Sightseeing i Warsawa with "Warsaw behind the scenes".

Blondie the polski fiat and her driver Marcin took us on a 5 hour private sightseeing tour around Warsaw. Here outside the culture center in the city center. A crazy building. A gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland. Build 1952-1955.

We took turns in sitting in the front. Marcin was a fantastic tour guide, a true Warsaw patriot that loves his city. He gave us Warsaws aweful and interesting story.

In this back yard of one of the oldest buildings in Warsaw bullet holes are still visible, telling a story of the uprising of Warsaw. The plaster is removed from the walls. Many of the apartments are abandoned and a few are used as a youth hostel.

This beautiful path tells a story about how this house once looked. On the outside, all beautifu details was removed. This happened all over the city. Houses stripped down from ornaments and decorations.

From the street you won't think there is so much history hidden behind these ordinary walls.

Since most of the churches was destroyed during the war and uprising, and people couldn't leave their houses, most back yards have an altar. These are still to be found all over the city. Small or big like this one. Sometimes just an icon on the wall.

A bar mleczny, milky bar, we had a soup at. You pay to the lady in the counter, take your reciept and deliver in a hole in the wall. Inside the kitchen there is a bunch of older ladies cooking hearty home made food for you. I had a soup and it was delicious. At 4 sloty. Aprox 1 USD. These places are not very common any more. But duirng the communist times these were the palace to go for a cheap meal. Goverment subsidised.

A remaining building in the former jewish ghetto. The history is so awful I was crying behind my sunglasses.

Sometimes I just had to remove my self from the stories. I focused on taking photograps instead. Here we are at the border of the ghetto.

The destroyed buildings are beautiful in their nakedness. If walls could talk...

Many houses had these nettings over the pedestrian walks. They saved us a few times from falling stones. This building houses a family owned bakery with the most wonderful Polish Paczki.

See, eggs! And if I could give you the smell of the pastries I would. It was just wonderful.

Eggs, lots of eggs!

We went to a food market, I tasted cucumber, we bought nuts. I wanted everything.

I thing the polish written language is beautiful. I can't say many words but I love to pretend. In my head I am very good at speaking polish!

Well it is green and orange. I wanted to cook!

The food market.

Ok, the church in the background was the only thing standing after the uprising in 1944. All the houses was in ruins.

We ended the tour in Praga. Here we found markets, bars, restaurants and second hand shops. We just did quick stops here and there so we could find our way back another day.

This place had a wide selection of polish beers. You can drink it in the bar or bring some with you. We picked up some samlpes and brought to the hotel.

Blondie and her blonde sister. We meet the other car in Praga.

We got some pointers to where we should hang out in Warsaw the coming days.

Leaving a market. It was closing time when we came. So not much to buy.

Well hello mr Duck.

Another altar in a back yard. I just had to run inside and capture this.

Heading back to the hotel. Tired, full of emotions. Ps. see the palmtree? Its and installation by Joanna Rajkowska (born 1968) a Polish contemporary artist. The installation was organized by the Centre for Contemporary Art, in Warsaw (13 December 2002 - 13 December 2003). Since then, the palm tree has become a permanent fixture of Warsaw, as it was not removed at the end of the official exhibition but instead came under the protection of the President of Warsaw. (source Wikipedia).

To go on your own tour contact:

http://www.warsawscenes.com/