Dear all,
Three years on from Euro 2012, we find ourselves back in Poland as qualifying for the next European Championship reaches its climax
. The final game in Warsaw was one that was always going to be much anticipated, but little did we suspect it would be a match we would enter into with direct qualification still a possibility.
The trip really began last Thursday when I flew over to Dublin for Ireland's clash with World Champions Germany. General consensus was that the Germans would win at a canter and we would be relying on other scores going our way. Instead, the Irish team rose to the occasion and pulled off a shock 1-0 win in what was Ireland’s best performance in 14 years. Naturally celebrations went late into the night. And though I stayed out longer than planned, I still turned in around 01:30 as I had an early flight. Five hours later, I dragged my bleary-eyed self to the airport to fly to Heathrow, where I would catch a connecting flight to Warsaw.
You know how I like to plan out my travels in advance? Well, this was really advanced planning
. Flights and hotels were booked over a year ago. Whilst casually web browsing around for ideas last October, I saw that The Rialto – the top recommended Warsaw hotel in The Lonely Planet Poland guidebook – was available at a bargain rate. It’s fair to say I had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. And I found upon arrival at The Rialto, it delivered. Art Nouveau themed rooms mixed period furniture and marbled bathrooms with modern touches like flat screen TVs and power showers. It also had quality disposable slippers, which I’m going to keep and use on my travels from here on.
But there was no time to hang around and admire it all. Upon unpacking, it was straight out to the Zapiecek restaurant near the old town for a pierogi (Polish dumplings) dinner with Patrick. He’s a Dubliner now working as a translator in Berlin who took the five hour train journey to be here. It had been a year since I saw him last in Gelsenkirchen so it was great to catch up
. Afterwards, we went for a drink at the Warsaw Tortilla Factory. This was the designated meeting point for Irish fans arriving in the Polish capital for the game (and handily just down the street from The Rialto). Thought it was two days before the match, the Warsaw Tortilla Factory – commonly referred to as WTF, though towards the end it was just straight-out called What The F__k – was packed out with Irish folk watching the other qualifying matches and the rugby. Many of them were culchies who clearly don’t get out very often, completely off their faces on drink. This would be crass stereotyping, except they were going around, outright proclaiming they were farmers from Sligo…
Up on Saturday morning for a ramble around Warsaw. Not an entirely wise choice since temperatures barely reached the low teens during daytime and plummeted to near zero at night. The first thing that struck me was how deserted the city was, hardly a soul to be seen as I strolled. Like many cities in former Soviet Bloc countries, Warsaw architecture has a mixture of the spanking new right next to drab old, and they don’t always sit easily next to each other
. The public transport worked well enough, though there seems to be a curious absence of subway maps in any of the metro stations.
The obvious starting point in visiting Warsaw is or course The Palace of Culture and Science, right next to Warsaw Central station. The defining landmark of Warsaw, "Stalin’s gift" (as it’s commonly called) was completed in 1955, stands 231m tall and is a prime example of Socialist Realism architecture (what you’d know as communist-era buildings). Though all mentions of Stalin have been removed, the interiors remain unchanged and is a real step into the past. The viewing platform on the 30th floor is a must visit, though don’t leave your coat in the cloakroom first, like I did. I thought I caught a cold up there, only after munching through a box of Strepsils for the rest of the day did the symptoms subside. The Palace of Culture and Science is also the headquarters of many companies as well as cinemas, theatres, libraries and the like
. One of the exhibitions on during my visit was a live display of exotic spiders. Fascinating and worth a look, but not for the faint hearted.
The other must see of Warsaw is Stare Miasto (Old Town) by the banks of the River Wisła. Positively buzzing with visitors, rich in restaurants, cafés and shops, the streets surrounding the old market square feature medieval architecture and the ancient city walls. All the more remarkable given that almost all of this was destroyed by the Nazis in reprisal for the Warsaw Uprising. That it was all painstakingly restored over a period of 30 years using salvaged materials and original construction techniques says much about Polish defiance and patriotism.
All of this is chronicled at the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Set in an old tram power station. The museum exhaustively chronicles life under Nazi rule, the events leading to Varsovians’ (as Warsaw people are called) taking up armed struggle against their oppressors in August 1944 and the aftermath of its failure. Not a visit to be taken lightly, but an absorbing tour through Warsaw’s most glorious and tragic hour. And judging by the number of visitors wearing Poland scarves and shirts, a visit to fill one with patriotic fervour. Though the layout of the museum is confusing and it’s easy to take a wrong turn and find the chronology skipping back and forth.
The match was at the Stadion Narodowy (National Stadium) across the River Wesła, a short 10 minute tram ride from the Palace of Culture. Resembling a giant red and white crown, it was built for the Euro 2012 finals with a capacity of 58,000 and one of the best I’ve ever been to. Spacious concourses meant fans could gather without hindering anyone. Queues for the loos or food and drink moved swiftly. Stadion Narodowy is worthy of the title, national stadium.
Ireland went into the match knowing a win or a 2-2 draw would secure themselves a place at the Euro 2016 finals, but it was not going to be an easy task. Sure enough, Grzegorz Krychowiak fired in for Poland from the edge of the box through a sea of bodies in the 13th minute. But Ireland equalised straight away when Michał Pazdan kicked Shane Long in the face during a clumsy clearance attempt and Jonathan Walters dispatched the resultant penalty. However, Robert Lewandowski nodded in a header to put Poland in front just before half-time (Incidentally, during the interval the first record the stadium chose to play over the PA system was Rock And Roll Part 1. Evidently Poland has not kept up to date with the goings on of Gary Glitter…). The closest Ireland came to equalising in the second half was Richard Keogh’s point blank header which went straight at Polish keeper Łukasz Fabiański. Ireland gave it a go, but that little bit of quality was missing and Poland edged it 2-1. They are going to France next June. And with 22 goals in 15 games so far this season, they have, in Robert Lewandowski, the best player in the world right now.
The train back into town took no time and I scoffed down a kebab at a dive near the Central Station in the company of some inebriated but commiserating local fans. I met up with everyone at a Polish sports bar near the WTF to dissect this evening’s performance as we pondered Ireland’s fate in the play-offs. Contrary to what you might think, I didn’t drink too much and trekked back in the freezing cold to The Rialto at a sensible hour (well, compared to everyone else. Everything is relative) and I was in bed by half two.
Didn’t do a lot on the Monday. Just strolled around downtown Warsaw. Spent most of the day in Złote Tarasy, across from The Palace of Culture. It’s a modern five-floor shopping mall with a glass roof resembling a billowing tent. It was also mysteriously full of young shoppers who surely should have been at work or school? Instead of seeking out an exotic local restaurant for lunch, I took the safe option of the Hard Rock Café at Złote Tarasy in the company of some departing Irish fans.
So there you have it. Like in Euro 2012, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting Poland. Like in Euro 2012, we were warmly welcomed by the Poles and relished how cheap everything was. Like in Euro 2012, Ireland lost. And probably will again the next time the Irish play in Poland. But when that happens, I certainly won’t hesitate to come back. Fingers crossed for a kind draw in the Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs this Sunday.
Do widzenia
Cathal
Warsaw Packed
Monday, October 12, 2015
Warsaw, Central Poland, Poland
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2025-02-12