Waffles and chocolates and beers (oh fries!)

Mussels, fries, waffles, and chocolate.  Those are the things I think about when I think of Belgium.  Oh, and beer.  Very strong beer. And mayonnaise on the fries, but we will not discuss that one, because it's nasty.  I had the opportunity to visit Brussels on a weekend in between my US trip and going to Ukraine, so, I thought why not...who really needs any time at home anyway (as I write this, I am anticipating another 2 weeks away from home in Croatia!).

Kamila moved to Brussels a few months ago to work for the EU, and since she'll only be there for a few months, and I had never been to Belgium, it was a perfect chance to check out another country.  Someone once told me that Brussels was the "most boring capital city in Europe" (which can't be true, after experiencing it myself), so I didn't have high expectations.  Actually, I didn't know what to expect except the 5 things listed above.  But that was good enough for me.

The flight on Wizz Air was cheap, as usual, and since I had my new iPad, the flight literally flew by (haha, get it?).  I noticed that everyone around me was speaking a funny language that sounded like they had peanut butter stuck on the roofs of their mouths.  In other words, they were speaking French.  Of course, Belgium has not only French speakers, but also Dutch (in Flanders they speak Flemish...it makes me giggle just saying those words).  I feel like eating peanut butter right now for some reason.

While it was nearly 30C degrees in Warsaw (high 80s), it was 12C (low 50s) in Belgium.  To everyone who thinks Poland is always cold, there's a little nugget for you.

Belgium has a really nice combination of French and Dutch architecture.  Up until the early 1800's, Belgium was part of the Netherlands, so there is obviously the Dutch influence.  However, over time, the French have influenced it greatly, in both culture and language.  The city is very ethnically diverse, and honestly it was a bit of a shock because lately I have been travelling around Central/Eastern Europe, which are not very diverse at all.  It felt like I was back in NYC.  And I felt like saying hi to every Asian person I saw.

 

The Town Hall square at night

By the end of the first day I was already 80% through my food checklist...fries with curry ketchup from a street cart, waffles from various places, loads of chocolates, and of course, plenty of beer.  I even had Flemish goulash!  There is an area called Delirium village, a small street filled with bars, one of which serves at least 300,000 beers on draught (at least it seemed like it).  I tried a few different ones, including some that were 10 or 11% alcohol content.  These tasted very good, but were very dangerous.  That's about double the content of a normal Polish beer, and about 3 times the content of light beers in the US.  A few of the beers I tried were Chimay, Leffe, Delirium, and Malheur.

The best waffle I had came from Aux Gaufres de Bruxelles (I think that means Waffles of Brussels, creative name).  It was fresh and warm, soft and dense on the inside with some sugar crystals for an extra texture and kick, and a bit crunchy on the outside.  With strawberries and/or nutella and whipped cream, I don't know what can be better.  My mouth is watering thinking about it.

These are actually different waffles, but they were also good

We also did some sightseeing, including around the Town Hall square, many side streets, and of course Mannequin pis.

The architect of the Town Hall committed suicide in the 14th century because he ran out of space the building is not symmetrical

Mannequin pis, who gets dressed up for various occasions throughout the year.  I love the 'stache.  

The secret to Belgian beer

Eating mussels in Brussels...and they were amazing

My post-meal art work

Another nice treat was a little Polish shop.  Inside it looked exactly like the little shops in Warsaw's Old Town (same foods, but triple toe prices!).  All of the customers were Polish, and when we went in, I even said "dzień dobry" to the shop lady.  Unlike the shop ladies in Poland, this one actually said hello, smiled, and was chatting with her customers.  Not that I said a lot to her, but it must have been confusing for her to hear a Japanese guy speak (broken) Polish in a shop in Belgium.  Kamila said that Polish people get friendlier when they leave Poland, maybe just because they like to see some of their countrymen, as it reminds them of home.

This wallpaper made me giggle every time I saw someone sitting at the bus stop

In addition to eating and drinking our way around Brussels (and falling asleep on park benches), we also went to Bruges.  The only thing I knew about Bruges was that Colin Farrell had a movie about it.  But I never even saw the movie.  Bruges is close to 1000 years old (that's pretty old), and the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Canal in Bruges

Main square in Bruges

I knew that I was in a richer country than Poland once the train started moving.  Unlike the trains in Poland, this train was quiet, smooth, and I could hardly tell we were moving.  And I could hear myself think.  The city of Bruges was very nice.  Quaint, with beautiful architecture, good food, and nice for just wandering around, the city was easy to navigate in a day.  Besides the architecture, the canals, and the "cuteness" of the city, the thing that stood out to me the most was the millions of chocolate shops everywhere...if there were fewer than 3 on any given block, it was a surprise.  There were so many choices of shops, then so many choices of chocolates within the shops, that my head started spinning.  I just bought whatever was in front of me because after 20 minutes of thinking, Kamila was getting mad at me.

Chocolate everywhere

I love chocolate, but I'm not sure what this next story says about me...I distinctly remember seeing all these amazing chocolate shops, then noticing an amazing, delicious smell coming from around the corner.  I followed the smell, and found....Subway!  No joke, I love the smell of their bread.  But not sure why I was drawn to it being surrounded by millions of chocolates.

Overall, it was a very good trip, and I found Belgium to be much more than just good food.  But obviously, I'd go back for the waffles alone.

A US reunion tour - SF, Tampa, and Chicago

During my trip back to Seattle, I was also able to visit a few other cities: San Francisco, where I used to live, Tampa, where a lot of my friends moved to, and Chicago, where I might live in the future.

How many meals can I fit into 24 hours in SF?
Just a few hours after leaving Scott's wedding in Seattle, I had an early flight to San Francisco. It felt strange to be in my old neighborhood again (Lower Pacific Heights), a year and a half after leaving. My first stop was the Mission district to pick up Isaac's keys from Benson, because Isaac and Tien were out of town. They let me stay in their place anyway, which was just down the street from my old apartment, near Polk street.

When I got to their place, I forgot which apartment they lived in and tried to open the door to an apartment on the wrong floor. I thought it was the 4th floor, but it was the 3rd. I had the right location on the floor though! At 10am I'm sure whoever was in room 401 was a bit concerned that someone (me) was fumbling with keys, trying to break in.

It was really nice to be back in SF. There's just something very unique about the city...the Victorian apartments, the ridiculously steep hills, the people speaking Spanish everywhere, the crackheads and homeless people, the naked guys wandering around the Castro...it's the place where the unique (aka crazy) go to be more unique (aka more crazy) than everyone else. After spending so much time in a more conservative country like Poland, I couldn't help but be shocked by some of it, even though I used to see it everyday when I lived in SF.

I love this city!!!

Steepest hill in the city...the cars basically tip over if you sneeze on them

My 24 hours in SF were very sunny.  I got in touch with old friends, but before meeting them, I sat on Isaac's couch, watching HDTV on a big screen. It had been a while, and I loved it, since my TV in Poland is low def and super tiny.

I was able to do lunch at one of my favorite restaurants with my old room mate Ben, his fiancee Julia, and our friend Wendy at Burma Superstar. I don't even know how to describe Burmese food except that it's really good. Maybe a mix of Thai and Indian?  I don't know. But, wow, it's dang good. The salad, sumosa soup, and chicken and shrimp casserole...the best.

Ohhhh yeaaaaa....

Pictures cannot describe how good this food is

To enjoy the nice weather, we went to Zeitgeist, a bar in Noe Valley with a nice beer garden and a lot of "alternative" people...bikers (both choppers and road bikes), hipsters, frat guys, pierced and tattooed people, and everything in between.  A perfect eclectic SF mix. Add to it Ben with his Lululemon sweater (so trendy, my friend!), and there was a little of everything. After a couple beers and some really good home made tamales from a woman pushing around a big cooler full of them, we went to Ben and Julia's place in Noe Valley. We hung out with Ben's brother and his wife and 2 kids. The kids were really funny. I had to explain to the oldest, 3 year old Trent, who my favorite Disney princess is (apparently he asks everyone - and apparently we are going to have to fight over Ariel). He also fed me imaginary alligator eye balls, which were delicious. We grabbed some real dinner of sweet maize sandwiches with pulled pork, tomato and avocado from Pica Pica. Wow!  It's nice to get this kind of food that we don't have much of in Warsaw.

Tamale from the Tamale Lady

Maize sandwich

I was able to pick up a chicken and lamb shwarma and a Bob's apple fritter on my way home, capping off a great 24 hours of eating. When David Thai visited me a couple years ago, Ben ate his apple fritter when David left it on the counter overnight. David woke up looking forward to his fritter, but when he went to the counter it was gone. Ben was standing off to the side licking his fingers with a big smile on his face.  He thought it was a gift for him.  Whoops! So I brought one back to Seattle for DT to make up for it.

24 hours after I landed in SF, I was back at the airport to go home for a nice Easter BBQ dinner. I sure missed SF, and even though I was only there for 24 hours, it was well worth it.

Wedding and beaches in Tampa
After a few more days in Seattle, the next stop was a week in Tampa...for Megan and Lonnie's wedding, some work meetings, and to see old friends who worked in San Jose with me a couple years back.  About half of my friends from San Jose moved to Tampa for work, so it was nice to see all of them.  We took a couple days to relax on the beach, ride jetskis, meet with friends, and hang out in the sun...you know, things you can't do in Poland too often (actually, as I write this, it's in the high 70s outside, in May).

Jet skiing in Tampa

We all used to hang out in San Jose all the time

I also thought I'd do a little training for the triathlon while there.  I didn't swim, but I tried to run on a couple of the mornings.  It turns out that running in the Florida humidity during the day is not a good idea.  Especially when there are alligators along the road!  No joke, I saw 3 alligators on one of my runs.  I can promise you that I have never run faster when that tired.  I was even thinking about how to run away from them if they started chasing me.  Someone once told me that you have to run zig-zag...that gators can outrun you in a straight line, but they have a hard time turning back and forth.  When I got home, I read this article, and for some reason I believe this one more that what "someone once told me" (because to be honest, I don't even remember who once told me or if anyone really told me at all...maybe I just dreamed it).  Good thing no alligator attacked me, or I'd look really silly running zig-zag, just before getting eaten.

Gators lurking in the water

For the wedding, Hien, a good friend that I stayed with (along with Mike and Pascale), was supposed to do a reading. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make the wedding, so that morning, while in the shower, I get a knock on the bathroom door.  It's Hien, telling me "Hey can you do the reading? It's on your bed. Good luck!"  What???  After the initial shock and the attempts to find someone else to relieve me ("oh, maybe so-and-so can do it, they might want to"), I finally decided to embrace it.  The problem is that I didn't know where to go, what to do, or anything.  I just had the words to read.  I didn't know if Megan knew I was going to do it, and I had never even met Lonnie before...how surprised would he be to see some stranger come up to the altar to read something.  But since Hien is also Asian, maybe nobody would notice.

 

The reverend is watching my every move

Everyone at the wedding (not "everyone that was at the wedding", but "everyone...at the wedding")

The wedding was really nice, and it was so nice to see the international crowd again (from New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Ireland, UK, and all over the US).  Just like old times in San Jose, Rayellen even cooked for dinner for everyone one night.  And guess what...she made chili...with home made tortillas!!!  SCORE!

Home made chili and tortillas!

Overall the trip to Tampa was great, Hien and Laura were amazing hosts (they fed us, Pascale and Mike got a bedroom, and I got my own as well, plus we got to drive his car anytime we wanted).  It was sad to leave them all, but hopefully we'll be back together again someday.


My home town I've never lived in
The last stop on the US tour was Chicago.  This was a very top secret trip, because I wanted to surprise my good friend Meg on her birthday.  Meg, by the way, visited me last year, and owes me a guest blog post.  So stay tuned for her thoughts on Poland and Prague coming soon (so she promised).

Just like all the other times I've visited Chicago, I took the train from the airport to the city, like a local.  I noticed everyone on the L playing "Draw Something" and "Scramble", the only 2 games I play on my iPad.  So I guess it must be cool to play them.  I went to the PwC office to see old friends (and I guess to work).  Kate is back in Chicago, and we realized it was the 7th country we've seen each other in since March 2011.  I also got to see Tiffany's new baby "Storm" and several other old PwC friends.  It always feels like I used to live in Chicago, even though officially I never have, other than the Summer I stayed on Meg and Kim's couch.

Me and Tif's baby Storm

I was supposed to stay with my old roommate Geoff, but he was too busy with work, so I barely saw him.  And when I mean busy, I mean working til 5am on the first night I was there, and 2am on the second night.  At least we caught up for Hawaiian food on my last day.  It was great to eat at all my Chicago favorites (mainly Chicago Bagel Authority, Aloha Eats, and El Burrito Mexicano).

These tots were quite delicious

To surprise Meg, Kim organized everyone to go to a bowling alley for her birthday dinner.  She didn't know anyone would be there, so it was a nice surprise for her to see all her friends.  Then I walked up to the window from the outside, doing my best creeper stare at them while they were inside eating.  Everyone at the table saw me except for Meg.  Finally someone told her to look, and when she did, she screamed and yelled "what the f*&$ are you doing here?!!" loud enough for me to hear through the window.  The last time I was in Chicago, I told Meg I was coming, but surprised everyone else.  So this time it was nice to surprise her.  Earlier that week she told me how great it would be if I could come for her birthday, so it was nice to be able to see her.

Surprising Meg for her birthday

The trip to Chicago was a nice one, although short.  And every time I go there I can't help but think that the next time I'm there, I'll be looking for an apartment.

The flight home was easy, and it's a bit scary how used to long flights I am these days.  There was one scary moment when a guy collapsed, while standing by the toilet.  He threw up while on ground and was unconscious for a bit. I was sleeping when it happened, but woke up during the commotion to see 2 guys helping him...luckily there was a doctor there and the guy ended up being fine. I'm just glad doctors are normal people too and can often be found amongst the regular crowd to help us in times of need.

I have lots of writing to do for my trips to Belgium, Ukraine, Budapest, Copenhagen and Croatia, so I will leave you on that note.  Stay tuned!

There's no place like home

At the passport check during my layover in Germany, the agent scanned through my passport looking for the stamp showing my European entrance date. He looked a bit confused and asked 'how long have you been in Europe'? I looked even more confused than he did, because I didn't know what to say. Maybe because I only had 3 hours of sleep the night before and couldn't think straight, I replied "I don't know, a while?" He didn't looked amused, so I continued "What do you mean?" I didn't know how to answer! What he really wanted was for me to tell him that I live in Poland, and to show him my residence card.  That's because it had been over the 90 day limit of staying in the EU without proper documents. In fact, it had been 16 months since I left Europe at all (unless you count going to the Asia side of Istanbul). That's a long time not to be back home.

The flight to Frankfurt was less than 90 minutes and Frankfurt to Seattle was an easy 10 hours. I passed the time taking short naps, and watching kids movies. I saw Ice Age 2, Johnny English Reborn, and my personal favorite of the 3, the new Muppets movie. It's a bit embarrassing when you watch movies on a personal screen when everyone can see what you're watching...and you're 34 years old, and choosing to watch the Muppets instead of Mission Impossible 4 or some other manly movie. But I figured if Jack Black and Neil Patrick Harris are in it, it's ok to watch. The movie was quite nostalgic and I found myself laughing out loud on the plane to myself, and planning to download episodes of the original Muppet show when I landed.

My parents picked me up at the airport around noon, and after visiting Grandma and feeding her some spaghetti in her nursing home, we went home, I ate a bit, then started (continued) my long day. I tried not to think about the fact that I woke up at 3:30am Poland time that morning, which was 6:30pm Seattle time the night before. As long as I could stay awake until a normal time that night, I could defeat jet lag before it had a chance to get me.

View of Mt. Rainier from my parent's deck

When I was clean, my dad drove me downtown so I could surprise my friend Audrey at work. She used to be my boss 10 years ago (back when I used to think 26 was "old age"). After visiting a while, I was on a mission to buy some new clothes. Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, and a few others got my business that day. Over the course of my first 24 hours in Seattle I bought so much stuff I had no idea how I was gonna bring it back (including stuff from Costco, Fred Meyer, and the Apple store - I convinced my dad to get me an iPad for my birthday instead of the subscription to the eHarmony dating service he originally wanted to get me). My favorite must have been the 10 different free samples I tried from Costco. I miss weekends at Costco.

My dad has turned into a caveman, and he can't open his eyes for pictures

After shopping, BJ picked me up and we went to meet a bunch of friends at Pho Cyclo, which is the tradition every time I visit. 14 people came and it was great to see everyone. A lot of things are the same as the last time (18 months ago), like the way we are all still immature even in our mid-30s, and we make the same childish jokes as we did in college.  But also, a lot is different, as everyone is married and/or having kids. 10 years ago I never would have guessed some of these guys would have kids before me! (I mean that in a very nice way, of course). After pho we went to get frozen yogurt, then to a bar for a couple drinks, and finally to Dick's for a midnight burger. That's 3 foods that I craved taken care of in one night! I lasted until midnight that first day, defeating jet lag before it even started.

Of all the foods I craved, I think Haas avocados was #1

The next morning I woke up completely confused as to where I was. I recognized the room, but couldn't put a finger on the exact location and didn't know what I was doing there. After a couple confusing moments, I realized I was in my old bedroom. How crazy that I didn't even realize I was in my own room (and this had nothing to do with alcohol, mind you!). It was even more confusing when I went upstairs and my parents are sitting there doing the same things college kids do when they wake up: sitting in their pajamas, playing on their computer and iPad.  What world did I transport to???

After a day of some work, and shopping, it was time for Scott's wedding. Before Scott's wedding, I had to do something else I hadn't done in 18 months...drive a car. I was actually a bit nervous! In the end, it was ok, but it took me about 10 minutes to park the car...I kept turning it off, getting out, checking the distance to the curb, going back in to adjust, coming out to check the distance to the next car, etc...it was pathetic.

Scott and Sibyl's wedding was a lot of fun. It was pretty intimate, and they did the ceremony and reception in a nice restaurant. I got to see friends and friends' families I hadn't seen in a while. I spent the whole night trying to convince everyone to come Poland, and as people drank more, they were all yelling 'let's go to Poland!' Even my friend's parents said they'd visit me! Unfortunately Scott didn't let me make a speech about it. Speaking of making speeches, if there are any of my friends with a lot of stories to embarrass him with in front of his wife's family, it's Scott. I don't even know where to start with the stories. We've been through a lot together, including carpooling to college together for 4 years, which meant me never being on time for an 8:30 class because he was always sleeping when I picked him up. His mom ended up giving me a key to his house so she didn't have to always get out of bed to let me in. Scott committed to waking up on time and told me I could pour water on his head if I ever caught him sleeping when I got there. Lucky for me, I got to pour water on his hear to wake him up more than once. I definitely didn't mind being late those days.

Scott and Sibyl, with a bun in the oven (Sybil's oven, not Scott's)

I had a 6am flight the next morning for my 24 hours in San Francisco, so I left the wedding early, and didn't drink since I had to drive and I was exhausted. In Washington state you can have about a drink per hour and be under the legal driving limit for blood alcohol level, but since it's been so long since I've driven, or driven after any drinks, I didn't want to take a chance of even getting close. In fact, it seems that if Europe can survive on a legal limit of basically zero alcohol level, and it can be a part of culture that is taken so seriously by the people, why can't the US do that? It would sure save on a lot of drunk driving deaths and accidents during the year.

After the SF weekend, which I will write about next, I came back for a few more days in Seattle of family, playing tourist (Pike Place Market, the first Starbucks, etc), meeting friends (and getting treated to meals and drinks...thanks!), and shopping (plus a bit of swimming at the YMCA for triathlon training).  I ended up with an extra duffle bag filled with clothes and food to bring back, including hershey's kisses, honey mustard, quinoa, contact solution, and a few other things.  We had a very nice Easter BBQ with some family and friends who came over to enjoy our new deck at the house, and the weather was 70 degrees on Easter Sunday.  My allergies were miserable, but there was good food, and even a couchsurfing friend I met in Venice came to the BBQ, because she was visiting Seattle at the time.

Happy hour on the Amazon.com campus

Home made BBQ short ribs and shrimp

One funny thing happened when I visited my Aunty Lilly (Grandma's sister).  She is 101 years old, and moving around just like she did 30 years ago. She kept making jokes and hitting me, telling me I look handsome (no, that's not supposed to be a joke!). When I told her that she looked good, she hit me and said "now don't say that just because I said it...and stop changing the subject!".  Then she'd change the subject herself by asking "How tall are you?"  She stood up and compare who was taller...there aren't too many people I feel like a giant next to, but Aunty Lilly is one of them!. Then I gave her some Turkish Delight (chewy candy).  She put it in her mouth, stopped chewing with it sticking out of her mouth, paused, then yelled "it made my teeth come out!"  She's hilarious.  It's funny because her false teeth actually did all come out.  :)

Aunty Lilly, at 101 (with all her teeth in)

All in all, it was so nice to go home for a few days, to see all my family and friends, and to go back to how life used to be.  I don't think I "fit in" as much as I did years ago, when I last lived there, but it was still nice to see even though a lot of things have changed, the best parts have stayed the same.  Seattle will always be "home" for me.  

USA, here I come!

I'm headed back to the US soon to attend my friend Megan's wedding in Tampa, and I'm getting very excited about it.  But not just for the 80 degree weather, the wedding, and seeing all my friends (and a bunch of the guys I went to Ireland with a couple years ago), but also because I haven't set foot in the US since December 2010.  That's 16 months ago!  I think the US will soon dis-own me.  Is that possible?  So I started thinking about what I am looking forward to the most, and what I am looking forward to the not-most.  In no particular order, here's my list.

What I'm looking forward to the most (besides people obvi):
Free water in restaurants (it's such a rip off here!)
Mexican food and free chips and salsa (something between taco bell and chevy's)
Easy access to recycling (here, I have to take stuff down to the bin by the tram station and attempt to translate the words on which items go in which bin)
American clothing/shoe sizes (I haven't bought any clothes or shoes here because I'm intimidated by the sizes and the fact I have to get all pants tailored here - I guess I have shorter legs than the average Pole)
Service with a smile (does that still exist?)
Bacon (and American breakfast in general)
Frozen yogurt (there used to be a fro-yo shop near my apartment in Warsaw that opened in Winter 2011. Then it closed, also in Winter 2011...hmmm, I wonder why.  I guess they didn't study the seasonality of the fro-yo business when the Winter is -30 degrees)
Baseball season (even the Mariners)
Rollercoasters (Busch Gardens maybe?)
Being able to talk to deli counter ladies (see: Service with a smile)
Free refills on soft drinks (and fountain sodas!!!)
English words on labels (so I can tell, among other things, which allergy medicine is non-drowsy, unlike when I had to buy it here, and almost fell asleep at work)
Clothes drying (I can't wait to dive into a pile of fresh-out-the-dryer sheets and towels)
DVR and American commercials (kind of an oxymoron)
Target, Trader Joe's, and Costco free samples (who wants to take me?)
Haas Avocados (the avos here suck)
A larger variety of dining options (even though I could eat pierogi every day)
Not having to listen to techno music everywhere I go (hasn't it gone out of style yet?)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it'd be nice to know)

What I'm not looking forward to (besides people):
Sales tax on top of sticker prices (just hide it from me and add it to the price, please)
15-20% tipping (is the service with a smile really worth it?)
Driving (I've been forced to take night trains in Russia more times in the last 16 months than I've had to drive a car)
Inconvenient public transportation and expensive taxis (a $10 taxi ride is considered expensive in Warsaw)
Getting "politely forced out" of restaurants after finishing a meal when the waiter brings the check the second you take your last bite (here, you can sit there until you're hungry again if you want to)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it's nice to not know)

I'm really curious as to what else will make this list after I'm there for a week.  Part of me thinks I will miss the US even more than I currently think I will...but part of me thinks I'll notice some annoying things that didn't bother me before, and it will just make me want to stay in Poland even longer.  We'll see how it goes!

The time I left Conway in Lithuania

Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Ireland, London, Warsaw, Amsterdam, and now Vilnius.  What do they all have in common?  These are all the places Conway and I have hung out in.  Not a bad list for 2 friends who have only known each other for a few years and have never lived in the same city.  I might even be forgetting some places.  It's actually pretty incredible when you think about it.  I only know a few people with the same spontaneity and willingness to book 1,000 trips per month like Jess. And since we both have that desire to travel during the limited time we are each living in Europe (she lives in London), we figured we better find somewhere else to go before either of us moves back to the US.  We contemplated some warm-ish places like Morocco or Madrid, or arctic places like Helsinki, but in the end we settled on the city that was one of the cheapest to fly to on Skyscanner that neither of us had been to.  I've wanted to go to Vilnius for a while now, so this was a great opportunity.  In case you don't know where Vilnius is, it's Lithuania, Poland's neighbor to the north.

In the center of Vilnius

Vilnius at night

The bus from the airport to the Old Town was easy (although they came infrequently), and I made my way to the hostel - Jimmy Jumps House.  The hostel was in a great location in the Old Town, was extremely friendly (the staff were the smiliest people I've met in a while, and all the guests were extremely social), it was very clean, and the price was right.  I definitely recommend it.  There were only 3 rooms in the hostel (a 12 person room, a 6 person room, and a 4 person room) and 2 single bathrooms.  There were no locks on the doors to the sleeping rooms (although lockers were available), and there was a big living room/kitchen, so it actually felt like we were staying in someone's big house.  It was a nice environment, and the girls who worked there made us delicious waffles for breakfast.  I knew I would love it when I saw the sign that asked everyone to take their shoes off before entering.  Ah yes, just like home.  The girls working there sometimes worked 24 or 36 hours STRAIGHT (alone), just sleeping for a few hours in a closet at night when all was quiet.  They called it a "room", but really it was a closet.  the fact that they loved working there spoke very highly of the place. Jess and I shared the 4 bed room with another guy, who to my delight, was Polish.

When he first told me he name was Tomek, my first reaction was "whoa! skąd jesteś?" (whoa! where are you from?) and he said in English "Poland, I studied near Krakow".  I excitedly exclaimed "Mieszkam w Warszawie!" (I live in Warsaw) and he responded with "so you don't speak Polish?".  Pshhhhhhhhh. That's the sound of my deflating enthusiasm for speaking Polish.  I'm going to pretend he actually meant it in a way to say "you speak Polish, don't you?" which makes me feel much better.  Well, to be honest, it only took a few more sentences for him to realize I do in fact speak a little Polish.  Like a Polish 1 year old.

I had asked a few friends (and random people I met) before the visit what we should eat in Lithuania.  They all responded with the same suggestion: Cepelinai (aka didzukuliai, duh), which are ginormous potato dumplings filled with meat, topped with cream, bacon and bacon grease (they call them "zeppelins" in English because they're shaped like blimps - and I assume if you eat too many of them, you also become the shape of a blimp).  They also suggested Saltibarsciai, which is cold beet soup with eggs, veggies, sour cream, and a side of hot potatoes.  The soup was pretty good, even though I don't like beets, but the side of potatoes was my favorite part.  It's just funny to get a side of potatoes with soup (and they're not french fries).  These dishes are similar to others around this part of Europe, but of course, everyone has their own spin.  For drinks, they suggested Svyturys beer.  I asked the waitress how to pronounce it, but even after 3 attempts, I couldn't figure out what she said, so I just call it "Saturdays". It kind of looks like the word "Saturdays", right?  Svyturys. Saturdays. Same same.  You already know that they don't have a lot of vowels in this part of the world, because times are tough, and like in Wheel of Fortune, vowels must cost $250.  The most popular vodka in Lithuania is actually called "Lithuanian Original Vodka".  Very original indeed.

Cepelinai - potato dumplings with meat filling

Saltibarsciai with a side of potatoes and Saturdays beer

I have to admit that the food doesn't look extremely appetizing, but it was delicious.  Even this "potato sausage" thing, which looks like something that came out of somewhere I can't say, tasted pretty good...as long as I closed my eyes while eating it.  It was hard for Conway not to make farting noises while I was taking bites, which of course made it very enjoyable.  Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try "pig ears".  Apparently it's a very popular bar snack, and is exactly what it sounds like...pig ears.  Goes well with Saturdays beer and Lithuanian Original Vodka.

Potato sausage - please don't say what you think it looks like

The Old Town is a very nice mix of old and modern.  There are several cobble stone streets and old style buildings, but also some areas with a nice, new feel to it.  Perched above the city are the remains of a 600 year old castle, from which there are great views of the city.  Vilnius is also where the 2 million person human chain started in 1989, which stretched through Riga (Latvia) to Tallinn (Estonia) to show their united desire for independence from the USSR.

Old Castle tower

View of the city from the tower - old on one side of the river, new on the other

After wandering around a bit, we made our way to the Museum of Genocide Victims (aka the KGB museum).  Like many of the countries in this part of the world, Lithuania was victim to both Nazi and Soviet oppression.  This museum did a nice job of showing what life was like for those in the city even after WWII ended.  Anyone that was against the Communist regime was watched by the KGB, many disappeared, were arrested, or shipped to Siberian work prisons.  The museum is located in the old KGB headquarters, so we even saw the old holding cells and alleged torture rooms.  It was very scary to think this stuff happened to those who fought against Communism, but also sobering to think about where these countries would be now if these brave people around the region didn't stand up for themselves. On a maybe inappropriate side note, the museum smelled like someone was cooking sausages when we went in there, which was torture to me, because it smelled amazing.  I also took some pictures in there, which were not allowed. Talk about irony: taking unauthorized pictures in a museum about Soviets who spied on and tortured those who deceived them.  I expected to be caught on secret cameras and arrested as I left the museum

One of the torture rooms - they filled it with cold water, so you had to either stand in the water, or balance on the little platform in the middle

Extremely creepy display of a straight-jacket in another holding cell

This chalkboard says it all (the drawings, not the words)

This museum also made me start to wonder if we have a museum about the Japanese internment in the US. Does anyone know?  

It also reminded me of a movie I saw recently with Ed Harris and Colin Farell about people who escaped from one of these Siberian prison camps and walked "home", called "The Way Back". Check out the trailer if you haven't seen it.

When we left the museum, we were both very tired (and let's be honest, a bit hungover), and to our delight there was a big parade starting just outside.  And when I mean delight, I mean the opposite of delight.  The parade kept following us, out of museum, down the street, making loud and off-beat noises.  We tried to walk faster, but we were looking for food, and every time we stopped for a minute to check out a restaurant, we decided to keep going, and the parade would catch up to us again.  The drums were loud and they had vuvuzelas (they're even more annoying when they're not at a soccer game).  Once we finally escaped the parade, we stumbled onto a street of more annoying sounds - honking, bike horns, sirens, crying, bells, accordians, squeeky dog toys, and pretty much everything else you do not love listening to on a lazy weekend stroll.

The parade followed us down this street

On the last night, one of the workers from the hostel took 12 of us out on a pub crawl.  There were people from Australia, Spain, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, US, and of course our Polish friend (who disappeared for 2 hours after drinking two 2-liters of beer, but then found his way to us).  Yea, they sell beer in 2-liter plastic bottles (like a big Sprite or Coke).  Mr. Poland killed two of them before we even left the hostel.  We went to a few different places and had a great time.  A lot of the bars are situated with tables and chairs everywhere, so everyone sits down (no standing, unless it's a club).  This, and the fact that every bar seemed to have a foosball table, was something different about bars in Vilnius.  As far as the group, there is just something fun about hanging out with a bunch of people you just met an hour earlier, like you've been friends for a long time.  We went to one of the bars both nights, and saw the same people there...one guy with a hoodie that Conway took pictures with both nights, and another girl who is Jessica Schwartz's Lithuanian Original Doppleganger (i.e. she looked exactly like her!).  Those pictures can only be seen in my Facebook album, to protect the innocent.

Crew from Jimmy Jumps

Unfortunately one of us had a little too much fun that night, and had to stay in Vilnius an extra night because he/she physically couldn't get on her plane.  We got to the airport, were about to go through security, and as he/she was crouched on the floor in the fetal position, he/she said to me "I can't do it.  Leave me.  Save yourself".  After comforting him/her, I didn't think there was anything else to do but to tell the airline people that my friend was going to need to change their flight and to ask if they could please keep an eye on him/her ("Which friend, you ask? oh, the one over there curled up into a ball under the bench").   To be fair, the ailment didn't seem 100% alcohol related, but I will make fun of him/her as if it was. And you can too (it's a she).

One funny cultural thing that has seems to be more and more prevalent lately is what people in this part of the world associate with Seattle, my home town.  Everyone has heard of it, but 5-10 years ago, people told me they heard of it because of the movie Sleepless in Seattle, the Sonics basketball team, or maybe the show Grey's Anatomy.  However, recently, it seems like more and more people don't know what those things are, and instead think of Nirvana.  Think about it for a minute, and it doesn't really make sense, since Nirvana was popular in the 90s, a longer time ago than those other Seattle "icons".  But somehow, Nirvana has stood the test of time, and is more popular now than these TV shows or movies about Seattle.  There was even a signed poster of Kurt Cobain in one of the bars we were in, and a guy in the hostel was playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his guitar.  Unfortunately there were no signed Sonics posters (even though basketball is the biggest sport in Lithuania, and a Lithuanian guy even played for the Sonics - Sarunas Marciulionis - I feel sorry for the Sonics announcer when he had to say that name 50 times per night).

So the weekend in Vilnius was a success (at least for one of us), and thus my journeys to all 3 Baltic capitals is complete.  One thing we didn't get to do was visit Trakai, a small island/castle about 30 km from Vilnius.  I guess there's always next time.

The "Key" to St Patrick's Day 2012

On St. Patrick's Day 2012, luck just wasn't on my side.

The weather forecast called for a beautiful Saturday (relatively speaking - about 60 degrees F), so I decided it would be a good day for my first run of 2012 with my friends in the Warsaw International Triathlon Club.

I'll tell you more about WITC in the Summer, but for now, it's a group with which I run and swim (and will bike) regularly.  Some guys have been running all Winter, but it's been cold and I don't have any warm running clothes.  Besides, who likes to run for fun in the cold?  Surely not me.

But this day was going to be a great day for a run along the river, and a good time to shake off some rust and start getting in shape for basketball again.  I put on my best St. Patrick's Day running gear, and headed down to the meeting spot.

My green thai boxing shorts, Irish three-way shirt, and clover headband, with a missing clover

The meeting spot was a little over 2 km from my apartment, so I did a nice warm-up jog down there...trying to embrace all the smiles, thumbs ups, and enthusiastic looks I was getting for my outfit (and equally trying to ignore the strange, annoyed "what's wrong with you?" looks I was also getting from some people).  One of the clovers kept falling off the headband, so I just put it in my pocket for the rest of the run.  In my secure, zipped pocket...at least I thought it was secure.

A group of 9 of us ended up doing a nearly 12 km run along the Wisła river, looping around a couple of the bridges. The weather was perfect, and I passed the time listening to Grzegorz tell me about...hmmm...actually I can't remember.  I don't think I was listening.  Whatever it was, it helped pass the time, and I only had to say "uh huh" and "oh really?" once in a while to keep him going.

After the run, I was pretty tired, but pretty proud of my ability to finish 12 km pretty strongly on my first real run of the year (14, including the initial jog).

We all went to a restaurant/bar called Solec 44 to sit outside and have some juice/snacks, where I enjoyed some fresh OJ and water.  I kept admiring the food that Connie and Doug were eating, and although I was hungry, I knew I had food at home, so I waited.

I decided to jog home, since I wasn't too tired, bringing my total for the day to about 16 km.  Since I had been sitting for a while, I was cold, and my legs were a bit tight, but I managed.  When I got to my door, I unzipped my jacket pocket to get my key, looking forward to going inside and making pork chops for lunch. I pulled out my credit card, one green clover, a few zloty coins, my key....wait a minute.  No key.  I check again.  Still no key.  I check the other zipped pocket. No key.  I turn my pockets inside out.  No key.  I jump up and down, hoping to shake it loose.  No key.  I take off my jacket and feel it up and down.  No key.  Where's my key?  I checked for holes in the pockets, but there aren't any holes.  This can't be happening! Quickly, my mind races to all the places I had been since the last time I saw my key...approximately 16 km ago.  I thought maybe I saw (i.e. felt) it  at the restaurant??? But I wasn't sure, so I tried to call them to see if they could check.  They didn't answer.  So I did the only logical thing...I ran back there.

I thought it would be a good idea to run along the same route on which I came home, in order to scan the ground in case the key had fallen out somewhere along the way. At this point, my legs were starting to cramp up - I was hungry, tired, and I could feel the white film forming on the corners of my lips (So thirsty!).  So now I was jogging with a limp, wearing green thai boxing shorts, a headband with one clover missing, while nervously scanning the ground in front of me as I waddled along.  If this isn't the image of someone very "special", I don't know what is.  I completely avoided eye contact with everyone passing - partly because I was looking for treasures at the ground by their feet, but partly because I didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

I swallowed my pride as I approached the restaurant, limped up the stairs, and while trying to catch my breath, politely asked the people who were sitting at our old table if they had seen a key on the ground. They all felt so sorry for me (either for the fact I lost a key, or for the way I looked) that they all got down on the ground to help me look. No key.  I asked inside if they had found a key. No key.  I checked the toilet. Nope.  Damn.

So I called Dominika for help.  My landlord lives in Germany, and his friend in Warsaw that helps me a lot doesn't have a key.  I had lost hope of finding my key (I wasn't about to re-trace all 16 km), so Domi helped me find some locksmiths.  Of course none of them were open on Saturday at 4pm.  So I started to panic...what would I do? I already started worrying about spending the night on a park bench in this outfit, because if a locksmith wouldn't be open until the next day, I had no way of getting inside my house.  This was not good.

Finally, Domi found a 24 hour locksmith.  WHEW!  She was going to call them to find out the price, and then call me back to confirm and get my address. I hung up the phone, anticipating that she'd call back in a couple minutes to say it was about $100, which at this point would be well worth it.

That's when panic attack #2 set in.  Lately my phone battery has been "tired"...it drains pretty quickly when I use it, and usually around 4 or 5pm it will die unless I charge it sometime during the day (or if I don't use it at all). Since I had made so many calls and was using Google Maps to find a locksmith, my phone had also gotten a good work out so far.  So, right on schedule, just as I hung up with Domi, my phone died.

Are you kidding me?!  I thought things were supposed to be lucky on St Patrick's Day?!?

I didn't know what to do. I was upset that this delayed my getting back into my apartment, but I felt worse that Domi was probably trying to call me back to help me out, and I wasn't answering. It was the evening of St. Patrick's day, and I knew she had plans...so the last thing I wanted to do was to make her have to wait on me.  So I start running to...somewhere. But I didn't know where to go!  I don't know anyone's phone numbers and my friends in the area were either out of town or have moved away.  So literally, I was running in circles.  Up the hill?  No, back down the hill.  Down that street? No, the other way. I knew I needed to get somewhere fast to try to contact Domi, but I didn't know where!!

I finally decided to try to find some internet cafe, or to stop by some Wi-Fi hotspots to try to use someone's computer to email or Facebook message her.  Everywhere I looked either didn't have people in it (to borrow their computers), or they looked really scary.  So finally I came to the Bristol hotel (a fancy pants hotel right next door to the President's Palace).  I go in, limping, out of breath, still wearing my same winning outfit, and I can't even think of how to say anything in Polish to the guy...I just say, in English "I'm not staying here. Is there a computer so I can get on Facebook? I lost my key".  Out of context, those words make no sense.  He probably thought "Oh gosh, this guy's English is terrible...I better just smile and nod".  I could have thought of a better, more logical explanation, but I just couldn't.  Luckily, he was nice, somehow understood my desperate request, and pointed me to a computer in the business center.

Whew.

Domi was online and we were able to set up a meeting with the locksmith.  He was going to be at my place in 40 minutes.  So I updated my FB status to tell the world of my current misery (of course), and remembered that I was starving.  My lips were also so dry I probably looked like I was wearing lipstick made of chalk.  The 40 minutes gave me enough time to jog/crawl slowly back home, stopping for a kebab and water on the way.  Luckily I had a few coins on me.  I'm sure I looked like a homeless man as I devoured that kebab.

In the end, the locksmith ended up costing me 300 zl (about $100).  The guy was really nice, and we used sign language and broken Polish to communicate (my Polish was broken, not his). I learned that "lock" in Polish is "zamek", which is the same word for "castle".  Imagine my confusion when he asked me if I wanted a new zamek.  No, I don't need a new castle, I just want to go inside my apartment.

By the time I was finally in the apartment, 7 hours had passed since the time I left my house for the run in the morning.  I had run over 20 km, with sudden starts and stops and improper cool-downs.  As a result, I couldn't walk for the next 36 hours.  .

Anyway, I was very thankful for the 24 hour locksmith, for Domi's gracious assistance, and most of all, for Facebook chat.  Thank you Mark Zuckerberg.

Even though I "wasted" half of the day, and spent unnecessary money as a result of my own insubordinate key, I felt so relieved and satisfied.  I ate again, drank about 2 gallons of water, showered, and laid on the couch.  Taking a nap that evening never felt so good.

I just wish I knew how my key unzipped the pocket by itself, jumped out, and zipped it back up without me knowing.

Guys weekend (for two) in Bratislava

"Hey Ken, did you hear about the train crash between Krakow and Warsaw last week?"  He didn't hear about it, so I explained what happened...two trains between Warsaw and Krakow collided head-on just 6 days before our train trip to Bratislava, Slovakia.  Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up while we were actually ON the train, because literally within 30 seconds, our train slammed on its breaks and the horn sounded.  Ken laid down in his seat with a panicked look on his face bracing for impact. "Look what you did!!!" he yelled at me, as we are still slowing to a stop.  I could almost see in his eyes that he expected us to hit something.  The train screeched to a halt.  Then the announcement comes (in Czech, then in English): "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats.  There has been an accident on the track and we will be delayed for 3 hours."  I totally jinxed it by bringing up the accident!!!  At least WE weren't IN the accident, but really, I should have knocked on wood.  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We decided to go to Bratislava for the guy's weekend we didn't get when we went to Riga in January (aka the invasion of the girls).  What started out as a potential group of 5 or 6 guys turned out to be just me and Ken again.  Since we survived each other's company in Berlin, it wasn't going to be a problem in Bratislava. The real test will come when we go to a city whose name doesn't start with a B. The only disappointing part is that since everyone couldn't come, the dynamic of the trip changed.  Instead of a "guy's weekend", it was like couple's weekend or something.  At least that's what our friends in Poland joke about (they aren't very funny people).

Bratislava Castle and town, from across the Danube

The $100 round-trip train ride normally takes about 7 hours (with one transfer), but of course we were delayed because of the accident.  We never found out for sure what happened, but people on the train were saying that we hit a person on the track.  YIKES.  I hope that's not true, but they made us get off the train, and when we did, we saw cops all around taking pictures of something towards the front.  I didn't want to know what it was.  They sent us on another train to take us to the next town, where we caught our connection to Bratislava. Overall, it added 2 more hours to the trip.

Getting off the train to walk to where another train can pick us up

With the train delay, of course we wondered about a lot of random things - like the best ways to teach people how to swim (this came up because we are training for a triathlon with a swim coach), how cell phone technology knows when you cross into a new country and should start roaming (is there a big invisible bubble?), and our favorite Polish grammar tips (good thing we had our own compartment because I'm sure it was funny to hear us speak Polish to each other).

Everyone that I've asked says that Bratislava is super tiny, not crowded at all, and worth a visit.  And everything about that is true.  It's really off the beaten path, as far as European Capital cities go. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, formerly a part of Czechoslovakia.  After the Velvet Revolution in which Czechoslovakia peacefully became independent from the Soviet Union in 1989, Slovakia worked towards separating from Czechoslovakia, which became official in 1993. Since Prague gives fame to the Czech Republic, Slovakia is the lesser known of the two.

Bratislava's main square

Hockey is huge in Slovakia, like many countries in the region.  Considering their small population, the national team does pretty well.  They are normally ranked in the Top 10 in the world, and they finished 4th in the 2010 Olympics (no medal though, wah wah).  Personally, I don't even know what hockey is, so I have to converse with Slovaks over other topics, like "So do you guys hate Czech people?  Who has better beer?  Who has hotter women?"

Another interesting thing about this region is that the language is somewhat close to Polish (like all Slavic languages).  They say that Czech is pretty close to Polish (the closest in the family), but since Slovak is about 85% the same as Czech, Slovak is about 85% of "pretty close" to Polish.  From reading signs and hearing people speak, we could tell what a lot of words mean (so I guess it takes a trip to Slovakia to realize I am not so Polish-illiterate).  The Slovaks say that they can understand more Polish than Polish people can understand Slovak because of the Slovak understanding of Czech. You got all that?

Bratislava itself has a nice little Old Town.  It's small and only takes a few hours to walk around, but it's really nice.  There are many little cafes, bars and restaurants, and a nice walking path along the Danube River.  Since Ken is doing a half-marathon in a couple weeks, he made me do a "running tour" with him when we first arrived, going about 4 miles around the city and across the bridges to get a feel for it.  It was actually a nice way to get oriented, and the weather was great.  There are little statues all over the city, which adds some nice character.

Going for a run in my too-big Sonics t-shirt, across from the Castle

One of several little statues around the city

We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment, just outside the city center (via Bratislava Apartments). Since we expected more people to come, we had a big space, but it was actually nice to have our own rooms.  In case you don't remember, Ken and I have shared a bunk bed and a king bed on our last 2 trips, to Berlin and Riga (hence the "couples" jokes)...so having more space was nice.  The place was a couple minutes walking to the Old Town, on a main shopping street, Obchodna.  The only real complaint is that the internet stopped working in the middle of the weekend, so we had to go on 3G roaming to do important things like update our Facebook statuses.

The apartment had the SAME picture of NYC that I have in my apartment!

After relaxing a bit, we met Ivan, Martin, and Rado, friends from the PwC office in Bratislava, who took us out to a nice restaurant called Bratislavska Restauracia, which was formerly a theater.  Martin and Rado are both married with two kids, so it was one of their 3 allowed nights out for the year.  I tried the official Slovak national dish, Bryndzové Halušky (no idea how to say that), which was some potato dumplings with a sheep cheese sauce and bits of bacon.  I wasn't worried about it until Ivan told me to order it only if I was "feeling brave".  It doesn't look like much, but it was really good...a bit like macaroni and cheese with pieces of bacon, so what's not to love (if you have a lactaid)?  We also had some Slovak beer and some shots of pear and apricot flavored stuff that was 52% alcohol.  It tasted like gasoline with a bit of fruit juice in it, if you can imagine that, although the pear one was much better.  Ken didn't drink his, so I finished it.  To make a long story short, I probably shouldn't have.

Bryndzové Halušky

On Saturday we slept in a bit (due to the results of the previous paragraph), wandered around the city and decided to rent bikes and ride them to Devin Castle, some ruins about 10 km outside of the city.  Then we looked at the calendar and realized that it's March, and you can't rent bikes in March.  Even though the weather was pretty good (maybe 50 and clear blue skies), I guess they don't expect it to be warm enough for bike rentals.  So, instead we took a bus.  While waiting for the bus we saw these guys on bikes with no seats, jumping their bikes from a stand still onto a ramp at least 3 feet high, then hopping on their back wheels on the ledge of the ramp.  I couldn't decide if I was more amazed by the jumping, the landing, or the fact that their bikes had no seats!  Ken and I must be getting old, because we were perfectly happy sitting on the bus bench for 30 minutes, doing nothing.

Guys doing crazy jumps on their seat-less bikes

Devin Castle was an old castle built in the 9th century, but destroyed in the early 1800s by Napoleon (he probably used Dynamite...get it?  Napoleon Dynamite?  Ok, nevermind).  There isn't much we could see inside because it was closed, but it was interesting to see the ruins, the trails all around the castle were nice to walk around, and it was fun to imagine what it was like to live in the old days when the castle was still intact, defending itself from intruders.  I imagined storming up the hill, dodging flying arrows, massive boulders, and boiling tar to climb the walls and claim the castle.  I think I've seen Lord of the Rings too many times.

The remains of Devin Castle

In another eerie coincidence, as I was thinking about this, I heard news that another castle in Slovakia, Krasna Horka, burned down. These psychic coincidences are freaking me out!

After more wandering back in the city, we ate at another Slovak restaurant that was recommended by a few different people, Mestiansky Pivovar.  I got to have some goulash finally!  And earlier in the day we also found a bagel place (Bagel and Coffee Story)...and I got a bagel sandwich for the first time in a year and a half!  It was so delicious, we had it again the next day.

For night life, the Old Town has tons of bars and restaurants.  The streets never seem crowded (day or night), but all of the bars were packed.  There seemed to be a few foreigners mixed into the crowd (probably guys on bachelor parties, or "stag dos" as the English say), but my guess is that they were mostly Slovak.  People were pretty friendly, spoke English, and even joked around with us.  One of the bartenders yelled at Ken for not saying "please" when he ordered a drink.  I think Ken might have avoided receiving a spit-jito by being more polite after that, but he was clearly annoyed. I thought it was funny.  The bars were more casual than the clubs in Warsaw, but nicer than the pubs.  They were a nice mix of bar/lounge/dancing, while keeping a casual feel....and there were a ton all within 5 minutes walking of each other within the Old Town.  We need more of these places in Warsaw (says a nearly 34 year old with greying sideburns).

Where is everybody?

In the end, guys weekend for two was a fun time.  Another country checked off the list.  We did some interesting things, met some nice people, and ate some good food.  We just didn't get much rest, but I guess that's not why I live here.  

Next up, Vilnius, Lithuania in 2 weeks with Conway!