Hello Poland! Look how amazing you are.
Waking up in the Intercontinental hotel to a full breakfast spread of every kind of food imaginable is my kind of heaven. Oh - did I mention, there is a harp player for ambiance? Yes, this is a bit unreal. A few of my samplings this morning were: winter dream tea, black current juice, smoked meats, mackeral, crepes with berry sauce, melon, chocolate bread pudding, and eggs. This was not even scratching the surface. I very may well post breakfast photos every day I'm here because i will certainly try something new each time.
Following this fantastic breakfast I worked with my colleagues for a solid 8-9 hours and was getting a bit worried that I would not be able to see any sights as it was already getting dark at 4pm. (side note - I got to try some local Polish pizza for lunch, which was very similar to Napolitano style Italian pizza. Tasty!) Just when I thought my odds of sightseeing were gone, we got a call from the local branch manager, Tom, who was intent on taking us for a walking tour of Old Town - the historical district only a mile from our hotel - and giving us a crash course on Polish food/drink. Hooray!
I don't have a lot of time to go into the history that he shared but I will point out that everything I took pictures of was meticulously rebuilt in 1980s by Polish architects who had been commissioned during world war 2, right before Hitler bombed the city and destroyed all cultural landmarks, to capture every inch of the historical architecture so that it could be rebuilt in the future. Talk about foresight! Absolutely incredible. My pictures do not do this beautiful city justice. You'll have to come here yourself to experience it!
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - guards still stand here 24/7 to pay tribute to those who died in the war.
Tom Sullivan - our guide (on the right). originally from chicago, he moved to Warsaw 1.5 yrs ago and is extremely passionate about the history and culture of the city. He made it come alive!
The "White House" where the president lives.
Next up, a "Milk Bar". A tradition in Poland kind of like spanish tapas. You stop in the corner bar while you're out on a walk and then get a shot of vodka, a beer, and plate of delicious tapas food (roasted potatoes with cream and tomatoes, picked herring, bread, and polish sausage with horseradish and mustard). you stand up and eat at this fun counter and then go on your way!
Marchen - our translator for the trip
Sophie (my marketing counterpart from Amsterdam) and me
Tom, Christopher and Marchen enjoying their "milk"
Following a little additional sightseeing, we went to this fantastic underground Polish restaurant which has some of the most award winning food. Apparently the steak tartar was awarded best in the world by Money magazine. Or so says Tom, who is an obvious Poland fan. ;) We sampled many fun foods and drinks there, sitting directly next to the kitchen so we could watch it being prepared. Unbelievably good! Oh, and we ate this dinner at 11pm at night! Good times.
Beautiful hotel in the Old Town area
Tom picked up one of his visiting customers from Germany - another Christopher. He joined us for the evening and told lots of funny travel stories from his experience working for Levis European distribution division.
Sitting outside of the kitchen where the food was being prepared!
Apple juice + vodka. Very smooth and a little sweet. Delicious!
Marchen and sophie
christopher and christopher! ha ha - they even look kind of alike!
Steak tartar being prepared by our chef - he was very amused to have his picture taken
Steak tartar - Mmmm
Pyrogis!
Sea bass, carrots and broccoli
My delicious meal
And the fun crew! What a great night we had. So far, I love Poland! Goodnight everyone.
