Living the dream: Warsaw loving

Do you like your hometown?

I for sure never used to.

The first time it started changing a bit was when I lived in Brussels. I'd be coming back to Warsaw every month and every time I'd notice a little thing here or there that I missed or discover something new I liked. There were also bigger advantages of the city I started appreciating, f.e. how awsome and efficient public transportation in here is. I always used to be surprised when I heard a foreigner tell me they really liked my city but after a couple of months of not living there, I wasn't any more.

The fact that I grew up in Bemowo, a hood quite some way from the city center, a pretty poor one when it comes to entertainment and local architecture, never helped Warsaw's cause. However, having moved to the Old Town in October, I started enjoying the capital in a new and more relaxed way.

And recently I've been falling in love with Warsaw, more and more all the time.

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Today was a most perfect day, which was to be expected after yesterday. I think I used up all my bad luck reserves for a while!

Together with a bunch of people from WITC, the club I've started running with (oh, by the way - did I mention I did 15km on Tuesday? ), and some other friends we met up at one of the city beaches <yes, we have natural beaches by the river in the city center, how cool is that??> for a 'beach bbq brunch'. I didn't expect many people, as the event was created only yesterday and there was a picnic event organised by an expat network at the very same time, but we were quite a group in the end. Everyone brought something to share with others, we had a couple of types of salads, a lot of different meats, chips, fruit, and loads of beer. We stuffed our faces with food, played football and the guitars, had many a laugh. The weather was simply amazing and it trully felt like being on holiday! The ones who stayed behind till around 7pm moved to a beach bar where we chilled some more on comfy sofas and chairs, while sipping on our drinks of choice. Looking for a delicious refreshing drink? I totally recommend a sorbet drink at the Big Buddha Beach bar!

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Before heading off to the brunch thingy, I met up with Weronika and Fernando, as the graphic designer was kind enough to offer his help designing my new Zumba poster. I can't say how grateful I am for his time and talent, and how much I love what he did!

So, if you happen to be in Warsaw and want some Zumba - hit me up! I'll also be posting updates on the new Zumba blog (still to be worked on), such as special offers, 'bring a friend day' etc. Hope to see some of you somewhere along the way!

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Today Warsaw was even cooler than on your regular Thursday.

3rd of May is our national holiday, the so-called 'Constitution Day'. This year we were celebrating the 221st anniversary of our first constitution's adoption, which happens to be the world's second oldest document of such type. You can read more about it here.

Seeing how:

1. the 1st of May is a day off as well, many people took Mon, Wed and Fri off, which made for the longest 'weekend' possible - a 9day one;

2. the weather has been beautiful during the whole week,

the city center was literally flooded with people. Especially the Old Town, already busy in the spring/summer season anyways, now even more so as the main celebrations were held here.

I managed to get myself stuck in the crowds carrying a big bag, a guitar and a 6l bottle of water while on my way to the riverside and as much as I enjoy crowds, it got pretty annoying. However, it was a completely different story when I was coming back home at around 8m - I got off the taxi in the middle of the Royal Route, because it felt like a waste to deprive myself of a walk on such an evening. Lots of flags, a light show on the Presidential Palace, hordes of smiling people, music coming in all forms from every corner, fire dancing to live drums - dreamy!

I haven't actually almost ever posted any pictures from Poland, so here's to start making up for it:

the Presidential Palace

(actually home to the authors of the 1793 constitution)

the White Eagle, Poland's coat of arms

flags all around

the moon overlooking the Royal Route

the first sneak peak at the Castle Square

the new National Stadium, built for the 2012 Euro Championship

and we're back at the Castle Square, saying 'hi' to King Sigismund III Vasa, who moved the capital city from Cracow to Warsaw back in the 16th century (the column he stands on is one of the three most popular meeting places of Warsaw)