Warszawa

History blights this city which is a mixture of old and new - the old having been reconstructed after World War II. This concrete sprawl conjures up happy feelings and others of the frustration of being lost and unprepared. On this particular trip, I also got lost and had to take the easy way out by taking a cab to the place I needed to be but I also enjoyed the city which is so different from Krakow.
Many people say that Warsaw is just a city for those who want to make money and while this is a general statement which of course cannot be allowed to include everyone, I definitely got a sense of the openness and dynamism which exists in the Polish capital and it was refreshing. It is more multicultural than where I live and is also much bigger and higher than my adopted home city with signs that the construction of skyscrapers will continue, with Złota 44, the unusually shaped structure to the right of the Palace of Culture, planned to be finished next year.
Previously I felt that it would be a shame to dominate the skyline with modern buildings that seem to try to hide the Palace of Culture but now I have changed my opinion and I often found myself feeling rather surprisingly impressed by the height of the city. It shows the new face of the city and the optimism and hope for the present and the future.
On the other hand, the Uprising Museum is a stark reminder of the past and how much devastation was caused in the city. Just like in Krakow, this sombre period of history is not allowed to be forgotten. The Old Town is strange and it is often dismissed because, unlike Krakow's Old Town, Warsaw's is not the heart of the city and it is not original despite it being very attractive.
My heart is still in Krakow but I will much more easily persuaded to visit Warsaw in the future.