The Road I'm On

It was already dark when my bus from Kowale Oleckie arrived in Warsaw. I checked into my hotel near the airport and was honored when the receptionist complemented my Polish. A bit later I set about looking for the local grocery store. There was nothing in the area, so I decided that if I was going to walk around in the cold, it would be better to do so in the old town square.

The bus back into town took about 45 minutes. We passed by the Palace of Culture and Science, and then continued up the Nowy Świat. I had planed to alight at the beginning of the old town. However the bus made a left turn and ended up in Victory Square, where I decided to get off. Ironically, this was the place where my feet had first touched Polish soil six years ago.

My gaze immediately turned to the large hotel complex at the far end of the square. In communist times this was the government travel agency's sanctioned hotel. My mother stayed here as a journalist during marshal law. It was about this hotel that I heard some of my first stories of Poland. In the present day, it is no longer owned by Orbis but instead is a Softel.

I realized that I needed to find my way back to the old town. My parents had always called the nearest main street to the square the K.P. because they could not pronounce it. There was a main bulovard near to the square and I walked along it, wondering where I was. After a while I came to a sign post with the name Krakowskie Przedmieście imprinted on it. Slowly, It dawned on me that this street was the K.P. I had walked on long ago.

As I continued up this street, it was as if I was taking a journey back in time. In the Plac Zamkowy I remembered a boy on one of his first trips to Europe, curious about a heritage he had never known first hand. When I finally reached the old town square I was reminded why I had spent years learning Polish and became dedicated to pursuing a career in eastern Europe.

Beyond the old city walls the new town awaited me. I crossed onto its cobbled streets reflecting on the past few years. Since my first trip to Warsaw I have seen many more impressive sights, from the old town square of Brussels, to the canyon perched shanties near Machu Picchu. The teeming metropolis of Male is an environment I will always treasure. But Warsaw will always hold a special place in my heart.

Most people I have known are unimpressed by Warsaw. I simply cannot agree with them. This small post-war reconstruction of an historic center symbolizes more then any other place my hopes and dreams for the future. Having just returned from Warsaw's stare miasto, I cannot help but feel that it always will.

I headed back to my hotel with renewed determination. While I may have a few years to go before I can start my career in eastern Europe, this short walk reminded me of why I was doing it, and of how far I had come. I returned down what I had come to know as the Krakowskie Przedmieście. Not only did I know where it led, but more importantly, I could pronounce it!