Warsaw

OnSunday, on my way from Lublin back to our campus in Przytok, I had a 4-hour wait in Warsaw between trains, so I went shopping. Central Warsaw is amazingly different from what I remember. The skyscraper in the center is the Palace of Culture and Science. It was a gift from Stalin to the people of Poland. They did not appreciate the gift. Most Poles think it's horribly ugly and many want to tear it down. It now houses a hotel, museum, and movie theater. I kind of like it. I espeically liked seeing a Hard Rock cafe restaurant next door. I doubt Stalin would have approved. Behind the Hard Rock was a huge shopping mall. So, I went shopping and got some clothes. I call it my Polish outfit. When I first showed Sarah, I had my white socks on, but she wouldn't let me go out look that much like a Pole. At one train stop, I asked a guy near me what town we were in. He replied that he didn't speak Polish but he spoke a little English. It turns out that he was a Russian studying abroad at a university in the city near our campus. I enjoy the language diversity over here in Europe.