Poland
A holiday break in Warsaw would not be complete without a visit on Sunday to Lazienki Park to sit on the benches or grass surrounding the imposing memorial to Frederic Chopin. Here world-famous pianists, laureates from renowned festivals and professors from leading music academies of music perform his immortal piano solos. It is an incomparable moment as silence descends upon the gathered audience and only the notes of the piano fill the air.
Royal Lazienki Park bus stop on Aleje Ujadowskie, enter park and monument is opposite. Concerts are FREE Sundays at noon and again at 4.00pm from mid May until end of September.
Google map: bit.ly/fWUF0s
Most eastern European cities have a beautiful town square tucked away somewhere, but Warsaw's Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta) is unique. The old town was completely flattened in World WarII - one of Warsaw's 'sister' cities is Coventry. Between 1946 and 1980 this square, and the rest of the old centre, was painstakingly re-built, using as many of the existing bricks and detail as could be salvaged from the rubble. Warsaw is truly a phoenix city.
The whole area is now a World Heritage site and there is a castle, cobbles and horse-drawn carriages to beat the best of them. The Warsaw Historical Museum is in the square if you want to find out more. Afterwards, watch the world go by at one of the square's restaurants - try some serious Polish food such as pork knuckle with sauerkraut.
It's a perfect location, everything is within walking distance, both you and your posessions are safe as you don't just have a key to your room but there are a few locked doors you need to get through before getting to your room. The bar is excellent with friendly staff, cheap drink (even if it's not happy hour!) and pool, table tennis, cards and board games available as well as a mini cinema theatre, the bathrooms are kept well, there is a great kitchen facility and they sell any toiletries you may have forgotten at reception. I would definitely go back and recommend it.
nathansvilla.com
Nathan's Villa Hostel Warsaw
ul. Piekna 24/26
00-549 Warszawa
Poland
tel / fax 0048 (22) 622-2946
email:
warsaw@nathansvilla.com
The three clubs Zwiaz Mnie, Hydrozagadka and Saturator are great semi-alternative places to have fun on a weekend. All three are located in the very same courtyard so you can literally choose what you want to do in an instant (11 Listopada Street, Praga District, the place is kind of remote, taking a cab would be good, although you can take a tram or go by bus as well). You'll find all kinds of music there, though recently mostly 80s and 90s - I sincerely recommend these places if you feel like dancing. Beer is 7-10zl.
22, 11 Listopada, Praga, Warsaw
tram: 3,7,25 ;
bus: 101,144,169,170, 174
night bus: N13, N14, N63, N64
www.hydrozagadka.waw.pl
www.myspace.com/zwiazmnie
www.saturator.art.pl/
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