I got into Warsaw early. I put my bag into a left luggage locker and walked around the city. It’s a large place with large buildings. Seemed like a pretty typical capital. I got to Old Town and it was quiet, no tourists yet, so it was pretty nice.
I also visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum which was free on Sundays. Perfect. Everything was in Polish and English. It was probably the best audio-visual museum I’ve ever seen. And the stories of Polish heroism were great.
I met up with a group of CouchSurfers for a bonfire in some nearby woods. They were all friendly. It was nice meeting a few Polish people because I hadn’t had any meaningful interactions in Krakow or Zakopane.
We smoked sausages, drank, and joked. I was asked some tough political questions from a couple of Belgian girls. Everyone’s interested in the US presidential election.
I was also told the other side of the Warsaw Uprising. Tens of thousands of people died for nothing. The Warsaw Uprising didn’t actually do anything and didn’t help Poland gain independence. Many of those who fought didn’t have weapons, only shovels and sticks.
A couple of people at the bonfire were really great. Oksana, a Siberian Russian who went to school in Kiev and just recently moved to Warsaw, bought a bunch of sausages and drinks, and I forgot to pay her back. I’ll get her next time. And I hope there is a next time. Oksana was beautiful.
I didn’t get to talk to Chris until late in the night, but I’m very happy I did. We both have deep concerns about “wage slavery” and using our lives for something meaningful. Chris is an ex-photo journalist and he’s rejected that life for it’s stress and meaninglessness. He’s currently working as a freelancer and taking time to think and figure out what he wants. He’s 31 and he offered me some great advice since he could relate to how I’m feeling. Chris told me that I should keep traveling so that I can give myself time to figure things out. He also gave me some book recommendations. My discussion with Chris was one of the highlights of my trip. We really connected, and I want to keep in contact with him.
I didn’t have any accommodation for the night, but I figured I could use my charm to find a bed. I asked Martin, and he said he’d be happy to put me up for the night. Great! Later, a few people asked me if I had a bed for the night. It seemed they were ready to put me up. Really great. Chris told me I should stay with him since he was just a short walk from the train station. There was a little bit of an awkwardness as Chris stole me from Martin as we were riding back on the metro. It was great though. I was happier to stay with Chris and it was more convenient.
I slept on the floor, and got up at 6am to catch my 7am train to Berlin.
