Recent reviews Warsaw
[Praskipark, 13/02/2012] Quote: This little sushi restaurant is just around the corner from my apartment on Ulica Banderii. It takes 5 minutes or so to walk there. If you are coming from the city centre then you will need to take a tram 13, 23, 24. The tram stops on the opposite side of the road and the restaurant is about 2 minutes walk away. It is the first restaurant undermeath a semi circular block of apartments that face the main artery of Wola that leads all the way to Plac Bankowy and eventually the Old Town.
This is a very small restaurant with three tables only seating 5 people at a push on each table. Tabl
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[Praskipark, 10/01/2012] For some reason the monument dedicated to Frederyk Chopin has been on my mind. It's a couple of months since I viewed it last but over the years I have seen the sculpture in different seasons and just lately I have been thinking about it quite a lot. Not sure why, as it isn't one of my favourite Warsaw monuments. In fact it is probably the one I dislike the most. My husband speaks very negatively about this piece of work - he says that it looks like a giant dog turd. That's not very nice and I am not so negative but it really isn't on my top 20 list.
The city loves it and wherever you go you
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[Praskipark, 04/01/2012] The Church of St Lawrence is a funny old church. In fact it looks abandoned and I very nearly missed the building when I was out walking on Wolska a few months ago. I had gone out one Sunday morning on the main Wolska route where there are at least three churches and cemeteries along this thoroughfare. In theory this area of Warsaw isn't too far away from me but in practical terms it is a lot further than I thought and much better on the feet and legs if you take a tram.
For a start the church is well hidden behind tall trees and the exterior is either painted grey or had the original paint s
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[Praskipark, 02/01/2012] Ujazdowski Park has quite a few interesting monuments / statues but my favourite has to be the one of Eve (1911). This is a statue that from a distance looks like a bodily outline but it isn't until you actually get up close to it you realise it is the shape of a woman's body lying on a tree stump. The bright jade contours of this woman's body highlight the surrounding shrubs and trees. She lies in her own small garden and her pose is a strange one - more sleepy, almost dead and not very evocative at all.
The creator of this piece of work was Edward Wittig, a polish sculptor who was born in 187
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[Praskipark, 29/12/2011] The monument dedicated to Bolesław Prus stands in a small garden surrounded by trees on ul.Krakowskie Przedmieście near to the church and monastery of the Visitation Sisters and close to the Old Town in Warsaw .It's a monument of great character, carved from stone, showing the Polish writer slightly bent over his walking stick. He looks old and distinguished and as if he is about to cross the square not far from the Bristol Hotel. He had a fondness of walking through the city streets and this is why the monument depicts the man in this form rather than sitting at his desk writing.
You will u
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[Praskipark, 28/12/2011] Finding a quick bite to eat in Warsaw isn't easy. I know it should be living in a capital city but I seem to struggle. When I am out and about taking photos I sometimes get very hungry and thirsty. Really, all I am looking for is a sandwich and a cup of coffee. You can buy sandwiches from kiosks but they weigh a ton and once eaten your stomach feels like a lead weight - all bread and very few ingredients. Of course we have McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken and thousands of kebab joints but I am not a fan of any of these. I usually end up coming home at around 4pm and making my own sandwich
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[Praskipark, 27/12/2011] Park Ujazdowski is a park in Warsaw that I only discovered this summer and I am pleased I did come across it as it is a place where you can find a bit of peace in this busy metropolis. The park begins in Piekna Street and at the turn of the 19th century was the site of agricultural fairs, public entertainments and military parades. In 1896 the park was converted into a regular park which exists today.
The bus that takes you to the park stops just outside and the entrance is a grand affair. As soon as you walk through the gates you come eye to eye with a sculpture of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a P
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[Praskipark, 22/12/2011] Bankowy Square is always very hectic even on a Sunday morning. It's an easy square to navigate as long as you concentrate crossing the road. The best way to approach the square is to cross Teatralny Square westwards on to Senatorska Street and this will bring you into the heart of Bankowy.
The western frontage is lined with Neo-Renaissance buildings designed by Corazzi. One of the buildings is Mostowski Palace; an 18th century palace rebuilt for the Home Affairs Commission, now the headquarters of the metropolitan police and not very easy to take photographs of due to the fact that guards ar
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[Praskipark, 05/12/2011] Visiting the cinema is a popular past time in Warsaw probably because there are a wide variety of cinemas including many multiplex type cinemas which were built after 1989, after the political changes in the country. These huge buildings with their dozens of screens and rich repertoire are present at almost every shopping centre, attracting thousands wishing to combine shopping with filmgoing. Compared with cinema ticket prices in UK and other European countries Warsaw still offers good value for money.
I have visited several multiplex cinemas since living in the city but I am not really a fa
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[Praskipark, 03/12/2011] The Tomb of the Uknown Soldier has to be one of the most popular sights in Warsaw. Visitors come here from all over the world to see the Changing of the Guard at noon every day. Soldiers
from the Polish Army dressed in national uniform and long coats march up and down to the end of the Pilsudskego Square in perfect synchrosisation as soon as the cathedral’s bells chime at 12,00 hours. They do also march away from the tomb at hourly intervals but there is more pomp to the procedure when it is the Changing of the Guards. The rest of the time they stand perfectly still and guard the tomb. I have
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[Praskipark, 29/11/2011] Early on in the summer I caught a bus outside my flat block to the other side of Warsaw known as Natolin. This is an old area now turned modern and very Middle Class. It isn't an area I visit often but that day I was on a mission to find both churches that I had read up about. I have already reviewed one, Kościół pod wezwaniem Błogosławionego Władysława z Gielniowa. This is the second church which is only up the road from the other one. I remember at the time being fascinated that two churches of significance were only a short way from each other. I didn't think there would be enough churchgoe
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[Praskipark, 28/11/2011] Ogrod Saski, Saski Gardens or Saski Park as we call it is a funny old place. When I first moved to Warsaw it was probably the second park I visited and I remember seeing lots of Mallard ducks sat in a row at the entrance. Snow was on the ground and they did look a sorry sight, like little old ladies cuddled up to each other to keep warm.
I have visited the park several times since and throughout all seasons and types of weather. My favourite times are Spring and Autumn because in the summer the park is always crowded with residents and visitors and it is just too packed to stroll around in a
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[Praskipark, 24/11/2011] Saski Gardens or Ogród Saski in Polish is one of Warsaw's most popular parks. It is the oldest park and once was part of the city's ramparts and a Royal Palace. I have been a few times now in different seasons and have usually found everything I was looking for except one monument which is the one mentioned above. I have spent hours searching for this granite monument dedicated to 19th century children's author, Maria Konopnicka and no matter how hard I have searched I have never even caught a glimpse of it.
On Tuesday I was out with my granddaughter in Saski Gardens in the playground. S
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[Praskipark, 23/11/2011] This small and unassuming Church of the Saints Brother Albert and Andrew the Apostle is located in Plac Teatralny opposite the Grand Theatre, National Opera House and next to the Jabłonowski Palace.This is the cultural heart of Warsaw and can be found close to the Old Town and Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. If you didn't know a church existed here you could very easily walk past and miss it as it is set far back off the pavement and blends in with the palace and other buildings.
Once you realise the church exists it is best to stand back on the very edge of the pavement so you can see it i
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[Praskipark, 21/11/2011] The most well known monument in the city of Warsaw has to be the Mermaid (Pomnik Syrenki). It certainly is the most photographed. All guide books will tell you how beautiful this statue is although I have to disagree. It is not one of my favourites and I don't think it is as beautiful as people suggest.
The monument stands in the Old Market Square in the Old Town. She was created by K Hegel in 1855, with her long fish tail, holding a sword and shield and is the official symbol of Warsaw. You see this mermaid on all publicity to do with tourism, on all buses, trams and the Metro.
There are lo
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[Praskipark, 20/11/2011] I have been visiting Park Praski ever since I moved to Warsaw over four years ago now. Every time I go I see something new. At first I thought it was just an old fashioned park with lots of red squirrels, many old trees and benches. As the park is next to the Zoo it attracts a lot of families with small children and it wasn't until my last visit I noticed several animal statues hidden amongst the bushes.
Believe me, the statues are hidden away and I found myself walking around in circles and following little paths that branched off from the main artery of the park. The first sculpture I spott
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[Praskipark, 17/11/2011] Throughout the summer I have been out and about in the city of Warsaw visiting parks and churches. There are so many parks in Warsaw it is difficult to see them all in one summer. My granddaughter has enjoyed coming with me on these trips and always takes with her an old broken MP3 player which she uses as a camera to copy me when taking photos. Perhaps the time has come to buy her a real camera.
We have seen a variation of parks and each in their own way have a special interest or beauty. Park Dreszera is one I spotted going home on the tram from Park Krolikarnia one Sunday, a couple of mon
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[Praskipark, 10/11/2011] The Archaeological Museum is housed in the historic Arsenal which was built in 1643 by King Ladislas IV Vasa as an element of Warsaw's fortifications. It's an attractive building from the exterior painted in pale ochre with a large stone arched entrance leading to a courtyard. The museum's location is great for tourists visiting Warsaw as it is just a brisk walk away from one of Warsaw's main Metro stations Ratusz Arsenal, across the road from Kino Myranow and the back of the museum leads on to Krasinki Grdens.
Most exhibits are displayed on two floors, dating back from the Neolithic period
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[Praskipark, 27/10/2011] There are many museums to visit in Warsaw and most of them are very cheap to enter. At first I thought the Museum of Technology wouldn’t be my cup of tea but because it is housed in the Palace of Culture and Science, a building I love dearly I chose to have a look around and was pleasantly surprised.
The Palace of Culture and Science was built from 1952 55, a present from Stalin and one that wasn’t received with gratitude from the Poles. Still to this day people in Warsaw don’t like the building. Well, Varsovians don’t but I do and so do many foreign visitors.
The museum’s collection is sub
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[Praskipark, 26/10/2011] Location:
This museum was opened in Warsaw in 1976 and has two galleries. The first called Nusantra is located on Nowogrodzka Street, the second called the Asian is to be found on Freta Street close to the Old Town of Warsaw. Out of the two galleries I much prefer the one located on Freta Street - just so much more colourful and well presented.
Founder:
The founder of the institution was the collector and Asian art enthusiast Andrzej Wawrzyniak, who displayed his collection of 3,000 items here. In addition, in the late 1970s the museum received numerous valuable exhibits such as buddha stat
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