I woke up, rested, around 9:30. I woke Judson up. We needed to check out of the hostel by 11.
Last night we got 4 new French roommates in our 6 person dorm room that was for the first night occupied only by an older gentleman and then the second night by just us. They got up around then too, filling up the room with the confusing garble that is the French language.
We packed our things and brought our bed linens downstairs to check out. I really enjoyed my time here. Usually, that would be enough, but two nights ago I found out how much the girls at this place get paid, and I think it's a complete and total ripoff - they deserve so much more for the work they do. Apparently, though, they get a bonus when we review them by name on Hostelworld, so I'll have to do that (because Marta was too stubborn to take my tips!).
At quarter to 11 Judson and I left to see the last sights of the city (for this trip). We took the #35 tram north for four stops, where we disembarked to find ourselves a block from the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, built on the site of the Jewish Fighting Organization's (ZOB's) main bunker. Today, a beautiful little park surrounds it, and a Jewish Museum is being constructed alongside that (jewishmuseum.org.pl). The monument depicts on the front a few of the heroes who resisted the Nazi subjugation of Jews in the Ghetto Uprising of 1943, and on the back, a chilling depiction shows Jews being led away to their deaths by Nazi soldiers. The whole thing is made from Swedish granite, which was originally put aside by the Nazis to build a victory monument for themselves.
.9km from that point is another Ghetto memorial, this one much grander in scale, but not powerful in the same solemn way as the first. It depicts what could be either Ghetto fighters or Nazis chasing Ghetto fighters, both running out of the burning Ghetto through a chink in the wall. It stands next to what we discerned is one of the main judicial branches of the Polish judicial system.
We walked back to the tram, and took #4 seven stops south to the square we got our bus to Wilanów from. We walked another block to a nice restaurant called Chłopskie Jadło we wanted to have our last meal at. But it was 11:45, they opened at 12, and the man who turned us away was rude. So we went to the restaurant next door.
It was called U Szwejka, and was the only real restaurant we've been to in Poland since that first night at Ginger. Here we decided we would simply order enough to spend the last of our Złoty, which totaled 104.20 PLN, or just under $30 between the two of us. Judson got some kielbasa, and I ordered a Polish specialty, duck with apples, called Kaczka z Jabłkami. No, I don't know how to pronounce that. We also picked up some pierogis for an appetizer. And orange juice, two of them. And a bottle of water. The total still only came to 91.70 PLN. So we left a huge tip and walked away broke.
This was, of course, perfect, since a little under 2 hours later we'd be on a train back to Berlin and would need no more money. Which means this entire little Poland excursion, with trainfare, accommodations, food, and ticket prices included, came out to just shy of 90€ each, or $117. Mine actually came to $114 because I kept a 10 Złoty bill for my collection...
We went back to Oki Doki and got our bags, then waited an hour or so before going to the station. Having gotten such wonderful directions the other day, we knew how to get back without a problem. Especially during the day.
With little confusion we found our platform, 3, and track, 2, for the 14:55 train to Berlin Hauptbahnhoff. And after a little wait, got into seats 42 and 48 (somehow adjacent) in car 269, just behind the engine. We left on time, and a few minutes later we were out of Warsaw and into the Polish countryside.
Over 5 hours later we pulled into Berlin Hauptbahnhoff. The usual route took us back to St. Christopher's hostel. We checked into our new room, and collapsed in the Chill Out Zone upstairs from the bar. Nothing happened for the rest of the night.
I'm tired and may be developing a slight cold. Sleep time.
One note: it is incredibly disappointing being in a country now where only half of the girls are incredibly beautiful, and not all of them.
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