Arrivals – Warsaw

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

Henry Miller

Summer in Warsaw is a very different experience from summer in Dubai. The 25 °C is incomparable to the 50 °C we have left behind.

We are off the plane in an Uber in record time; I guess less than ten minutes.

Our place is on the edge of the old city. A shower, and we head off in search of beer and food.

“Oh, this beer here is cold, cold and hop-bitter, no point coming up for air”

Thomas Pynchon

We find a likely spot a short walk from our place. Hoppines Beer.

It isn’t doing food, so we order beers and move on. Shell orders a Harpagan Bitterpunk Modern Bitter, and I go for the Ziemia Obiecena Absolute Cinema Hazy IPA.

Rain clouds are gathering. I have never been more excited about the prospect of rain.

Shell decides on Zywioly. It serves local food and cheap beer. I ordered the menu dnia – krem z zupy pomidorowej and burgera wołowego.

Shell decides on rak w zupie z owoców morza and kaczka z knedlami i kapustą.

I love putting food into translate and sounding like I speak the local language. The menu was in English.

We had two soups, tomato and crayfish. There was a beef burger and duck breast with dumplings and cabbage.

The rain starts to fall, and we move under an umbrella. We refuse to consider eating inside. The beer is cold, the temperature is dropping, and the rain gets heavier – elated.

“Those who hate rain hate life.”

Dejan Stojanović

After many beers, it is time to walk home. The rain is heavy. We are soon wet and cold – and happy.

We stop for some Gelato and watch the rain pour down on Warsaw.

I’ve been here for a few hours and never want to leave.

“This was how it was with travel: one city gives you gifts, another robs you. One gives you the heart’s affections, the other destroys your soul. Cities and countries are as alive, as feeling, as fickle and uncertain as people. Their degrees of love and devotion are as varying as with any human relation. Just as one is good, another is bad.”

Roman Payne

We head home in the rain. By the time we are at our place, we are drenched and laughing like children.

This is happiness.

We shower and hang our clothes up to dry.

Warm, the windows are open, but the rain has stopped. I am floating on the gentle wave of the beer. It is only 4.30 pm and I can feel myself drifting to sleep.