To distract from the financial topic, I decided to post some autumn photos of Warsaw, as well as some of our impressions of the city. After all, we have been living here for 2 months ... The most first impressions from literally the first days, I already laid out. I hasten to say that during this time there were no disappointments. Despite some dullness and simplicity, living in Warsaw is quite comfortable. It may be boring and not bright to the eye, but for a family with a small child, when everyday life takes most of the time and it is comfort that is needed, it is.
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Warsaw center
Warsaw in the center is much more civilized and tidy than its outskirts, but in general it is quite ordinary - houses, avenues, shop windows and large shopping centers. Periodically, the urban jungle is interspersed with squares and parks (read about very cool azienki park). Impressions remained even, walked, wandered, nicely. I'm not talking about Old city, which consists of old buildings, there is more color.
Non-central areas
Until now, it is impossible to formulate in words our impression of Warsaw. It seems like a scary architecture, like rubbish, but at the same time there are some cozy European nooks. That is, you go, you go, you think, well, everything is even worse than in our Moscow Butovo - gray buildings, papers lying around like dog poop on the sidewalk ... And then once a house with a tiled roof appeared before my eyes, or thuja growing near the most ordinary entrance , or flower pots on the windowsills (outside!). Immediately you think, no, not Moscow, not even once. Here's how to explain it that it's both beautiful and ugly here at the same time within the same street.
People
People are somehow different, outwardly I mean. They have a more relaxed style of clothing, or their clothing is slightly different. And, it seemed to me easier to dress, especially for women, noticeably, but at the same time stylish and well-groomed. Even homeless people look decent, you don't pay attention until you are near and the smell reaches your nostrils. Upset that there are many smokers on the streets and at bus stops, and drunks meet, which are exactly like ours 🙂
A lot of people speak English, God, how convenient it is. I wonder if we conduct such an experiment, how many saleswomen will be able to connect a few words? And sometimes it's bad, but they still say, in pharmacies, small shops, in supermarkets. As a last resort, you can try it in Russian. It should be easy for Ukrainians in general, the words partially overlap. I remember when I went into the store for the first time, I immediately understood everything, I could even read labels more or less, which cannot be said about Slovakia, in general, the language is different.
With darkness, many areas freeze, at 19 o'clock you walk and as if it is already 12 at night. Very unusual. In the very center of the city, of course, this is not at all like this, but even there by 21 o'clock there are almost no people.
Transport
I liked it very much public transport and, above all, buses. They travel fast, often, convenient routes, clearly on schedule, half the city can be covered in 20 minutes. I am already silent about the fact that a ticket can be bought inside with a bank card, it is very convenient. And with a transport app jakdojade you can forget about the problem of moving, turn it on on your phone and in a minute you know which bus / metro / tram you need, where it stops, how long it will arrive and when it will bring you to your destination. For a tourist a thing! There is only one minus with buses - the drivers, like carrying firewood, suddenly break down and start abruptly.
Well, of course, it's cool when there are bike paths in the city. In the center they are clearly marked, regulated by traffic lights, and on the outskirts they are no longer so noticeable. There are a lot of people on bicycles, which is also great..