 edition

The column celebrates the relocation of the capital from Krakow to Warsaw by King Sigismund III in 1596. The column, by the way, was erected by Sigismund's son and heir named Wladyslaw.

Old town with a red brick wall, historic buildings, and a green house against a clear blue sky. In the foreground is a cobbled square with round flower planters and a parked red taxi.

More flowers in pots

Brightly crocheted bicycle in pink, purple, green and black tones leaning against a pole on a cobbled city street. 

Art installation or what?

Massive reddish building with a tiled roof and a high central tower with an arch at the base. In the foreground is a sunlit cobbled square with long shadows and a few people. 

 

Ornate wrought iron sign over the entrance to a historic building with Polish inscriptions: 'ZAMEK KRÓLEWSKI' (Royal Castle) and 'INFORMACJA SPRZEDAŻ' (Information, sales). 

Cast-iron sign, stylish

Narrow cobbled street of an old town, stretching into the distance between multi-story buildings, lit by bright sun. Long shadows fall on the cobblestones, several pedestrians and a large white information sign are visible on the left.

We were walking in the morning, the streets were deserted

A large clay pot with bright purple and yellow pansies stands on a wooden barrel against a light pink wall. 

A specimen of potted flora

Narrow passage between old buildings with peeling yellow walls. It leads through a series of arches deep into the courtyard, with a view of the bright sky and a small window in the distance.

Little streets

Yellow facade of an old building with columns and a niche with sculptures, bathed in bright sunlight creating deep shadows. 

There are wire spikes on the column so birds won't land on it

White sign reading 'Ars Christiana. SZTUKA SAKRALNA' hangs on a building wall. Above it is an old street lamp, and behind them is a row of multi-story buildings on a sunny city street under a clear blue sky. 

One Slavic language always sounds funny to a native speaker of another Slavic language

If anyone hasn't guessed, they peddle quasi-religious merch here: icons, crosses, candles, and other paraphernalia meant for stupefying the masses.

Corner of a stone building with a street sign reading 'ULICA PIWNA' in Polish and several small informational utility signs. 

The promised funny street name

 

Cobbled square with a row of colorful historic buildings, outdoor cafes under white umbrellas, and several people walking around under a clear blue sky.

This is the Old Town Market Place, if I'm not mistaken. In fact, for a long time it was the center of Warsaw in every sense.

Metal sculpture of a fantastic winged creature holding a spotlight, mounted on a pole. In the background is the richly decorated facade of an old building with windows in beige and gray tones. 

A sign in the shape of a dragon figure

A girl in a black jacket and jeans standing on stone steps by the wooden door of an old building, looking into her brown bag. 

A girl

Close-up of a window with a dark wrought iron grate and a wicker basket of yellow and purple flowers on the windowsill. The window glass reflects old city buildings and the sky. 

Potted flower behind bars

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Funny sign, a food joint?

Blue address plate with white lettering 'Kamienne Schodki' on the pink wall of a building next to a drainpipe. 

I didn't manage to find out what Schodki means

On a dark windowsill sit two pale blue planter boxes with dried plants and dirt. Behind them is a window with a dark wrought iron grate and a section of old beige wall. 

A sad specimen of potted flowers

Decorative terracotta facade of a building with two white-framed windows, adorned with geometric ornaments and a golden depiction of swimming fish. 

An excellent relief wall, and it's not the only one there

Warsaw's Old Town was inscribed on the UNESCO heritage list due to its exemplary scientific restoration carried out after World War II.

Yellow public payphone in a metal booth with a glass visor and side flaps in an orange frame, installed against an old building wall. At the top of the booth is a white light box with the 'tp' telecom operator logo. 

Payphone with ears, Lebedev-style

Behind a brick wall with railings, a row of old houses with terracotta roofs and dormer windows can be seen. Against a clear blue sky, spring trees are blooming profusely with young green leaves and white flowers. 

Everything is already in bloom, while back home at this time (April 21st) it's freezing

Black-and-white 

A stencil, colloquially referred to as graffiti via stencil

Spring cityscape taken from above, featuring a large light gray leafless tree in the center, surrounded by roads with parked cars and green lawns with trees covered in young leaves. In the background, a river surrounded by forest is visible.

A massive tree, behind which the Vistula River can be seen

Three green glass bottles sitting on a brick parapet covered in commemorative writings and graffiti. Blooming trees and old city buildings are visible in the background. 

Lack of culture is everywhere, hehe

A corner building with a blue and cream facade, adorned with white decorative elements and a tiled roof, located next to other old light-colored houses. Parked cars are in the foreground, and the greenery of trees is visible behind the houses. 

But at least the colorful houses delight the eye

A bronze tactile model of the historic center of Warsaw with a relief map of the city and Braille inscriptions, installed on a cobbled street. In the background, part of a blue Polish police minibus is visible. 

Relief model of the old town

Thick green grass in a bright yellow pot stands on a gray windowsill. A dessert with whipped cream and cherries is reflected in the window on the right. 

Fancy grass in a pot

Cozy shop window decorated with hanging pots of greenery and flower boxes on the windowsill. The inscription 'Sklep z kawą' and reflections of facades are visible on the glass. 

Near the store there's an absolute abundance of pots and planters

A massive rusty chain with sharp spikes on the links crosses the image diagonally. It separates the gray cobblestones above from the dark asphalt or concrete below. 

You can't sit on this chain. Just like the anti-bird spikes above, but for people

A red tractor with a trailer in the form of a large green tank is parked on a cobbled street in front of old city buildings. A watering can is attached to the side of the tank. 

Somebody's gotta water the flowers

Attached to the window glass is an ad on white paper with burnt edges, reading 'GRZANE WINO' (mulled wine). Fragments of buildings and a decorative wall painting are reflected in the glass.

Design with a twist: the paper is burnt around the edges

Asphalt road with a pedestrian crossing and a blue mandatory road sign with an arrow against a sandy hill under a clear sky. 

It's not a clock, but a construction date or something like that. Also quite inventive

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Communists, as we can see, exist in Poland even among the youth

A concrete wall features graffiti with the green inscription 'PRAWDZIWA HISTORIA', above which is a gray-red round spot, smeared over with a wide horizontal strip of black paint.

There are anti-communists too

A large black-and-white dog with a dark muzzle and brown eyes looks directly at the camera from behind the black bars of a fence, slightly sticking out its pink tongue. Blurred greenery and part of a car are visible in the background.

The doggy was very friendly

Close-up of the muzzle of a black dog with white markings and bright amber eyes, looking directly at the viewer through two dark vertical slats. 

If she had her way, she'd have licked me to death

Top view of a wooden staircase with railings leading down a green slope to the river embankment. Below, green lawns, a tree blooming with white flowers, and a pedestrian area by the river are visible.

Beautiful, isn't it

View of tall old houses of various colors with numerous white windows, taken from a narrow alley or inner courtyard. In the foreground is a low wall with graffiti and greenery. 

Architectural quirks

A light yellow building with a red tiled roof and a long elevated ramp leading to its central entrance, seen through dark vertical elements and tree branches. In the background is a green landscape with trees and grass. 

As my punk friend says, "I'd live here!"

Right in the old town, by the way.

A dilapidated light wall with nine protruding rounded stones. Its right, darker part is dotted with writings and scratches. 

Little stones

A slender green coniferous plant in a white decorative planter with black patterns and a butterfly sits on a metal grate against a building wall next to a window with bamboo blinds.

Some are in pots

A green coniferous plant grows in a bed of wood chips in front of a light building wall. On its sides are large storefront windows with dark frames, reflecting the interior and bright sunlight. 

And some are without

A spacious cobbled square in the historic city center, surrounded by old buildings with tiled roofs on a sunny day. In the center of the square stands a lone leafless tree behind a round decorative fence, with passersby visible further away. 

View of Castle Square from the other side

Spring flower arrangements with yellow daffodils and decorative rabbit figurines on a wooden table in front of a shop window. A sunny city sidewalk is visible in the background.

They sell flowers, probably for planting in pots on the streets

A woman in sunglasses with a camera in her hands stands next to a peeling red scale machine, which says 'Sprawdź ile ważysz!' in Polish. 

Ancient scale, alas, broken

A white cup of brewed tea with a tea bag and a spoon, as well as a white teapot with the logo 'LA VIA DEL TÈ FIRENZE DAL 1961' sit on a dark wooden table.

I tried to get away from the old town to eat somewhere cheaper.

In the end, it wasn't that much cheaper. The food was average, you couldn't say it was tasty or tasteless. My comrades didn't like it, but it was fine for me, I'm not picky. Pierogi - kinda like pelmeni or dumplings with meat, and zurek soup. It's just tea, boiling water in a teapot, but the tea is from a tea bag. A weird combo.

A brown panel with groups of round holes of different sizes arranged in abstract patterns. Darkness is visible through the light edges of the holes, and at the bottom of the image is a fragment of dark polished wooden furniture.

At least the ventilation design in the eatery is pleasing (though made not quite neatly)

Exterior view of the 'Ozzie' juice and smoothie shop with a green and orange awning. A menu hangs before the entrance, and there's a light green table and chair for customers. 

They sell cavaliers and juices, though pretty pricey

On the beige wall of a building hangs a blue street sign with the white inscription 'Ul. Chmielna', a large number '7' and a right arrow, as well as a red stripe with the inscription 'Śródmieście Pn.' below. To the left of the sign is part of a light advertising panel, to the right is a dark arched doorway. 

Generally, house signs in Warsaw are brown, and the whole city is also often in brown tones, but there are these blue and red ones. It's funny that Chicago is also brown, but in a totally different way.

A young man and woman walk along a sunny city sidewalk among parked cars. The man is in a white shirt, and the woman in a plaid dress holds a yellow bag, walking past a street pole. 

Locals

A long red tram stands on a city street near a multi-story building with a 'DELIKATESY' shop. In the foreground, cars drive along a road with a pedestrian crossing and the inscription 'BUS', and modern skyscrapers are visible in the distance. 

A tram just like this, long like in Amsterdam

A tall black mobile device charging station with the 'Chargee' logo and several compartments stands on a tiled floor. Behind it is a glass block wall and partially an information board. 

Charging station. I think there wasn't one at this airport before

We returned to the airport fairly early. Back then I wasn't sure of my stamina yet, and whether we should split up. Now I think everyone should do as they please, as long as it doesn't bother others. Someone goes back, but if you're still full of strength and energy, you can keep exploring the area.

A white bowl with partially eaten orange-brown thick stew with chunks, in which lies a silver spoon. Splatters are visible on the inside of the bowl. 

Airport food is always expensive, but often tasty. Same here — the thick (similar to what I had in the US) soup was actually quite good. We moved away from the center of the airport so the eatery prices would drop, albeit slightly. Fortunately, it didn't negatively affect the quality.

IMG_4636 

I didn't eat this, but it also looks tasty

Dimly lit interior of the 'Café impuls' cafe-bar, where a neon sign and illuminated display cases highlight the bar counter with drinks and pastries. A blurred figure of an employee behind the counter and several tables for customers in the foreground are visible in the frame. 

Here's the cafe where we ate all this

A train car seat with a white metal frame, perforated bottom and black textured upholstery. 

Away from the gates there are plenty of free and soft seats. But things are pretty bad with outlets, there are few of them and they're not very conveniently located. Minus to the Poles' karma.

A Boeing 767 passenger aircraft on the airfield of an airport during ground handling. A yellow belt loader and a cargo tractor are near the fuselage, and workers oversee the baggage loading process.

This, actually, is Hanoi! And if you look closely, you'll see a bike box riding the belt. It didn't fit through here either, so they loaded it manually, which Intar was happy about.

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