Warszawa!!!!

Wow! What a great city! Everyone should visit Poland, I've been so impressed.

So, Krakow was very fun and cute, but also quite touristy. I enjoyed my stay there immensely, but Warsaw is quickly becoming one of my favorite places I've been on this trip. Candace, the ever gracious host, has kept me extremely entertained. I got here on Saturday night and went to a housewarming party with her where I met most of her colleagues from the Embassy, what a wonderful and interesting group of people! Then, yesterday, we rode bikes all over the city, stopping at outdoor festivals everywhere and eating wonderful Polish delights and drinking awesome unpasturized Polish beer. Delicious! I got to see so much of the city and enjoyed the bike ride immensely. I am convinced that it's the best way to see a city. After our ride around town, we went to an outdorr jazz concert and then on a river cruise with folks from the embassy as a send off for one of their co-workers who is heading to Kosovo in a week. It was a beautiful evening, the company was great and the sunset was subperb.

Being here is amazing. I can't believe I'm in Poland/Eastern Europe. Not many Americans make this a destination, though I am totally convinced they should. It's an eye-opening experience the history of Warsaw alone is staggering. 85% of the city was destroyed in the Polish uprising of 1944 and they re-built the city brick by brick to look as close to what it did before the devastation. It's incredible to walk the streets with that in mind.

The weather has been beautiful, thankfully, as it has been unseasonably wet here from what I've heard. Right now I am sitting in a coffee shop on a square and enjoying a sunny morning and a caffe latte while planning out my day and making reservations for my hostel in Berlin. Tonight I will be going to an opening VIP reception for the place where we saw the jazz concert last night. So glad I found a cute dress while in Krakow! I'll take lots of pictures and be sure to post asap.

I feel so lucky to be staying with Candace, we hadn't seen eachother for 8 years and it's been great catching up with her - she's still just as wonderful as I remembered her and I'm glad to be rebuilding a great friendship. Not to mention the palatial accomodations in her apartment - it's so nice to have my own room and personal bathroom after staying in hostels with 12 other people to a room and all sharing a bathroom.

Stay tuned!!!