First up is Warsaw. I attended a meeting in Warsaw late last February. I am sorry to say that the trip came at the end of a three week stretch of travel so I really did not take the time to explore the city as much as I would have liked. I was getting very tired of the travel and wanted just wanted to get home.Even though the visit to Warsaw was short, I did find the city enjoyable. The Polish people I met were full of smiles and seemed very warm. One interesting fact about Warsaw is that 85% of the city was destroyed during WWII. The population dropped from 1.3 million people to 422,000 during the same period. The communist post war government solved the housing shortage problem that ensured as people returned to the city by dotting the land with cold concrete box type apartment construction. Many of the buildings are still grey and give of a cold soulless feel. However, the city center is alive and full of construction. The attached picture is a shopping mall that was under construction right across the street from my hotel.
On a short break from work, I went out with a colleague to explore a little and do some shopping. My colleague wanted to find some crystal artwork, so we hired a driver and hit a few shopping areas. You really start to appreciate the sheer amount of choice we have in America after visiting four different shopping and finding next to nothing worth purchasing. After the fourth stop, we did find a small shop with some very nice pieces from a renowned Polish crystal artist. The prices were great and we both purchased a few items (see 2nd attached picture)I was looking to purchase some high end polish Vodka that could not be found in the US, but was told that the Water in Poland is so bad that the majority of Vodkas are poor. Each store we stopped at offered Belvedere as their best; yes it is very good, but I can buy that at home easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment