Two countries, or three?

Well, I made it to Warsaw, with only a few glitches. The first problem; missing my train. Whereas most little situations leave me all the wiser, I still don't know what happened with this one. I was waiting at the right platform under a blinking sign for Warsaw, but the train didn't show. Who knows. Anyhow, I got this ticket switched for another on a slower train, which was supposed to get me to Warsaw at 0100 rather than the 2200 of the first. This wouldn't have been so bad, had I not misunderstood the conductor. I was pretty sure we agreed that she would wake me before my stop, but somewhere along the way we got a new conductor, one who only introduced himself after the train was a hundred kilometers beyond Warsaw. I tried to convince him to let me stay on the train until it terminated and came BACK to Warsaw (which would give me a few hours to sleep), but he kindly asked me to just buy a new ticket at the next station. Did this, got on another train at 0400, and hopped off in Warsaw at 0600. Then I discovered that I had stopped at a suburban Warsaw station, so I tried to catch a bus into the center. The bus system must have been jealous of all the fun, however. What I thought read "Stare Miasto" on the bus sign was actually "Stare Mieste" or something, so I ended up getting an hour-long tour of Suburban Warsaw. Finally, back at the station where I boarded the bus, I decided to boot into the Old City of Warsaw, which, as it turned out, was barely a 3km walk.

Why do I write this in detail? Well, friends; the whole time, I couldn't help but wonder: Who do the Poles tell jokes about?

I really liked Warsaw, however. The hike into Warsaw took me over the Vistula river on a bridge next to the old Royal Castle. I got some breakfast, then bought a ticket to Vilnius at a travel office. I trucked around some of the Old Town sights, and after lunch, received a great little Warsaw Walking Tours book from the friendly, septlingual waitress. Found a cozy hostel just north of Old Town.

So for Warsaw the city, most of it was rebuilt after WWII. After the "Ghetto Uprising" of the Jews (known to many thanks to the NBC mini-series starring the whinny guy from "Friends"), there was a much larger, citywide uprising that proved quite the headache for the Germans. The Germans eventually put down the rebels, and then set about deporting/eliminating remaining citizens and leveling the city. Demolition crews managed to destroy 87% of the buildings. Thus, many of the monuments stand in the memory of the Uprising, and it seems every building I went into had a plaque that read, "Rebuilt after it's destruction in WWII..."


Oddly, I think the statue of the Legendary Mermaid, reputed to have sworn to come to the rescue if Warsaw were to see trouble, is original.

The city had some beautiful gardens and parks, a whole bunch of museums to Chopin and Mme. Curie, and tons of churches. The National Museum was quite a nice mixture of gorgeous classics, and also some funky crap glued together by a Polish artist. Call me a boor. The Royal Castle impressive, though it's art, like that of all castles, was mostly portraits of fat white people.

I did think the city was pretty cool, with what seemed very few tourists, but dreary weather naturally dampened my enthusiasm just a bit. The sun was struggling to show it's rays, but usually it was everyone walking around in a light mist, umbrella in hand, waiting so as not to be the first wuss to open it.

Yesterday, I got into Vilnius, Lithuania, and headed for the first hostel I saw. This Old Town hostel turns out to be very cheap, clean, and social. The LPs, I later found, warn that not much sleep goes on here, so perhaps this will help explain my scatter-minded writings. Indeed, even with ear-plugs, I'm currently having quite the time putting down thoughts, as my fellow travelers are quite "jolly". For all I've heard of Italians talking with their hands, they certainly don't relegate their mouths to an auxiliary role. But these Italian are, in a truth, great guys. I don't think they leave the hostel, as they always seem to be here cooking, ensuring that if anyone is in the common room, he's well fed.

That being said, this has been a very social leg of the journey, with mates to tour the historical sights during the day, and the pubs in the evening. The LP knew something when it reviewed hostels.

But night-life aside, this town is old and quirky, just like the old dude who Boogies for Beer outside of the 24h liquor store. Much of the city is medieval, UNESCO Old Town, but the inhabitants seem to harbour a flamboyant streak. It seems that one of the main tourist draws is the Frank Zappa statue, the only statue of said rocker in the world. Though a few of us thought this was a bit of a let down, finding it's only a bust, we certainly enjoyed the Republic of Uzupio. Uzupio, a little hippy commune started by some of the more Bohemian residents of Vilnius, lies in a corner of the city with its own borders and Constitution. The constitution of this "independent republic" is displayed next to a pizza shop in three languages, and includes such gems as "Cats are not obliged to love their owners, but must help out in times of need." Just some neat, crazy stuff.



Anyhow, I hiked around today, and went to the top of a nearby hill to get some shots of the city. The battery of my camera died as soon as I reached the top, but the old lick-the-battery-and-cross-fingers trick managed to eek out a few shots. Everything else being closed on Sunday, I lunched and then relaxed in a park for a bit, finishing up Moby Dick. Let's see if I can't make another good trade for this one. I got a "LP Europe on a Shoestring" for an out of date "LP E.Europe" and "LP W.Europe" (and neither covered N.Europe). For those, I think I started with a copy of "Heart of Darkness". Man, if only I were back trading scout patches.

For now, it's off to dinner, and then up to Riga on a ten-euro bus ticket. I'll learn to sleep on buses yet. More soon.