Monday, January 12, 2009

The Daily SHOOT! - The Royal Castle


The Royal Castle, originally uploaded by tgtwb.

There is something about Poland that you cannot put your finger on. Its drab, grey and dull yet filled with something alive from within the spirit of its people.

After Berlin, we headed off on an overnight train to Warsaw, Poland. Totally a different world from its glitzy, wealthy neighbour, Warsaw saw gigantic grey bulidings; ones that were not meant to attract the attention of passer-bys, or what i call "the after-effect of Communism".

Daytime almost seemed like Warsaw was a deep, dangerous city to be walking in daylight (let alone night time!).

The city centre (where the main train station is) was buzzing with noise in the rush hour, pollution from public buses... like any metropolitan city.

10 minutes tram ride into another part of the city, the streets seemed deserted - with loose scrap of the daily paper, swooshing around and nothing but the sound of the strong wind blowing across your face.

Walking down to the Old City, is like entering a completely different world. Its cultured, charming... and almost quaint with couples, young and old, rich and middle-class looking out for a place to grab a light bite and a couple of pints later into the night.

The Royal Castle, standing proud at the entrance of Warsaw's famed Old City was the official residence of the Polish monarchs and houses offices of the Kings, Queens as well as the Royal Court.

The castle is set on a plateau overlooking the River Vistula. It was closed when we were there but i heard that the grandeur interior is not to be missed. It is a dramatic historical monument about the rich in Poland. Not to be missed when in Warsaw.

The walk to the Old City is an attraction in itself that you shouldn't miss. It takes 20 minutes to walk in but WALK, its worth it.

0 Comments:

Blog Widget by LinkWithin