Warsaw: Museums, Parks and Food Tours

Today I had planned to visit POLIN museum. POLIN is a museum of the history of polish Jews. I am usually really very detail oriented in planning. I don’t love planning out every hour of every day it is a shorter trip than I gotten accustomed to so I don’t have as much flexibility in my schedule. And I make mistakes in planning. Today was one of them. I thought I had pre-purchased a ticket to the POLIN museum. I arrive at the museum at 10am, what I thought was opening time. I double check my ticket to make sure I don’t have a limited time slot and I don’t. I can come anytime starting at 10am. The thing is I don’t realize it is closed today. It’s typical in European countries that there is usually one day a week that a museum is closed and I know this. It can be any day of the week but usually it is a Monday or Tuesday. Today is a Tuesday. I actually had in my spreadsheet that its closed today but I guess I never cross referenced it when I bought my ticket. And I never confirmed the date of my ticket because the day I bought it for was the day I arrived in Warsaw, so double failure. I hop of the bus at the POLIN museum and figure out how to move my schedule around so I can visit this museum on another day. I think I have figured it out.

Instead I head to the Pawiak Prison which is nearby to POLIN and opening in just a few minutes. Pawiak Prison was originally built in 1835 for use by the Russian occupation during that time and it was used to house polish political prisoners and others. It was most recently was used by the nazi Germany occupiers to imprison local polish people.

First I stop by the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in front of the POLIN museum.

Memorial Square of the Ghetto Heroes of Warsaw

Pawiak Prison was bombed by Germans at end of world war 2 like they did elsewhere to destroy evidence of war crimes. What exists on the site today is a partially reconstructed museum corridor of the original prison. There is a statue of a tree outside that represents a tree that made it through the destruction but later died.

Statue to commemorate old tree outside prison

Prison model. Women were in right smaller buildings, men were on the left.

The crosses on map above are the execution sites of 30,000 people that were executed during the German occupation.

The prison was meant to hold 700 inmates but the Germans kept about 3000 there at a time. There were about 100,000 people here during occupation. I learn how Germans tortured prisoners with hot coals. Many guards at the prison were locals who helped the prisoners part of underground movement.

There is some information on WWII history like we learn about the Molotov -Ribbentrop Pact between Stalin & Hitler that occurs on September 1939. It essentially divided Poland in half and installed a puppet government in Warsaw and Krakow.

At the end of the tour there is day in the life exhibit where they talk about how prisoners survived on 500-800 calories a day.

I downloaded the audio tour on my phone. There is lots of English language explanations but the audio tour gives more insight to the exhibits.

I walk back towards the old town and stop at the Warsaw Uprising Monument and Chopin’s Bench, a bench that plays music. The Warsaw monument is to commemorate the uprising of Warsaw citizens again the German aggression.

Since apparently I don’t believe in slowing down and resting during this trip I try a hotdog for lunch at the Polish 7-11 equivalent called Zabka. I thought it looked good previously but it is disappointing. The goal is to visit Lazienki park prior to my food tour this afternoon. I wait at a bus stop off what looks like a busy highway. There is a short wait for the bus so when I see it coming I get closer to the curb to board and I see it drive right past my a$$ like I am not even there. I have no idea what happened. It is 15 minutes to the next bus so I plan next time to make a scene flagging it down. Luckily I don’t need to because the bus actually stops this time.

I arrive to Łazienki Park I have a lovely walk around the large park. I also admire the palace from the outside. I am trying not to eat too much before a food tour I have scheduled this afternoon but I’m still hungry after my garbage hotdog. I order a ice cream. I also need to eat the trail mix in my purse. Side note – a really large bird hears me digging me into the nuts in my trail mix and decides he wants some of it so I am being followed by a bird for a few meters.

Also notable in this park is the Chopin memorial. One of the things I really wanted to do this trip is view a Chopin concert in this park as they have every summer. But I am a week too early for the concert season. I still enjoy sitting in the area where the concerts happen and imagine how it would be surrounded by the beauty and classical music.

I take the bus back to old town for food tour but I am too early. I walk down to the roof top garden at the Warsaw University. I have to say this garden has got to be in my top ten favorite gardens. They make an urban rooftop garden out of otherwise wasted space of the roof of a library. It is so nice and peaceful up there. You can tell a lot of thought was put into designing this garden.

We start our food tour with some borscht and pierogi. I’ve wanted to try borscht but I keep putting it off so I am glad it is included in the tastings. Borscht is basically meat stock, beetroot and seasonings and there are different flairs of borscht but this one is the broth only. We save some aside to dump our pierogi in since that it is popular to have dumplings in the soup. We try 3 different types of pierogi: Ruski (potato and cheese), cabbage and mushroom, and pork. Last time Ruski was my favorite but this time I am loving the pork. I finally get to try a sweet pierogi at this stop. It is filled with plum. I plan to try more sweet pierogi later in my travels.

Next we stop at a traditional polish restaurant that I actually had on my list, Specjały Regionalne. Here we try some vodka, meats and assorted polish cheeses. We are then served gołąbki or stuffed cabbage. This time I try it the traditional way with tomato sauce.

Next is a stop for a beer and traditional bar food. Since I have a beer intolerance issue I opt for a cognac instead. The food we are served is bacon lard on bread topped with a pickle. I know it sounds gross but it isn’t bad. The pickle is really good. I also get to try bigos again which is cabbage with meats usually topped on bread (I forgot picture).

Finally we try doughnuts or Pączki. I decide I am not a fan anymore. Pączki are too dry for me. I think I am spoiled with having one fresh and warm. I enjoy a sweet occasionally but if I am going to indulge it has to be something I really like. I think I am done with the doughnuts (but not the open face pastries, those I still like).

After the tour I am too tired to do anything big but it’s too early to go to bed so I stop and try that cherry liquor once more. It is hitting me way harder this time. I have a long walk back to my flat afterwards through areas I haven’t visited yet. Still an early night though.

Krakow: Food Tour and Nowa Huta

I wake up early today grab a coffee and head down to Plac Nowy in Kazimierz to start my food tour. There’s a market here today but vendors are just setting up for the day.

Our guide is a polish native, spent some years in Chicago but decided she missed living in Poland. There is only me and another woman on this tour today. My companion is very nice and in town for a couple weeks volunteering her time in Auschwitz.

We start in Plac Nowy in order to try Zapiekanka which I had tried yesterday. Today I try it with different toppings, more vegetables. So far I have not found a bad combination. I’ll have to just keep trying to see if there is one I don’t like 😀.

From here we go to the first stop at pub called Singer. Singer, a lively pub in the evenings, is only closed for about 3 hours in the morning. This historic bar of over 30 years is distinct because it is decorated with the theme of Singer sewing machines. The bar is filled with cute bistro tables with sewing machines on them. It is here that I try two vodkas: honey vodka and wormwood vodka. I admit that wormwood vodka is probably not most people’s favorite since it is kind of medicinal tasting but I quite like it.

The next stop is the “secret” stop of our secret food tour. We try a local take on shaksuka. The flavors of the sauce are perfect. Instead of a full egg it is the yolk only. It is all topped with sour cream (sour cream is what makes it polish). I also try a mulled beer. People know me well know that I never drink beer anymore because it tends to make me feel sick . I take a chance with this mulled beer, so far so good. With ginger and other spices it is very flavorful – something perfect for the cold holidays.

We walk toward old town to digest some food and our guide points out some things along the way.

The next stop is an official milk bar (Bar Mleczny) where I try some official pork pierogis and kompot fruit drink that sounds very easy to make at home.

Next we go to another shop where I get to try again the highland smoky sheep cheese but in the proper form warm grilled served with fruit sauce. It is salty but I enjoy it. I must go back to try some of the other cheeses. Apparently they travel well but I am too early in my travels to carry a bunch of cheese around with me.

Next we stop at another older pub called BaniaLuka, which was also recommended by another tour guide yesterday. Here I get to try bigos which is a sort of cabbage stew with meats like chicken and sausages. It is said to be an excellent hangover cure. Luckily so far I haven’t had enough alcohol to cause a hangover but now I know where to go if I do. I also try drinking a traditional lager to test my luck. I had ginger syrup added to it, apparently a thing people do, and I only drank about half because I didn’t want to press my luck with the beer issue.

Next we stop for a pączki, a polish doughnut. Trying the popular flavor of the yeast doughnuts, filled with wild rose jam topped with candied orange bits, is on my list so I am lucky to try one right out of the oven. The thing is you have to eat these things fresh. I’m notorious for taking a couple bites and squirreling away the rest for later and with pączki it’s just not the same.

Finally we stop at one more bar where I try another drink, this time a shot. The shot is a mix of polish limoncello and ginger syrup with pepper on top. When you drink it quickly it is said to taste like coca-cola and it does.

I say goodbye to tour guide and the other attendee because I am heading across town to check the planned community of Nowa Huta.

Nowa Huta was started in the 1950s when Poland was under the Soviet Union communist rule. It was set up as an ideal town with a steel mill with a neatly formed city to house the workers and families. The architecture is a mix of what you might see in Paris or London but some of it just looks brutalist to me. There is a lack of color and life you might see as you do in other parts of town but apparently these days it is a very popular place to live, especially since communism is long gone in Poland.

I especially enjoyed touring some of the underground in the Nowa Huta museum. Many emergency bunkers were built under the city in case of bombing because you have to remember this was all constructed during the Cold War. The museum also has exhibits on World War II and the Korean War and even the USA’s role in those wars. They definitely had a different propaganda machine going than we did.

The guide from the museum points out other things around town like underground air vents, an interesting church, and different types of architecture.

I visit a second museum that is associated with the Nowa Huta museum but is optional. It is not as extensive but worth a quick visit if time allows. It talks more about bunkers in general and other examples around the world.

Exhausted I catch the bus back to my part of town. Even after all the food I have had today I still feel like I need dinner so I grab something quick and head back to the hotel. I should be out enjoying the evening on a weekend but I am exhausted and I have another tour booked tomorrow.

A Good night.

Arrived in Kuala Lumpur

After a late morning breakfast I take a bus to Kuala Lumpur from Melaka. It is approximately a 2 hour ride. I have a food tour booked this evening at 5:30 PM so I hope I gave myself enough time to check into my hotel, rest and get to the meet up point. I am not feeling the best. My sinuses are acting up but I decide to power through the evening.

Hotel

My hotel is nice and new. The only problem is the plug is hidden in this compartment that doesn’t quite fit my adapter. I have to call the front desk for assistance and after 20 minutes we finally figure it out and I am finally able to plug in my gadgets, albeit awkwardly.

Chow Kit Food tour

I don’t feel great but I force myself out to the food tour. Doing a food tour first thing always gives me more confidence when I am out eating on my own.

We first stop at the market where we get to try some fruits. Many I have tried before but I am always happy to try them again.

We next stop for some roti and noodles. Some of the bread is filled with egg and accompanied by different sauces. We each get our try to make our own bread. It is harder than it looks so I leave it to the expert.

I learn about torch ginger which is an ingredient in many Malaysian dishes.

And we are to have cendol which I will not complain about. The guide uses this as an opportunity to get the group to try the durian. I am hesitant but partake anyway. It gets easier to handle each time I try it.

We stop next to get a Geeget burger. It is a beef burger that is halal and distributed to vendors who use interesting toppings.

We then try three different laksas (noodle soup). We are warned about the increasingly spicy of the choices but I find myself loving all of them and one of the spicier ones being my favorite. Have I developed a liking for spicy foods again?

I finally get to try Ikan Bakar (grilled fish). It is another dish I have been wanting to try but been too scared to order. This is a tasty mackerel.

My tour guide takes us to the last remaining village in the city. He doesn’t think it will be here long because it is getting forced out by new development. It is intact for now but the surrounding areas are all filled with luxury developments.

We try some satay. It is good but I feel myself start to get uncomfortably full so its hard to eat. We also try this fish paste in a banana leaf. I am not a fan.

Finally we try Nasi Lemak – fried chicken, rice, and sambal in a pandan leaf. I am excited about this because its been on my list. It is very good. We also have a mango shake and a dessert to finish it off. Everyone is very full after this so we take a walk and have a great view of the city.

I still do not know the way around the city yet since I just arrived. I’m pretty tired but I brave taking the free bus back to my neighborhood with a couple who were also on the tour. I don’t know where it will stop but its got to be a shorter walk than if I walked from where I am at ~ 45 minutes. I watch on google maps as we travel. It seems to be going in the correct direction then makes a turn away from where I want to be. I get off at the next stop with an anticipated 10 minute walk. The area I am in is very lively and crowded and I still don’t know where I am going. It takes me about 20 minutes to find my hotel but I eventually get to where I need to be. The area I am in sort of reminds me of a mini-times square. There are street performers and crowds. I am exhausted but try to have my wits about me because if there is an area to be pick pocketed, this is it. Maybe I’ll return when I have a ounce of energy.

The next morning I still feel like garbage. There is no coughing and no fever. Just this lingering sinus issue. I take some meds, get a quick breakfast from downstairs and decide that my grand plans for today are definitely not happening. I force myself out after around noon to visit some temples and get lunch.

That’s a tall thing in the middle of nothing.

I visit the highy recommended Mee Tarik Restoran to try the beef ramen. They hand pull all their noodles locally. My visit didn’t start well. Line is very long but seems to move pretty quickly and when it comes time for me to be seating they keep passing me by and seating people in line behind me. Eventually I get directed inside where there are no empty tables but as soon as one opens up they put another party there. I make a big deal about being passed up again and eventually they tell me to sit at this round table with four other girls who don’t seem to mind. As a solo traveler you are often overlooked even sometimes seen as a nuisance. It can be annoying at times.

The beef ramen is good but I find myself jealous of the girl at the table who ordered the braised beef ramen. That looks really good. If I return I will get that and an order of dumplings.

I walk around Chinatown a bit, visit a temple, and find a cute bookstore made from a repurposed theatre. I also see a couple more Chinese new year dragon performances.

Some hidden artwork pictures such as this Yayoi Kusama portrait.

My energy does not last though. Though I have no fever I am visibly sweating more than everyone else and just overall feel run down. I might be legit sick. Back to the hotel to rest. Hopefully a little rest now will keep me from being out multiple days of travel.

Yogyakarta Food Tour

Last night I was supposed to go on a food tour of Yogyakarta. Instead I set circle K on fire. Tonight I am trying to do the food tour again.

I am attending the Jogja Food Tour. Luckily the weather cooperates and I meet my tour guide at the a white monument in town. I am not the only one on the tour this time, two girls from the Netherlands are also on my tour. I am delighted because they stand out even more than I and they are the ones getting the picture requests while I am around them.

Meat skewers are first on the menu. We pick out two to try.

To be honest I don’t remember which type I chose but one of them is probably the signature skewer of the region sate kere (made from beef or chicken intestines). It wasn’t terrible and I probably would try it again sometime.

We try some charcoal coffee. Yes, you read that correctly. We drink coffee with a large piece of charcoal inside. It tastes mostly like coffee with only a slight charcoal taste.

*Kopi jos* is named after the sound made when hot coal is dropped into a glass of coffee

As we are walking to our next food location in the popular Malioboro street we make it just in time for a performance of a popular band. The main attraction is the wooden instrument called the Angklung. It produces a unique sound. The angklung plus drums and dancers makes for an entertaining performance. Luckily our guide secures us great viewing spots.

Wow! So much fun to watch.

Jajanan pasar and other sweets

After the music we are off to get some local sweets.

**Kutu** (rice flour called suji and coloured green with extract acquired from pandan leaf, filled with palm sugar, and served with grated coconut.) and ***onde*–*onde*** (glutinous rice balls dessert)

We take a Becak (motorbike rickshaw) to another part of town to try Java’s famous Gudeg.

Gudeg: jackfruit stewed with palm sugar and coconut milk.

Gudeg served with rice, tofu and I forget the other dish.

Jamu

We stop for Jamu drinks: Indonesia’s system of traditional herbal medicine used by many for the prevention and treatment of a variety of ailments. Each Jamu have their purpose.

Beras Kencur (Extractions from *kencur*, rice, ginger, and a bit of tamarind)
temulawak (Extractions from curcuma, tamarind, palm sugar, pandan leaves, and cumin)
Kunyit asam (Extractions from turmeric and tamarind).

Our last savory dish is at Soto Sampah restaurant where we try Soto Ayam (Indonesian style chicken soup). It is a great comfort food.

After our soup we walk to the square I visited earlier with the two large trees. The square is lively with games and fun cars you can rent to peddle around the square.

It is corny but everyone is doing it. It is a unique experience.

Here is video of the experience…..

After our little buggy ride we head to the area near the trees. Our guide tells us of a game where if you walk blindfolded and make it between the two trees then you will receive good fortune. It has rained too much recently so we skip that game in order to avoid getting trapped in mud. We did try walking on sticks. I was not good at it but a girl in my group was.

To finish off the evening we try a sweet ginger drink.

I am so glad the weather held up. It is a great way to end my time in the great Yogyakarta. I hope to return to this special city one day.

Hanoi Food Tour

There is no way I am going to visit Vietnam without doing a food tour. We have a good selection of Vietnamese restaurants where I live but I would like to know which dishes I have been overlooking.

While in Hanoi Vietnam I took the walking street food tour given by Hanoi Street Food Tour.

I’m early so the tour office suggests I walk around while I wait and maybe get a beer on beer street which is nearby.

We meet our friendly tour guide Cozy. The area is crowded so we try to stick close to her as she takes us to all the stops.

Food Stops

1. Bún Chả at Bun Cha Ta

First stop is for Bún Chả (Rice Noodles with BBQ Pork). There is a vegetarian version of the soup if needed but I did not come all this way to not try the dish in its original form. It is delicious and well balanced. The pork meatball and soup is served separately from the rice vermicelli and herbs. You assemble it all together at the table. Cozy tells us about how this dish is different depending on if you order it in the north or south Vietnam (It tends to be more spicy in the north and sweeter in the south). I have another new favorite.

No.21, Nguyễn Hữu Huân Street

2. Egg Coffee, happy water and Vietnamese Baguette at Hanoi Egg Coffee

No.10, Hàng Muối Street

We go to the egg coffee shop to try a few things.

Egg coffee is made from egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and coffee. It is delicious but very rich. I would probably drink it as a once in a while treat.

Bánh mì is pretty familiar to me because we have them back home. The one served here is pretty tasty.

bánh mì – Vietnamese sandwich, ingredients vary

We learn a Vietnamese cheer and then try happy water (rice wine) or rượu và.

3. Dried Beef Salad “Sexy Salad” (Nộm Bò Khô) at Long Vi Dung

No.23, Hồ Hòan Kiếm Street

At a small outdoor restaurant where we sit on little chairs Cozy introduces us to what she calls “sexy salad” (Nộm Bò Khô). It is a dried beef salad made with shredded green papaya. The papaya is not sweet so it all makes sense. I am eating raw street vegetables (a big gastrointestinal no-no) but I don’t care. The salad is good. It does not seem to give me problems later on so I would not be opposed to coming back to order this salad again.

4. Steamed rice Pancake or Bánh cuon at Quán Bánh Cuốn Bảo Khánh

No.14B, Báo Khánh Street

First we watch Bánh cuon made by the women outside then we go inside to have the pancakes served with dipping sauce. Main ingredients of the pancake are rice batter, ground pork, wood ear mushroom, and shallots. They are a nice snack.

5. Vietnamese Fried Cakes (Pillow cake, salty donut, sweet donut, fermented pork)- Đồ rán at Bánh Gối Lý Quốc Sư

No.52, Lý Quốc Sư Street

Some are savory, some are sweet but all are good. I would like to come back sometime and order a whole plate of this for myself.

6. Fried rice and Spring roll (Cơm rang & Nem rán)

No.65A Bát Đàn Street

Viet Spring Rolls to try their spring rolls. The wrapper is flakier that what we typical get in the USA. The rice is a nice accompaniment.

Cơm rang (rice) & Nem rán (spring rolls)

7. Sticky rice with coconut ice-cream – Kem xôi dừa

No.95 Hàng Bạc Street

We end it all with Kem xôi dừa or sticky rice with coconut ice-cream. The rice is colored green from the pandan leaves. It is a very nice treat. What a perfect way to end the evening.

I contemplate a night cap at beer street but my belly is too full so I start walking back to the hotel via the walking streets by the lake. The streets come alive at night. People are selling things, groups are dancing, people are singing; it is very entertaining.