If this day taught us something, it is the fact that you need to check and pay attention to bank holidays: maybe it was a beginner’s mistake or just a careless one, but our program was disrupted because museums were closed during Easter Sunday. But this lesson reminds us that travelling is learning, evolving so that we do not reproduce the same errors during future travels. We also mention this fact because it allowed us to discover things we would not have seen if we did the program the way it was planned. We had to improvise, find alternatives and be open to the city.
Our last day in Warsaw was marked by some unexpected events and surprises. We wanted to visit the National Museum, which contains the national art collection and which was unfortunately closed because of the bank holiday. But we did not lose the whole battle: we came across a tank exhibition which was actually the outside part of the Polish Army Museum (we ignored then the existence of this museum and we still ignored it after our travel, until we made some research).
The museum itself, near to the National Museum, was closed, we suppose because of the bank holiday as well. But the outside exhibition was in a park and was opened to visitors. Here you can find armored vehicles of WW2, like an American Sherman tank with the symbol of the first polish armored division, as well as military vehicles and planes of this time and of the Cold War, including a collection of soviet-made helicopters and planes. You can also find a naval and field artillery exhibition which presents various objects. It is a small part of the city which is easy to visit if you are interested in this part of history.
We finished our morning by walking in the Lazienki Park. This green space is perfect to break up with the boulevards and apartment blocks. We can plunge into a calm place, where the sound of water, fountains and birds reigns. The Belvedere Palace is amazing, not to mention the palace which floated on the water: the Lazienki Palace. It looks like the castle of Ludwig II of Bavaria. The setting with the lake, the big baroque fountains and the flowers, is idyllic and perfect to take beautiful pictures.
We did not dawdle on the evening so that we could be in good form for our flight that took off at 6 a.m. We woke up at 2 a.m.; it was hard but it was easier thanks to all of the memories in our heads. It was very easy to find an Uber for about 6€ to drive us to the airport even at that hour (not so convenient).
To conclude our travel in Poland, we can affirm that this country deserves way more attention than it generally has. The two cities we visited have an incredible architecture, are brightly colorful and have remarkable facades. Of course the historical aspect took a very important part of our stay. This first travel together is the beginning of other adventures, other countries to discover.
Official sites :
National Museum : https://www.mnw.art.pl/en/
Lazienki Park : https://www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl/en
2 Steps Abroad 