Warsaw, or Warszawa, is the capital of Poland.

I was in Warsaw twice. The first time, we had just a few hours there with Dj’s buddy. We left our luggage there before heading to Santorini, the first stop to our pre-exchange travels. We only had time to dump our luggage, have breakfast and wander about for a couple of hours before we had to head back to the airport.

Warsaw Old Town

Monument of the Warsaw Mermaid (Pomnik Warszawskiej Syrenki) at Old Town Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta) – the centre and oldest part of Warsaw’s Old Town

In October, I was back again to spend some time with Dj on his birthday. I took the overnight train from Graz to Warsaw – a painful 11 hour journey. But I was so happy to see him again, considering we had cried buckets when we said goodbye in Vienna.

When I arrived in Warsaw, I was greeted by the colours of fall, which had yet to hit Graz. It was beautiful – red, orange and yellow leaves.

The first thing we did was to have some Pierogi at Zapiecek.

Served with bacon and onion gravy (a.k.a. bacon and onion in grease)

Pierogi are Polish dumplings that can be made with a variety of fillings, both sweet and savoury. You can order them fried or boiled. I chose the boiled, for health reasons. I heard the fried ones are good too. We wanted to have pierogi the first time we were in Warsaw, but it was too early in the morning and most restaurants were not open yet. Also, I doubt they are considered breakfast food! I was glad I got to try them this time, because they were yummy!

We ordered a mix of fillings. My favourite was the spinach, turkey and the cheese filled ones. Not a big fan of buckwheat. At all.

I think it’s pretty amazing that almost every country has its own version of different foods. Dumplings can be found all over the world – in China, India, Germany, Poland, Italy, the Middle East and just about any country!

After brunch, we took a walk around Old Town, to the parts we didn’t get to see the last time.

Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Kościół Nawiedzenia Najświętszej Marii Panny)

The Warsaw Barbican (Barbakan Warszawski) – the remnants of Warsaw’s defensive walls, which were erected in 154os

The Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie)

King Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) 

After much walking, we decided to stop for some ice cream. This swirly ice cream is called the “Amerykańskie Świderki”, which Google translates to “American Fusilli”. Ahhh, I see it now!

Amerykańskie Świderki. Ice cream makes us feel like children again.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention how things in Poland are super cheap compared to Western Europe. Coming from Graz, I was just appalled at how much I was paying back home!

We continued our walk through Old Town, and then we headed to Łazienki Park.

Łazienki Park, or Łazienki Królewskie, is the biggest park in Warsaw. Its name translates to “Royal Bath”. The park is just stunning with the autumn hues.

Fallen leaves

We spent a long time there just walking and enjoying the view. I fell in love with fall! 🙂

We walked back to the Old Town, and by then, it was about time we had our early dinner.

 

 

 

Warsaw Uprising Monument (Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego)

We decided to have dinner at Kluska Polska, which claims to have the “best noodles in Europe since A.D. 1682”. Well, seems like a puff, but I must say, I was very impressed by the food here.

 Kluska Polska

 

We ordered two different kinds of noodles (which are actually dumplings).

 

 

 

Dill kopytka with Highlander’s goulash with peppersI had this and I pretty much wolfed down the entire plate. It was really filling as the dumplings are very starchy. Kopytka is a kind of potato dumpling, much like gnocchi. The name actually means “little hooves”. The goulash was so very yummy! No regrets having this at all.Silesian potato noodles with turkey in horseradish sauce

Dj had the Silesian potato noodles, which are called kluski. They also tasted like gnocchi, albeit slightly chewier and in a different shape! The horseradish sauce was also really good.

 

Overall, a good dining experience for us both. And the interior of the restaurant is really artistic too.

 

 

Old Town Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta)

Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki)

The Palace of Culture and Science is the tallest building in Poland. It was originally named after Joseph Stalin, and was considered a gift from the Soviet Union to Poland. I think some animosity still exists towards this “gift”, which was deemed as a symbol of Soviet domination. The joke is that the best view of the city is from the tower, as you can’t actually see the building. HAH! The next day, we would return here to decide whether we would head up to the terrace.

The next morning, we went to the weekend flea market. There were antiques, furniture, rugs, cutlery, clothes and all sorts of other knick knacks on sale. Nothing caught our fancy though. Even if it did, I don’t think our baggage allowance would permit any purchases.

We went back to the Palace of Culture and Science, but we decided not to go up to the terrace because the weather didn’t seem so great. I kind of regret not going up though. I saw some friends’ photos and it looked pretty awesome.

Palace of Culture and Science

Us, walking randomly

We stopped by W Biegu Café (because they advertised really cheap chai tea latte) to have a drink and some dessert.

One of the best chai lattes I’ve had

Apple crumble tart

And that was the end of my Warsaw trip. We headed back to get my stuff packed before I caught the overnight train back to Graz. Those dreadful, sleepless train rides!

I had a really good time with Dj. This was the first time I really had some quality time alone with him.

My boyfriend, my best friend and my best travel buddy! 🙂

Goodbye, Warsaw.

We got in to Paris at night, and once again, got a little lost finding our way to the hostel.

We stayed at Vintage Hostel, which is close to Gare du Nord train station and also walking distance to Montmartre. Gare du Nord has to be the most wretched train station I have ever been to. It stinks, it’s dangerous; I wouldn’t want to be there at night by myself.

The next morning, I had the most amazing panini ever. Just a few steps away from the hostel is a little café called Epik Café. I had the mozzarella cheese panini, which was prepared with sesame bread. Just look at that… Yup. Best. The guy at the counter was really nice too! I didn’t see any tourists in the café, so prices aren’t too high, but you get really yummy, unpretentious food there.

Mozzarella cheese panini from Epik Café (Address: 69 Rue de Dunkerque)

We took a walk to Montmartre, the highest point in Paris.

An amazing Byzantine basilica sits on the summit and overlooks the whole of Paris. The Sacré-Cœur, or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, is stunning in and out.

Sacré-Cœur

Inside the Sacré-Cœur

I got goosebumps when I stepped into the basilica, which doesn’t happen too often. There’s an understated beauty about the interior. I felt so at peace.

View from Montmartre

The Sacré-Coœur is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions. There was a huge crowd gathered outside on the steps of the hill just enjoying the view of this scenic city. I found this view the most beautiful I saw in Paris, even more so than the one from the Eiffel Tower.

As we were admiring the view, there was a small commotion as a football freestyle street artist started to take his place on a narrow ledge along the steps. We were fortunate to have witnessed this outstanding artist perform. Iya Traore is his name. Be sure to check him out on Youtube. I have his entire performance recorded, which I will upload sometime in the near future (hopefully).

Iya Traore

Streets of Montmartre

At the heart of Montmartre is Place du Tertre, where you can find portrait artists charging hefty prices for sketches/caricatures. The portraits are really realistic. Maybe if I one day become full of myself, I might get one.

Place du Tetre

A must-try in France is the French crêpe, which is somewhat of a very thin pancake. We ordered the Nutella crêpe, but they have many different fillings, both sweet and savoury.

Nutella crêpe

On the way down, we decided to take the scenic route down to the park instead of the side stairs that we took on the way up. Oh boy, was that the biggest mistake! Just after taking this picture of the boys, we were “attacked” by a large group of black men selling friendship bracelets. They managed to separate us, grabbed our arms, and forcefully tied the bands around our wrists without our approval. Then, they demanded we pay for them. All I can say is, FUCK YOU. We paid because we didn’t want to get into any danger, considering that this bunch of hooligans were so much bigger than us. They even refused to take coins despite saying that they didn’t mind any amount. They probably had ten times more money on them than the three of us had combined! That totally ruined our day, and our already tainted impression of Paris. Ok, shall stop the rant now. But yes… Fuck you.

We did the free walking tour in Paris too, which was also organised by Sandemans.

Our guide – Nancy

The tour takes about three hours to complete, with a short break between to have a little snack at Eric Kayser. Be sure to try the financiers there. They were yummy!

The meeting point for the tour is at the fountain on Place St. Michel, and it brings you to the most popular tourist attractions in the city including Notre Dame de Paris, Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre, Pont des Arts, and Place de la Concorde, where the tour ends.

Love locks on Pont des Arts

The Louvre

The weather was pretty shitty the entire time. European rain is really a pain. Also, it annoys the hell out of me because I get little raindrops on my camera lens and it makes my photos all blurry.

From Place de la Concorde, we walked straight down to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, one of the world’s most famous streets and probably, one of the most expensive as well.

The Arc de Triomphe

One of Paris’ most notable monuments, the Arc de Triomphe, stands at the Western end of Champs-Élysées, in the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle.

Us, at the Arc de Triomphe

We stood in the heavy drizzle in a short queue just to take this shot. I was secretly praying the other tourist that we asked to help us take a picture was a decent photographer. Fortunately, out of  multiple shots, we managed to get one without too many raindrops on my camera lens! And I also managed to hide them by making the photo black and white!

From the Arc de Triomphe, we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower. It was quite a distance away, but walking is always a good way to explore. Had we decided not to walk, we would have never discovered this very significant place – Pont de l’Alma. Beneath this bridge was where the late Princess Diana had a fatal car crash. We took a moment to read the little notes people had left on the bridge for Princess Diana. She was indeed very much loved.

We continued walking towards the Eiffel Tower.

The sky was turning dark by the time we got to the Eiffel Tower. We got to see the tower both with its lights off, as well as with the lights on. It was really amazing getting to see the Eiffel Tower light up before our very eyes.

The Eiffel Tower certainly looks much better with its lights on. Without, it looks like a rust bucket. Then again, it is still magnificent and makes you feel so small.

We would return again the next day to climb up to the top, when the weather was better.

The next day, we visited Jardin du Luxembourg, which is the second largest public park in Paris. It was perfect weather – sunny and warm. There were many people out and about, jogging, reading books and just relaxing. We too, just took some time off to enjoy the warmth and the colours of the beautiful garden.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Somewhere in the vicinity was a Pierre Hermé, and I had to get some of those world famous pastries for myself. On the way there from the park, we passed the Church of Saint-Sulpice. There was a small flea market there with people selling all kinds of knick-knacks.

Saint-Sulpice

We were there at the right time too, as we got to hear the bell ring and it was really music to the ears.

Pierre Hermé is just a street away at Rue Bonaparte. Entering the store, I was in my little heaven. Such beautiful cakes and pastries! I can only dream of becoming a professional patissier and creating such works of art someday!

Cakes at Pierre Hermé

Macarons at Pierre Hermé

 We bought assorted macarons, the famous Ispahan and the tastiest-looking thing I saw at the shop.

Pierre Hermé’s Ispahan macaron – €7.50

The Ispahan macaron is just amazing! The perfect combination of rose, lychee and raspberry. It is their best-selling macaron. Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of macarons; but that’s probably because the ones we get in Singapore are usually way too sweet. The macarons from Pierre Hermé really changed my mind. There was a subtle sweetness to the Ispahan macaron. Tart, fresh raspberries with chunks of lychee in a delicious rose petal cream, between two rose-flavoured macaron shells.

2000 Feuilles – €7.30

I couldn’t get my eyes off the 2000 Feuilles. It probably took a lot of effort to create this delicious dessert. Layers upon layers of flaky caramelised puff pastry with crushed hazelnuts and praline crème mousseline. It was sheer decadence. If there is anything I would recommend, this would be it.

We also got four macarons to share. Pierre Hermé is not exactly affordable, but I really wanted to try the macarons. I am really thankful for Joel and Dj for sharing 🙂

The flavours we got were: Infiniment Rose – rose & rose petal, Veloute Framboise – yogurt & raspberry , Infiniment Chocolat Porcelana – pure origin Venezuela Porcelana dark chocolate, and Infiniment Cafe Iapar Rouge du Bresil – red Iapar coffee from Brazil. I would say, my favourite among the four was the Veloute Framboise. It had a very good balance of sweetness from the macaron shells and the tartness of the yogurt and raspberry. We didn’t get to try the other more interesting flavours, including something with cucumber in it. I guess I’m not that adventurous with my food!

We sat outside on the pavement, savouring these little French macarons and enjoying the good weather. But soon, we were off to to climb the Eiffel Tower. That’s part two of Paris. Be back soon!

  We took a bus from Amsterdam to London. It was a really long drive, and bus had to be put on a ship before we could reach London.

Victoria Station

We arrived early in the morning at Victoria Station and took the London Underground to our hostel, probably the worst one we had. It was a long walk lugging all our baggage along.

Our first stop was Portobello Market.

Portobello Market

It was a wet and gloomy day, like most days in London. Nothing really was open on that day, so we just grabbed a burger, a very delicious one, before heading to Camden Lock Market.

But first, we got off at King’s Cross to find Platform 9 3/4. I am pretty disappointed that I don’t have a picture of myself pushing that darn trolley!

At King’s Cross station, I found my Cornish pastry at one of many Cornish Pasty Co. stores.

Cornish Pasty

It is a huge pastry, and comes in different flavours. But you can’t go wrong with the traditional, which contains beef and potatoes. So delicious!

Camden Lock Market

At Camden Lock Market, you can find everything from fashion, to books, to art and lots of food as well.

We walked around until almost closing time, which is also the perfect time to have dinner there, as the stalls are all clearing their food for the day. Expect huge servings at a lower cost. We had decent Chinese food there, and some free add-ins as the stall keeper found out we were from Singapore!

Later that night, we made our way to Oxford Circus, which is one of the busiest intersections in London, for a stroll and maybe some shopping.

Oxford Circus

As we were walking down the street, I spotted a Ben’s Cookies outlet. I swear, they have one of the most delicious cookies ever, and an extensive range of flavours to choose from. But beware, these cookies are huge and they are sinful.

We shopped at Primark, our virgin experience, and we went all crazy and bought way too much. I also bought a coat for myself, as I had stupidly left my jackets in my luggage which was sitting in Warsaw. Everything at Primark is so cheap, it’s easy to go overboard. I also bought my stupidly cheap pair of boots there. Boots are a must in chilly/wet European weather.

The next morning, Dj and I met Benji and we walked along the river and to the Tower of London.

Riverside Walk

Part of Tower of London

We took a stroll around the financial district while waiting to meet with the rest. There were some interesting buildings around.

30 St Mary Axe (a.k.a. The Gherkin)

When we reunited with the rest, we walked to the Tower Bridge.  Tower Bridge, not to be mistaken for London Bridge – and therefore, has nothing to do with the song “London Bridge is Falling Down – crosses the Thames and was built to keep up with increased commercial development in the East End of London.

Tower Bridge

From Tower Bridge, we made our way to Borough Market. I was really excited about because I had heard so much about it. I was saving some space in my tummy for this visit.

Hungry souls at Borough Market

English fudge. Incredibly yummy!

Cakes, cakes and more cakes!

Sausages

Moo pie and gravy from Pieminister. Always, I repeat, always, have your pies with gravy.

Khanom Krok – a delicious Thai coconut custard pancake

Chorizo roll

Victoria Sponge Cake from Konditor & Cook. Also try their coffee and walnut cake.

The next time I’m back, I hope The Flour Station is open, because I really must have some Chelsea buns!

Our next stop was to Harrods.

Right outside Harrods, this amazing artist was sketching a portrait the late Princess Diana. For those who don’t know, Princess Diana was dating Dodi Fayed, the son of former owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, at the time of her death. They say, you never forget the day when she died; and it’s true, I still remember the day I heard the news. The only other day I remember so clearly was 9/11.

Harrods

Being poor students, the only thing we really could afford was food at Harrods. The food hall is just amazing! Everything from tea, coffee, cakes and pastries, seafood, pies, sushi… You name it, they’ve got it. We bought an assortment of sweets for breakfast the next day.

The eating continued. Fish & chips – an English dish we are all too familiar with. Someone had recommended Kerbischer & Malt – an award-winning shop to us, so we decided to have dinner there.

Battered haddock

Kerbischer & Malt is/was the winner of the best contemporary fish & chips. All their fish are from sustainable sources. We had the battered haddock with chips, and shared some fried calamari rings and fish cakes. Verdict: Good, but I prefer my Fish & Co.

I’m sorry.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to catch the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. For short people like me, it is recommended that you be there early to get a good spot. I was terribly annoyed with the taller people who refused to show any sympathy.

Changing the Guard

As you exit Green Park station for Buckingham Palace, there is a very green park right outside. I don’t mean to sound really lame, but it’s true; they probably named it Green Park because the trees and grass are just really THAT DAMN GREEN.

My favourite photo of us, ever! 

Green Park

Sandemans also runs free walking tours in London. We went for the tour after Buckingham Palace and photo spam at Green Park. There were a lot of people on the tour, which meant we had to keep up or risk missing something interesting. Also, I found that 2.5 hours wasn’t enough for a tour of London. Definitely not one of the better Sandemans tours, but I would still recommend going for it, since you pay what you think it’s worth.

Sandemans free walking tour

Westminster Abbey

This is one place I regret not entering. I think the price of the entry ticket really turned us off since we were on a budget. The next time I’m in London, I will visit Westminster Abbey for sure. This Gothic church is where coronations were held, where royal weddings are still held (including that of Prince William and Kate Middleton), and where many notable people are buried (including Charles Darwin).

Houses of Parliament

Our free walking tour ended at the Houses of Parliament. This building has a gruesome past, and we heard lots of torture stories in full detail. The size of this piece of art is just amazing! The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, also consists of one of the most iconic landmarks of London – the Big Ben. Big Ben is the name of the bell of the clock tower – the Elizabeth Tower.

After the free walking tour, I had the most unforgettable meal of possibly, my whole life.

Burger & Lobster is a fantastic restaurant with five outlets in London. We went to the one at Soho. The concept is simple – 3 items on the menu, each at £20. You can choose from lobster, lobster roll or burger. I recommend going for the lobster. I’m not the biggest fan of seafood, but this, I simply could not miss.

Burger & Lobster

A whole lobster, served with lemon butter and a side of fries and salad for just £20. Considering how delicious this was, definitely £20 well spent! We even joked about (or maybe we weren’t joking) coming back the next day if we had any leftover Pounds.

Not far from Burger & Lobster was The Hummingbird Bakery. The Hummingbird Bakery is famous for their cupcakes, cakes and brownies, especially their Red Velvet.

I got the Red Velvet and Tiramisu cupcakes. This was actually my first time having Red Velvet, and I was slightly disappointed. It was too cloyingly sweet. The Tiramisu was nothing special as well. But their cupcakes and the whole store is really pretty. I would give them another shot.

From Soho, we walked to Chinatown. I don’t remember if we intended to end up there or not, but we did.

Chinatown

We chanced upon M&Ms World, a HUGE store, about three levels, that sells merchandise and candy.

M&Ms World

On the very last day, we had until the afternoon before we had to leave London for Paris. I wasn’t too satisfied with the entire trip because I felt like I didn’t get enough good photos. So while the rest decided to spend the last few hours shopping at Primark, Dj and I left bright and early to Buckingham Palace again, to get a shot right at the palace gates.

We also went back to get a better view of the London Eye and Big Ben once again.

Big Ben

London Eye

And we just walked. Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, past parks and memorials… I felt like we had accomplished so much more in just a few hours than we did in the past few days!

Red telephone box – Who’s that handsome fella? He looks like my boyfriend!

2002 Bali bombing memorial opposite Saint James Park

Trafalgar Square

The duration of our stay was simply insufficient to really explore London, and to learn to appreciate the culture of this city. However, we were happy to leave grey skies and pitter-patter rain behind. London is definitely a city that I would return to someday, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

Goodbye, London!

Tragedy. I seem to have deleted all the raw photos except for a few that I developed for Dj and I. And I have no idea where my SD card is. So here’s the few I have left in iPhoto, and the others I got off my Facebook.

Madrid was my favourite city in Spain. It’s very different from Barcelona and Valencia. It’s somewhere I could picture myself staying. The weather was beautiful, the skies so blue almost all the time.

Our first stop was to the hostel, then for a meal. We stayed really close to Mercado De San Miguel, where they sell cooked food, as well as fresh seafood. I, as usual, went crazy with admiring the pastries. They are simply too good in Europe!

Mercado De San Miguel

A must-try in Spain. Jamón ibérico.

Plaza Mayor

To get to town and the main shopping area, we passed by Plaza Mayor, it seems, numerous times in a single day. It was a beautiful square. Amazing architecture, baskers, blue skies, surrounded by great cafés that serve great food.

When at Plaza Mayor, stop by Museo Del Jamón. They serve simply delicious and unpretentious sandwiches such as these Bocadillo de Calamares (fried calamari rings in a baguette). No sauce needed. The calamari was fresh. Hmm… I can still taste it!

Pueta del Sol

Another place to visit is Pueta del Sol (Spanish for “Gate of the Sun”), which is the heart of the city’s historic center. This is where you want to go for shopping. It is also a great meeting place. The Bear and the Madroño Tree (El Oso y El Madroño) is the symbol of Madrid. Walk around and spot as many of these symbols as you can. They are everywhere.

Without realising it, I took this picture with two landmarks in it. The clock and bells at the back are famous for the Twelve Grapes – a Spanish tradition that involves eating a grape with each bell at midnight of December 31 to ring in a prosperous new year.

Parque del Retiro

Definitely visit Parque del Retiro. It is one of the biggest parks I’ve visited. Of course, we had good weather, so we enjoyed ourselves. Gorgeous colours all around. A great place to relax and retire (retire, retiro, heh). If I do recall, the park is close to Museo del Prado, which we enjoyed free-entry to. A nice museum, but don’t take my word for it – I’m no museum-enthusiast.

San Jerónimo el Real

Just beside the Museo del Prado, is this church – the San Jerónimo el Real – a Roman Catholic church from the 16th century. I found it to be really stunning.

Santa María la Real de La Almudena

From our hostel, we can actually see Santa María la Real de La Almudena. According to our tour guide, people actually find the cathedral ugly. Well… Can’t say I don’t agree. Just too drab to me. But it is huge, and I still worth a visit. The panoramic view is pretty good, and there are many great photographic opportunities.

The free walking tour we went for was under Sandemans. The tour lasts about 3 hours and takes you to many attractions. I highly recommend free walking tours. It’s cheap, it’s fun, you get to hear the new stories and views about the city, it allows you to decide for yourself where you’d like to visit/enter on your own time, and also, you get to meet people from different countries.

Palacio Real de Madrid

Flamenco performance

We signed up for the tapas and flamenco and pub crawl, and while I enjoyed the flamenco very much, I think the tapas dinner and pub crawl were just plain awkward. Flamenco is a form of Spanish folk music and dance which includes hand clapping, singing, dancing and guitar-playing. The guy’s voice gave me goosebumps. Amazing!

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

And here we are – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu! Yes, I do (or rather, did) watch soccer. And Real Madrid happens to be my favourite team. No spiteful comments, please. Watching Real Madrid play was one of the most memorable experiences of my whole #maddieonexchange journey. And, of course, they won.

Fans from the “other side”.

Before I end my walk down memory lane, let me end with another food recommendation. Once again, churros! My never-ending search for churros brought me to Chocolatería San Ginés. They’ve served chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) since 1894. This place is the place for fans of crunchy churros. Call me odd, but I preferred the one in Valencia, which was more fluffy on the inside. Still good, though! The hot chocolate is to die for.

Chocolate con churros from Chocolatería San Ginés

I’ll be back in Madrid someday.

Till then.