Chopin Concert - Warsaw, Poland

 Sunday July 20

I booked this week with Greetings From Poland (GFP) https://greetingsfrompoland.com/tour/all-tastes-of-poland-week-to-get-to-know-poland-visi/

They have all lengths of trips (group or just your party) and I chose Warsaw & Krakow for the week just for us. They were very accommodating and responsive in setting up the tour.

We checked out of the hotel in Geneva and Viking took us to the airport. We had lunch on the plane and landed about an hour later. GFP sent a driver to pick us up and take us to Mamaison Residence Diana Warsaw hotel. It was the "worst" hotel of the trip. The best part was that the room was huge. It actually had a kitchen (like a long term stay hotel), 2 couches and a bath and a half. The worst part was the bathroom shower head. It was broken and couldn't hold itself up. The only thing it got wet was the wall behind it. So, showering required 3 hands. Plus, the water went everywhere which explained the mold and why the baseboards were bulged and pulled away from the wall. (only a small portion of glass on the tub) The breakfast buffet was sad. Just not much on it. If 3 people where there at the same time you couldn't get to anything. 

We should have changed rooms, but we didn't discover the shower head until the next morning and figured we would just tough it out for one more night. If it had been a longer stay, we would have asked to change hotels. 

the glass door didn't close so that's why water went everywhere

this is the wall opposite the shower - so the water flowed everywhere

looked OK at first like we could adjust it but when the water was turned on it flopped down facing the wall

gotta love the red lights in the headboard?

We got settled in for our 2 nights here and grabbed a cab to the Royal Łazienki Park which hosts free Chopin concerts at the Fryderyk Chopin Monument every Sunday at noon and 4:00. Of course, it started pouring rain, but we grabbed umbrellas and hoped it would stop. 

There were no seats left so we stood waiting for the concert to start. The rain did stop, and we stood listening to the music for a few songs when a young lady comes over and asks if we want their seats on their park bench as they were leaving. Why she picked us out of the crowd I don't know, but we were thankful to have a place to sit and enjoy the rest of the concert. They weren't even close to us. Guess we officially looked old and tired. LOL Chopin isn't one of my favorite composers, but we couldn't come to the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin without taking in a concert.

We walked back to the hotel and dropped our rain gear before heading out to the restaurant that the driver had recommended and made reservations for us. It was a very good choice. I was hoping for pierogis, but they were out of all of the varieties and only had 1 choice. Greg got those (and they were some of the best of the trip) and I got 2 appetizers. Both were very good! The restaurant gives the guys an after-dinner drink and the ladies a rose. Nice touch!

Stara Kanienica for dinner

guy played the sax while we ate

the bread had a delightful cheese spread (and was great for sopping up my sauce on the shrimp

goat cheese & roasted beet salad with cashews

Shrimp with garlic, chili, shallot & parsley in butter wine sauce

Pierogi - traditional Polish dumplings with sauerkraut & forest mushrooms embellished with seared onions

Greg with his liquer

my rose

cute sign for their bathroom

quirky signs in the bathroom

We walked the trendy street near the hotel (lots of young people enjoying the evening) with lots of restaurants and shops and found gelato for dessert. 

Greg coming out of the gelato shop

We wandered a bit more and then went back to the hotel for our walking tour of Warsaw tomorrow. 

Warsaw Chopin Concert https://photos.app.goo.gl/r2fajAc2Xz1ssn4S8