In researching what to do in Warsaw beyond the top historical sites I found Saska Kępa popped up in a number of YouTube videos and blog posts. It sounded like a relaxed, comfortable residential area that would be worth seeing, so I carved out a bit of time to see it.
It's on the east side of the Vistula river, in the southern part of the Praga district.
Once again I took advantage of the great public transportation system to quickly get over there by bus.
5 stops on the 111 and I was at Rondo Waszyngtona 02, which is very close to the top of Francuska street, and from there you just walk the 4 or 5 blocks that comprise the heart of Saska Kępa.
I did not have time to linger. My entire visit was probably 20-30 minutes, but that was enough to confirm that if I ever get back to Warsaw I would make more time to enjoy a meal and a longer stroll in this neighborhood. It had some nice looking homes ...
... lines for local ice cream shops, and people enjoying pizza by the slice on the sidewalk ...
... multiple solid-looking restaurants ...
Gruzinka is very well reviewed, and seems like a strategic choice for maximizing time in the setting sun.
General energy overall reminded me of Andersonville (Chicago) back in the day.
(Not sure what the current Andersonville vibe is since I haven't been there in 12+ years. Hopefully it's still pleasant. Initial search results below are promising.)
My tour at the Polish Vodka Museum was scheduled for 6:20, so I took a Bolt over there. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't this:
Turns out the museum is part of a larger complex, Centrum Praskie Koneser, which Google sums up as "Former distillery complex turned arts & event center with gallery shows, concerts, bars & dining." Yes. Cool place to spend some time. Seemed similar to Elektrownia Powiśle, which I checked out Friday afternoon.
Once I confirmed my presence for the tour I joined the others browsing the merch in the very well-presented shop.
If you're a vodka drinker and have room in your bags for some souvenirs, this is the place to be. I'm not a vodka drinker and packed only a carry on, so I just admired the diplays while waiting for the tour to begin.
It started with a short video about the business in general, as well as specifics from the Wybrowa brand in particular. I unfortunately didn't get the name of the marketing executive who was featured, but she was apparently a pioneer as woman in the Polish spirits industry in the 70s. Would be a fascinating profile if there was a longer documentary on her life and career.
We got a lot of history and explanation of the process. If you're really into it, this tour is for you. A good solid hour of education before you get to the tasting. If you're impatient and just here for the tasting, maybe bring a flask to tide yourself over.
I found this little showroom fascinating. I could have spent 20 minutes here solo digging all the retro and special edition labels.
Need to keep an eye out for these beauties this fall. Something for the display case for sure. I might even drink it.
We finally got to the tasting room. I thought I had better notes about what we tried but can't find them now. We got a couple of grain vodkas and one potato vodka. I do remember that I liked the first one best, and it was an Ostoya wheat vodka.
Pro tip: the tour provides you with a cheap bag of airline pretzels to cleanse your palate between tastings. Wish I had thought to bring something like an Obwarzanek.
By the time we wrapped up it was 745p and transitioning into evening. The Centrum Koneser was lit up with some light Sunday night activity.
My thought was to grab the metro back to my apartment. Dworzek Wilenski wasn't far and that would take me right over to Nowy Swia Uniwersytet. I walked along Zabkowska, which was quiet.
Found the metro. I couldn't find a turnstile that would accept my Jakodjade app ticket, so I needed to deal with the paper tickets. That delayed and annoyed me somewhat. But soon enough I was on the platform taking picture of the platform's 80s vibes.
Back at the apartment I ate some pierogies and this awful cup of soup thing from Zabka.
I have a thing about eating alone at restaurants when I'm traveling in countries where I don't speak the language. Specifically, I don't do it. Except for McDonald's. So instead of enjoying a meal at Coś Na Ząbkowskiej, I ate some mediocre pierogies.
FYI, if you're looking for more Warsaw Metro content, I like this guy's videos. Good stuff in general, and here is his take on Warsaw's M2.
I usually wake up around 6 or 615 when the dog scratches my face reminding me it's time for her insulin. Today I got up at 530 for some reason and noticed how loud the birds were. There are birds at 630, too, but it's much more subdued. I *think* this is an every day occurrence that I usually miss because I sleep with earplugs, but I'm not sure. Rainy season also started in recent days, with a decent storm last night. Maybe that heightens activity? Anyway, welcome to our urban jungle.
After the tour with Marcin (Part I of my Sunday) I must have grabbed lunch. Most likely was another stop at McDonald's for another McCrispy chicken sandwich. But then I ventured out for a couple hours of targeted roaming. I wanted to familiarize myself with the locations of some relevant hotels in the city and get a lay of the land around Nowe Miasto (aka, New Town).
Nowe Miasto is still old (Wikipedia says it goes back to late 14th century), just not quite as old as Stare Miasto. Both areas date back ~700 years, but Nowe Miasto developed outside the Barbican walls that marked the limits of central old town.
You can see that Nowe Miasto is just to the north of Stare Miasto, with Dluga and Mostowa as the dividing point.
Flaner Hotel has a great location, just off a relatively quieter stretch of Nowy Swiat. Restaurant row is an easy walk to south. Both old town and new town a manageable walk to the north.
Sofitel is conveniently located as well, sitting across from the plaza with the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier monument. Slightly less curb appeal charm on a main intersection, but very close to Saxon Garden, so it balances out.
These pictures are from April 12, so still early-ish in spring, but it was pleasant enough and people were out enjoying the day.
As I crossed the park this building caught my attention.
Cool design with that curved, romantic style ironwork on the balcony. And probably some very nice views of the park. But with buildings like this I always worry about getting the noisy neighbor - the one who is out on the balcony on his/her cel, watching tik toks at max volume, smoking, etc. I'm pessimistic that way.
I continued on to check out PURO Warsaw Stare Miasto.
Understated logo visible just above the handlebars of the left most bike in the row
PURO is a great hospitality brand that we work with a lot around Poland, incuding their Warszawa Centrum property, so I wanted to get a sense of this location. On the map it looks like it has a lot going for it. Proximity to Saxon Garden. Not too far from old town and the Royal Route on foot. But the area around it, at least when I was there, felt a little dull and uninspiring. Fine, but would not be my first choice. Mine might be a minority opinion, though, as it has great reviews.
View one way from in front of the PURO
View other way from in front of the PURO
Generic scenes walking east on Senatorska
Generic scenes walking east on Senatorska
Generic scenes walking east on Senatorska
I weaved my way out to Podwale and then pointed myself toward new town. Took a few of the obligatory shots on my way. Nice in the late afternoon sun.
It was around 4pm local time, probably around 60 degrees more of less. And it seemed like a lovely place to hang out in. Hard to put a finger on it exactly, but more interesting vibes than its larger neighbor just to the south.
New Town square has an undestated charm.
And what looks like a couple of great restaurants to take in the vibes and view on a warmer afternoon. This is Enoteka Warszawska:
Having seen what I wanted to see I started my walk back to the apartment. Couple of smaller shops caught my eye. Of course the Bolesławiec pottery shop. (Judy and I drove out there together last year and I wrote about it.)
Then the Hello! Gift Shop got my attention with that mermaid bag in the window.
It's a nice shop, definitely worth a few minutes to browse. I was tempeted by the Warszawa bag, but (a) I'd already purchased a couple of more functional shopping bags from Biedronka, and (b) the size / strap combo wasn't really gonna work for us. It would just be another random bag in our collection of random bags that extends literally into the dozens. So I saved the 30 euros and then enjoyed the half-hour stroll back the apartment without taking any pictures. Just enjoying the walk and the scenery in the moment.
