To Europe alone
Well, where we do not
Travel as a way of life
What could be better than new experiences? That's right, only new impressions. And so, for the first time, my friends and I decided to make life difficult for ourselves and went on a solo trip. Just do not think that we decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean by boat, no, of course not. Tired of living the herd life of an ordinary tourist, everyday travel is no longer a thrill, accommodation in a hotel that is farther from the city center and cheaper, and tired of looking at what the guide points to.
We got a Schengen visa, found cheap tickets, booked a hotel, packed our bags and flew to Warsaw. Was it scary to fly to an unfamiliar country without the supervision of an all-seeing group leader? It wasn’t, well, let’s say at first a little… but first things first.
First. Flight. Everything is as usual: we did not have time to get hungry, but already in Warsaw. By the way, from Kyiv to Warsaw is not such a long way - 1 hour 35 minutes flight.
The airport. Warsaw Chopin Airport is located 10 kilometers from the city center. From the airport, you can easily get to almost all parts of the city. The fare costs 3.60 zlotys (for 1 euro they give 2.44 zlotys). 30 minutes and you are at the hotel. I must say that hotels in Warsaw are expensive. Hostels are cheaper, but you have to look for them. We were looking for a hotel that would not require prepayment and give confirmation of the reservation for the embassy. We found a hostel for 62 euros per day. For three, it's not that much. It was possible to rent an apartment in the city center, but decided not to risk it yet, there is not enough experience.
We decided to lose weight and every day we walked around the city on foot, however, there was not much where to walk. There are four or five routes in Warsaw. The first one is an old “place”, the second one is a monument to those who died during the Second World War (the Poles know how to raise patriotic feelings in children, and not only in them), the third one is an excellent Shepen Museum in which they found a fine line between a modern museum and a classic one (worth to visit, definitely. The entrance costs 22 zlotys, but there are days of free admission), the fourth is the Copernicus Museum (for children it is a paradise. That's where you can touch everything, pick up experiments, find out what and how it works), that's probably all Warsaw. In winter, it is gray, only in the evening it lights its fires, however, only in its central part of the city.
Food. Eating in the city can be expensive and not very. An average business lunch costs around 20 PLN. But unlike Kiev business lunches, everything is prepared “in front of you” and impresses with its portions (already after the puree soup, I realized that the wings and french fries would have to be left on a plate).
Railway station. Arriving in Warsaw, we understood that Warsaw alone would not be enough for us. We studied the forums for a long time and read the notes of experienced travelers and agreed that we should go to Prague. But not everything is so simple. It must be remembered that tickets should be bought no later than three days before the train departure. In addition, the tickets themselves can only be bought at two international ticket offices. For tickets Warsaw - Prague, Prague - Warsaw, we paid 100 euros each. We must understand that for 100 euros they gave us seats. So we didn't get to fall. There are cars of a higher class, like called “couches”, but again there will be six people in the compartment, you won’t be able to sit much, the most expensive tickets are tickets with a berth, where three sleep, and there is already a bed on the benches. As my friend said: “You have to survive in this car for 5 hours, and then it won’t matter. ” “It wasn’t there anyway, ” but we managed to get some sleep.
Second. Prague. It's good that the Prague railway station is right in the center of the city))) "with a calm step" we reached our hotel. I note that, unlike Warsaw hotels, there is a system of discounts in Prague and we paid 36 euros for a room in a good hotel (in season it costs 114 euros).
I won’t talk much about Prague, those who haven’t been there should visit, and those who were there don’t need to be told. I'll just do a few drawings.
Shopping. Something has happened to Prague, but the choice of goods in stores has become worse. The quality is not the same, and the price is not the same as it should be. If last time for 100 euros I managed to collect so many things that I had to buy a suitcase, then this time all the purchases fit in a backpack. Either everything was raked before the new year, or there weren’t much discounts.
Food. You can eat in Prague everywhere and for any budget. Found a great restaurant two years ago. I confess that all these two years I dreamed of visiting this restaurant, and here, having arrived, the first thing you need to do is drink Czech beer and, of course, in your favorite restaurant. I go in, the restaurant is standing, in place, but not the same. Turned into a regular diner. It was embarrassing. By the way, look carefully, the prices in the menu in Czech may differ from the prices that are written in Russian. You just have to be careful here. In addition, check the prices for beer right away, otherwise the bill can surprise you and make your hair stand on end.
And another very important point. When you are going to go somewhere to any country, do not be lazy, but go to the website of the central bank and see what the local money looks like. (We did not do this and in the Kiev "exchange" they sold us money that was out of use. Of course, they can be exchanged at any bank, but... )
Here, perhaps, is my whole story.
I think that next time I will tell a little about the Warsaw Museum))))
