I was looking for somewhere in Europe for a long weekend with good value for money + a capital I'd never been to. Warsaw kept coming up in my research so I thought why not. The first thing that surprised me was how modern and clean the city is. Old and new architecture mix perfectly together. Then I started learning about the history. Most of the city was destroyed during WWII, and they rebuilt it carefully. They restored the old character and built a modern capital at the same time. I'm not really a museum person, but the Warsaw Uprising Museum is a must-see. It feels like a city that reinvented itself, which makes it quite different from other European capitals.
The people I met were really friendly, helpful and actually quite chatty. What impressed me most was the national pride. Poland is a fairly conservative country and you can feel it, people put a lot of importance on traditions and cultural identity. In some ways it reminded me of Western Europe a few decades ago. What I found interesting is how openly people talk about it. When I said I was French, several of them told me straight away they prefer life in Poland to life in France, and a lot of them described Warsaw as a great place to raise a family. Not something you hear a lot in France...
The food was really good, great cuisine and full of flavour. Taxis are everywhere and not expensive. I stayed in a beautiful hotel with a view of the Palace of Culture and Science (last pic). For the same comfort and location anywhere else in Europe I'd have paid a lot more!
Even the shopping centres are worth a visit. A lot of them are old industrial buildings turned into malls with local stores and food halls. Nothing like the generic malls you find everywhere.
Locals warned me that winters are long and harsh, freezing with very short days. But honestly I'd love to see the city under the snow. In conclusion guys, I came with almost no expectations and left really impressed. Obviously a long weekend isn't the same as living there and I'm sure daily life is way different, but I'd definitely go back, maybe in winter!