Warsaw

My flight to Warsaw was fantastic. I flew Swiss Air and the economy class on their plane is like first class on a domestic flight! The flight crew were very helpful and friendly and we were fed several meals. Even alcohol is free (my new friend Imran, who is Pakistani but has lived in Paris since age 10) got his "buzz" on :). The flight went by quickly, as Imran and I had some great conversations. I slept on and off, so I was very tired by the time I got to Zurich to change planes. I did a bit of gift shopping at the duty free and then it was off to my flight to Warsaw.

When I arrived at airport here it only took about 10 min. to have my passport checked and to pick up my bag. I saw my family (Dad, Olga, Olga's dad Tollek and Olga's sister Lidka) right away. Tollek brought me some beautiful flowers (lilies -- the "traditional" Polish flower). We took a taxi home. I'm staying w/ my dad & Olga at a friend's "rental" apartment (i.e., she rents the apartment to vacationers, but of course we get to stay for free). I unpacked my things and took a much-needed nap.

Next, we walked over to an outdoor cafe near Tollek and Lidka's apartment for dinner. The food was delicious! We took a nice stroll through some gorgeous parks, which included the Memorial of the Unknown Soldiers. We were fortunate enough to see the changing of the guards there (this occurs once/hour; it is guarded by two soldiers 24/7). As we walked throughout the city, we saw many old, Communist-style buildings as well as tons of new buildings (Capitalism has certainly arrived).

As you might have guessed, Poland is not very diverse but they do have a small population of Vietnamese and Turkish folks. I've also seen several Black people :).

Right now I'm in an Internet Cafe on one of the main streets (read: Tourist Traps...lol) on the "Royal Walk". More to come later...