← 2023 Italy, Greece, & Poland

Warsaw

Warsaw's Old Town sets the tone by day — a vintage Vespa parked amid geraniums, the colorful facades of the Market Square, the bronze Mermaid standing guard with sword and shield, and Stoli's sign framed by more flowers. Sigismund's Column rises in front of the Royal Castle just beyond, not far from a set of weathered bronze figures outside the Supreme Court. The city carries its history close: the Katyń Memorial, the Warsaw Uprising Monument's soldiers frozen mid-charge, and the Monte Cassino memorial all speak to a hard century. Below the Royal Castle, terraced gardens and a lively lawn open onto Łazienki Park, where the Chopin Monument presides over a stone bridge, a baroque statue crowned by pigeons and alliums, a Tancred and Clorinda group, and the Palace on the Isle mirrored in its own lake — a bumblebee working a rose along the way. As evening comes on, the bar at Hotel Verte pours a round of Okocim beers with the Old Town's spires framed through the garden, and the day closes back where it started, the Market Square lit up and full of life after dark.

The colorful facades of Warsaw's Old Town Market Square — The colorful facades of the Old Town Market Square

The Warsaw Mermaid statue, sword and shield raised, in the Old Town Market Square — The Warsaw Mermaid, sword and shield raised

The sign for Stoli, a Polish kitchen restaurant, framed by geraniums — Stoli, a Polish kitchen restaurant, framed by geraniums

Sigismund's Column in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw — Sigismund's Column in front of the Royal Castle

Weathered bronze figures outside a glass building near the Supreme Court in Warsaw — Weathered bronze figures near the Supreme Court

The Katyn Memorial in Warsaw, honoring Polish officers murdered by Soviet forces — The Katyń Memorial, honoring Polish officers murdered by Soviet forces

The Warsaw Uprising Monument, with soldiers emerging from rubble — The Warsaw Uprising Monument, soldiers emerging from the rubble

The Monte Cassino memorial in Warsaw, honoring Polish soldiers who broke the Gustav Line — The Monte Cassino memorial, honoring the soldiers who broke the Gustav Line

The Royal Castle overlooking its gardens, with a lively lawn below in Warsaw — The Royal Castle overlooking the gardens, a lively lawn below

The terraced gardens below the Royal Castle in Warsaw — The terraced gardens below the Royal Castle

The Chopin Monument in Lazienki Park, Warsaw — The Chopin Monument, Łazienki Park

A stone bridge over the canal in Lazienki Park, Warsaw — A stone bridge over the canal, Łazienki Park

A baroque statue crowned by pigeons with purple alliums blooming nearby in Lazienki Park — A baroque statue crowned by pigeons, alliums in bloom nearby

A marble statue depicting Tancred and Clorinda in Lazienki Park, Warsaw — A marble statue depicting Tancred and Clorinda

The Palace on the Isle reflected in the lake at Lazienki Park, Warsaw — The Palace on the Isle, reflected in the lake

The Palace on the Isle with its roofline lined with statues, Lazienki Park — The Palace on the Isle, its roofline lined with statues

A bumblebee on a pink rose in Warsaw — A bumblebee on a pink rose

The bar at Hotel Verte in Warsaw, shelves stocked with spirits — The bar at Hotel Verte

Two glasses of Okocim beer overlooking the gardens in Warsaw — Two glasses of Okocim beer, overlooking the gardens

Old Town spires seen through the garden near Hotel Verte in Warsaw — Old Town spires, framed through the garden

The Old Town Market Square lit up at night in Warsaw — The Old Town Market Square, lit up at night

← 2023 Italy, Greece, & Poland