It took a while but the dynamic duo made it to Warsaw at 2am on November 28, 2024. They were nine hours late!
It started well when the wide-bodied jet traveled north of the Hudson's Bay, flew high over Greenland and then descended over the North Sea into the massive Schiphol International Airport. It was 8AM and the 8-hour flight was on-time. This was a best-ever transatlantic flight for Mr. Gym. KLM business class seats are the roomiest, most comfortable seats of any airline Mr. Gym has ever traveled. They come with easy-to-use and conveniently-controlled entertainment systems, nice amenities and wonderful flight attendants.
However, it was at Schiphol Airport that they would sit to watch the sun rise and set on November 27, 2024. Their scheduled connection and two other booked departure times went by the wayside before they finally got out of Amsterdam at half past 11PM. This was apparently due to a nasty storm off the British Isles which disrupted air traffic all over Europe.
The Chopin International Airport in Warsaw was deserted when they finally arrived, the kiosks were closed and you could shoot off a cannon over the luggage carousels without hurting a soul except for the poor airport employee that was vacuuming the ceiling that night. The luggage handlers were undoubtedly told that they could go home well before the flight landed because it took what seemed like an hour for the carousel siren to be heard. Some time later, Mr. Gym and his dear wife stood exhausted in front of the Bristol Hotel night manager, as he checked our adventurers into what turned out to be a beautiful base camp to explore Warsaw from.
The next morning, Mr. Gym woke with a start, at 10am. They had 30 minutes to dress and get down to the free breakfast buffet. Needless to say, Gym had less time than normal to navigate a very comprehensive buffet before a platoon of hotel servers began cleaning things up in a most diligent and timely manner. The post-meal heartburn was all on Gym though because he should have set an alarm.
Later that day, after dressing for the outdoors, they left the hotel to get in some steps and explore the area nearby. Gym couldn't have picked a better location for their stay. Perched above the Vistula River, the Bristol is right between the Presidential Palace and Warsaw University, one block from the Saxon Garden and a short stroll to Old Town. After a double expresso, Gym was just able to keep pace with his intrepid companion who reconnoitred the nearby highlights which were all decked out in a colourful Christmas theme.
Tomorrow, reinforcements from Britain arrive and the tour group doubles in size to check out the Christmas Markets and hopefully some comfortable watering holes in the capital.
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| Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Saxon Garden |
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| Bristol Hotel where Mr. Gym and his sidekick are saying while in Warsaw |
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| Mrs. Gym posing in front of her dream car |
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| Castle Square in Old Town with a giant Christmas Tree |
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| Yes they ate this. It is a coconut cream apple strudel cake decorated with chocolate decorations |
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| Decorations overlooking the Vistula River in Old Town |
