Our First Time Traveling in Warsaw

And just like that, our last day with the family came to an end. But our Polish trip wasn't quite finished yet. We still had one more day to explore Warsaw before continuing our journey.

And this was actually our first proper visit to Warsaw.

Well... Apart from the airport. 😂 So technically, we had been to Warsaw before. But we had never actually visited the city. And now we finally had a little bit of time to see it.

Goodbye Family, Hello Warsaw

After saying goodbye to the family, we got into the car and started driving towards Warsaw. By the time we arrived at our hotel, it was already afternoon. And as usual...

Everything took longer than expected. I feel like this happens every time we travel. You plan something thinking: "Oh, that should take about an hour." And somehow... It takes two or three. 😂

Luckily, because it was the weekend, the parking area in front of our hotel was free. So at least we didn't have to worry about finding somewhere to leave the car.

We checked in, dropped off our luggage and then immediately had to leave again. Because we still had one very important job to do. Return the rental car.

We had arranged everything in advance. The rental car was supposed to be returned by a specific time, so we planned everything around it. In theory, there was absolutely no reason to worry. In reality... We arrived at the car rental parking area three minutes before the rental period ended.  😂

Three minutes!

I think this perfectly describes travelling. You can plan everything in advance. You can leave early. You can calculate the time. And somehow you're still running into the parking lot three minutes before the deadline.

But... We made it! Car returned. Done.

Now we just needed to get back into the city.

We ordered an Uber and headed back towards central Warsaw.

Our First Look at Warsaw

We got out around the main railway station and finally had our first proper look at Warsaw. And one of the first things we saw was the Palace of Culture and Science.

It's probably one of the most recognizable buildings in Warsaw. It definitely makes an impression.

After taking a look around, we started walking through the city. We didn't have a huge amount of time, so we weren't trying to see everything. We just wanted to get a little feeling for Warsaw.

And, of course... We needed food. Because somehow, no matter where we travel, food always becomes part of the sightseeing itinerary. 😂

For our first dinner in Warsaw, we decided to keep things simple. We had kebab. Not exactly the most traditional Polish dinner. But after travelling all day, we weren't looking for anything fancy. We just wanted food.

And honestly... Sometimes kebab is exactly what you need.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel because we had a much bigger day planned for the next morning.

Morning in Warsaw 

The next morning started with breakfast at the hotel. There was a decent selection of food, so technically I couldn't complain. But... I found it a little boring. 😂

Maybe I've just been spoiled by breakfasts in Asia. I've become used to having lots of different things available at breakfast — savoury food, noodles, rice, vegetables, eggs, different Asian dishes...

So when I see a more typical European hotel breakfast, I'm sometimes just like: "Is that it?" 😂

But we ate, got ready and headed out.

Our first proper sightseeing stop was Łazienki Królewskie, or the Royal Łazienki Park.

Royal Łazienki Park 

Łazienki is a huge historic park and palace complex in Warsaw. The whole area covers more than 74 hectares and was developed as the summer residence of King Stanisław August, the last king of Poland.

The origins of the famous Palace on the Isle actually go back to the 17th century, when it was originally built as a bathhouse.

Later, in the 18th century, Stanisław August transformed it into the beautiful neoclassical palace we see today.

Unfortunately, during our visit, the main Palace on the Isle was undergoing renovation, so we couldn't enjoy it exactly as we had expected. But there was still plenty to see.

And this park is much bigger than I expected.

Actually, even getting into the park turned into a little adventure. Google Maps was happily telling us to go to one entrance... So we went there. Closed. Okay. We tried another one. Also closed. 😂

At this point, I wasn't sure if we had somehow arrived too early, whether some entrances were only open at certain times, or whether Google Maps was simply having a bad day.

Eventually, we found a way in.

I'm still not entirely sure what happened with those closed gates. But at least we made it inside.

Once we were inside, it was actually really peaceful. There are huge trees, gardens, ponds and plenty of wildlife. And we quickly discovered that the park isn't just about historical buildings. There were peacocks walking around. And lots of adorable little squirrels running through the park.

Adrian was obviously much more interested in the animals than in the historical architecture. 😂

To be fair... I was also pretty happy watching the squirrels.

The Buildings of Łazienki

We walked around and saw several of the historic buildings and monuments. One of the more unusual ones was the Temple of Diana, a small wooden temple inspired by ancient Greek architecture. We also came across the Egyptian Temple, which is another of the park's more unusual structures. And then there was the Amphitheatre. This was probably one of my favourite places in the park. It is an open-air theatre inspired by ancient Roman theatres, with the stage sitting on an island in the pond. It was built at the end of the 18th century and was designed for large performances. The original theatre could accommodate nearly a thousand spectators.

So basically... Imagine going to a theatre... but instead of sitting inside a building, you're sitting next to a pond surrounded by greenery. Pretty impressive.

We also saw the famous Chopin Monument, which is one of the most recognizable places in the park. The park actually hosts outdoor Chopin concerts during the warmer months, so it isn't just a historical place — it is still very much part of Warsaw's cultural life.

The biggest problem? Time. We thought we'd walk around for a little while. Maybe an hour. Maybe an hour and a half. But Łazienki is much larger than it looks on a map. There was always another path. Another building. Another garden. Another squirrel. Another thing we wanted to look at. And suddenly... We were running late. Because we had a lunch meeting planned. And we still had to go back to the hotel first.

So we basically switched from: "Let's enjoy a relaxing walk through Warsaw." to: "WE HAVE TO GO."

We needed to get back to the hotel, pick up the gifts we had brought for our lunch meeting, and then hurry to a nearby pho restaurant.

Yes... Pho.

Our Warsaw sightseeing had now somehow turned into a Vietnamese lunch. But honestly, I'm not complaining. After all that walking, I was ready for food.

And There Was Still More to Come...

And this was only our first proper day in Warsaw. We had already: arrived in the city, checked into the hotel, returned the rental car, walked around central Warsaw, seen the Palace of Culture and Science, eaten kebab, explored Łazienki, seen peacocks and squirrels, visited historic buildings, and somehow managed to run late for lunch. 😂

And we still had more plans for the afternoon. But... That's a story for another blog.

Our Warsaw adventure was only just beginning.

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Our Last Day in Poland: The Park Linowy Disaster 😂

It was our last day with the family before we had to pack everything into the car and drive to Warsaw.

So, naturally, we wanted to do something fun together before leaving.

Originally, my cousin wanted to take her son and Adrian to the cinema. Then she considered taking them to play paintball.

But I suddenly had another idea. I asked her if the park linowy was still open.

If you've never heard of a park linowy, it's basically a ropes course in the forest. You climb from tree to tree, cross different obstacles, walk over ropes and bridges, and sometimes zip-line from one tree to another.

It sounded perfect for Adrian. I thought he would absolutely love it. And honestly... I had no idea what I was getting us into. 😂

Getting Ready

When we arrived, the boys were given all their safety equipment. They had to put on their harnesses and learn how to clip themselves onto the safety ropes.

Before they could start, they had some practice on the ground, learning how to move the clips from one section to another. Everything looked very professional and safe.

And Adrian was VERY excited.

He had already decided that he didn't want to do some tiny course for little kids. No. He wanted the big one. Something challenging. Something for older kids.

Unfortunately, he was a little bit too short for the course he wanted to do. But because he had his older cousin going with him, the staff decided that it should be okay. So off they went!

And Everything Was Fine... At least in the beginning. They started climbing, and Adrian seemed perfectly happy.

I was thinking: "See? I knew this would be fun!"

Well... That didn't last very long. Soon, Adrian got stuck up there.

And the worst part was that other people were coming up behind him, so suddenly there was a little traffic jam in the trees. The rope was moving and shaking. Adrian started getting nervous. Then he started crying.

And very quickly, our fun family activity turned into: "Can someone please get my child down?" 😂

We had to call for help

Luckily, they weren't very high at that point, so the staff told Adrian he could carefully walk back along the course. If he couldn't do it, they would bring a ladder and carry him down.

And yes, we actually saw them bringing ladders for people a few times while we were there.

So apparently, Adrian wasn't the only person who decided: "Yeah... I'm done." 

Maybe a Smaller Course?

Once Adrian was safely back on the ground, we decided that perhaps the big course wasn't such a good idea after all. There were several different routes in the park, depending on the height and age of the children. So we decided to try something smaller.

Meanwhile, my husband followed my nephew doing the bigger courses. 

The whole park was in the forest, with the courses built between the trees. There were all kinds of obstacles — ropes, bridges, platforms, nets and things you had to climb over or balance on before moving to the next tree.

From the ground, it actually looked really fun. From the trees... Well, that's a different story.

I should probably mention that I am terrible with heights. And when I say terrible, I mean that even standing one metre above the ground on something that is shaking would probably be enough to give me a panic attack. 😂

So there was absolutely no chance that I was going up there myself. I'm also not a fan of those suspension bridges you often see in the mountains in Taiwan. You know the ones. You step onto a bridge. It starts moving. You look down. And suddenly you're wondering why you thought this was a good idea. 

No thank you. I'll stay on the ground.

Then I Saw the Videos...

Later, when I watched the videos my husband had taken from the course, I realized that it looked much scarier than I thought. And much higher! And this wasn't even the highest course.

There was another route that went all the way up toward the tops of the trees. At the end, you could slide all the way back down to the ground. It looked absolutely crazy. We didn't see anyone using that highest course while we were there, though.

And honestly... I wasn't surprised. 😂

Adrian Tried Again

After his first little disaster, we tried another route. It was smaller. But Adrian still couldn't get through it.

So we tried another one.

And then another.

Eventually, we ended up on the smallest route that wasn't specifically for really tiny children. And even there... It wasn't exactly easy. There were tears. There was a lot of encouragement. And there were several moments when I wasn't sure whether he was actually going to finish.

What surprised me most was that Adrian had climbed much higher things in playgrounds before. Things that were shaking. Things without safety ropes. And yet here, with a proper harness and safety equipment, he was absolutely terrified.

Maybe knowing that he was actually high up made the difference. Or maybe once he got scared on the first course, he just couldn't get that feeling out of his head.

Either way... He was NOT impressed.

Eventually, after a lot of struggling, Adrian managed to finish one route. One! And honestly, I was proud of him. He was scared, he cried, and he wanted to give up, but he still managed to finish it.

Meanwhile, my nephew got much luckier. He managed to complete two routes.

Normally, you pay for one route of your choice, so he definitely got his money's worth. 😂

"The Worst Day of My Life"

And then came Adrian's review. I asked him what he thought about the park. His answer? Apparently, it was... "The worst day of my life." 😂😂😂

Sorry, Adrian. I really thought this was going to be fun! I imagined you running around the trees, climbing, zip-lining and coming back down asking to do another route.

Instead, I apparently created the worst day of your life. Mother of the Year. 😂

Would He Do It Again? Maybe. I actually think that if we came back when he's a little older, he might have a completely different experience.

He would probably be taller and more confident, and maybe the bigger courses wouldn't seem so intimidating. And now he knows what to expect. But I definitely wouldn't force him to do it again. After all, I understand the fear. Because if you put me up there, I would probably be the one crying and asking for the ladder. 😂

So I really can't judge him.

And Then It Was Time to Leave

And just like that, our last day with the family was over. It was supposed to be a fun and relaxing way to spend our last day before driving to Warsaw. Instead, we got: Climbing. Crying. Ladders. Fear. One successful route. Two successful routes for my nephew. And one child declaring that it was the worst day of his life. 😂

But honestly, it was still a pretty memorable way to finish our time with the family. And that's something I like about our trips to Poland.

Things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes we go mushroom picking and find almost nothing.

Sometimes we collect berries and Adrian steals mine. Sometimes we harvest honey.

And sometimes I have the brilliant idea of taking my child to a ropes course... only to discover that he absolutely hates it. 😂

Maybe next time he'll be older and he'll want to try again. Or maybe he'll remember this as the day his mother betrayed him and took him to the trees.

Either way... I'm pretty sure he'll remember it.

And soon it was time to pack the car, say goodbye to the family and head to Warsaw. Our Polish summer was coming to an end.

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