Warsaw in August 2008

In Poland, they have their own language and currency. The euro has not gained popularity here yet, and Poles actively use złoty. Euro is mostly accepted in border shops near roads and hotels; regular shops either refuse to accept it or do so reluctantly, giving change in złoty. All of this is extremely inconvenient and irritating when you don’t have any złoty in your wallet, and the only convenience store near the hotel refuses to accept even 10 euros for a pitiful bottle of Nestea. In rural areas of Poland, every fifth house has a pole installed, which often serves as a nesting spot for storks. There is a lot of various advertising near the roads (including some in Russian at the border), and makeshift materials are mainly used for its placement instead of billboards.

The Polish language uses Latin-like letters, mixed with various diacritical marks, and spelling that sounds out much like Russian. Everywhere you can see familiar words written in transliteration (but they don’t always mean the same thing as in the Russian language).

The capital of Poland was moved in different directions three times before finally settling in Warsaw.

Overall, Warsaw is not particularly interesting. It is a classic city with a restored historical center featuring landmarks and surrounded by modern development.

It is worth noting the Warsaw residents’ love for wall clocks — many buildings in the city center are adorned with them.