After making my way to Dublin, I set about getting used to town. Finding an apartment, adventures, climbing gyms and lifting weights… all of those revolve around good food. And hey – If I’m going to be settling into a city, I’ve got to know where the good food is, right?
And so, I started exploring.
I went with my Dad’s suggestion for finding the best restaurants in the North End, from when I first moved to Boston to start working on my Undergrad degree – “Wander around, follow your nose, and trust in what smells good.”
I wandered, I kept my senses open, and found quite a few good spots!
I’ll actually avoid listing them all out here, unlike the other cities I’ve wandered, simply because there were too many and I wasn’t keeping as tight a set of records as I was while on the Grand Adventure – but that’s fine. I’m settled down here, right? I don’t need to enumerate every little spot… I’ll be here for a while, and I can always find the good places again when I need.
Similar to the feeling of familial memory in the Art History Museum cafe was Cafe Central.
I’d first heard about it from a friend of mine, who was adamant that I needed to check it out while I was in town – After looking it up, I absolutely had to agree with her. It looked amazing; an exceptionally fancy and classy breakfast spot right in the heart of the old city of Vienna, dating back to 1876 and boasting patrons as storied as Sigmund Freud, Leon Trotsky, and many others.
I mentioned this cafe back in my “Exploring Vienna” post, but I’ll risk repetition by doubling down – More importantly to me, aside from hosting conventionally famous thinkers, Cafe Central had very likely hosted my own family, back when my Grandfather was a young boy living in Vienna… Prior to their escape to the United States some time after Kristallnacht. A chain of events which, in recent years, has led to my own repatriation to Austria.
Getting back to the focal point of the post – Cafe Central – I walked in with a bit of trepidation… though thankfully it was mostly attenuated by the long line I’d had to brave in order to get in. Once I was greeted by the Matre’d, though, I was simply swept up in the glamor of the place. Immediately upon entering, I was stuck – The ambiance was amazing, with desserts beautifully displayed right at the front, and the sense of history and “why yes, I am exceptionally fancy, thank you” was incredible. The Matre’d himself was dressed in a full suit (possibly a tux), and treated me like I was visiting royalty.
It was… really fun. I sipped coffee, nibbled at the fancy “Viennese breakfast”, and enjoyed myself immensely.
Immensely enough, I’d like to note, that I came back for lunch.
By the time I came back, I’d finished my walkthrough of the Vienna Museum, which… well, I’ll get to that in a follow-on post, but suffice it to say that the museum was challenging and rough, if informative and enlightening.
I needed something to lift my spirits, though, and so ordered a double-portion of dessert. It didn’t fix everything, of course, but it did go a long way to buoying my spirits.
Tuesday, 18-June-2024, through Sunday, 23-June-2024
I really liked Warsaw.
With no offence to any of the other cities I’ve been to, of course. Everywhere has been really interesting so far, with their own culture and their own feel… but I really did enjoy Warsaw a lot.
I wasn’t feeling particularly energetic, after a bit more than six weeks of travel and some food poisoning half a week before, and I embraced that low energy state while in Warsaw. I had a really nice AirBnB reserved for myself, and I took full advantage of it. I cooked, I relaxed, and I explored the city as best as my energy levels allowed. I listened to my body, read my book, and recharged my batteries for the second half of my adventure yet to come.
It was lovely – Warsaw isn’t a small city, as you may guess, but I found it to be quite explorable. The elevation changes were a bit challenging, with some rather intense staircases to navigate, but I thankfully didn’t find them too challenging… in fact, it was a nice option to get my heartrate a bit higher every so often.
So what did I gorge myself on, while in Warsaw?
Well, honestly, quite a lovely variety. I mentioned that I was trying to take it a bit easy… and part of that was staying in, cooking for myself, and getting to decompress a bit. I know that, for some folks, going out to restaurants is a good way to relax – and it definitely can be for me as well! But with traveling for six weeks, cooking at home had become the rarity, so I recharged by buying some groceries and making them for myself while dancing around the kitchen for a few evenings.
With that in mind, lets see…
WarSaw – A funny name, a cool logo, and a great burger. I stuck with my tradition of getting a simple and comforting meal when I first arrived in Warsaw, and I couldn’t have asked for a better option.
Pirkarnia Aromat – I adored this cafe. It’s connected to the university, I think, and I went back at least three or four times over the days I was in Warsaw. Excellent coffee, great pastries, strong WiFi, what more could a traveler ask for?
Cofix Bulwary – Another good coffee shop, but by the river this time! Went here for an afternoon snack, and got one of the best BLTs that I’ve had so far in Europe. Full recommendations.
Blue Cactus – A Tex-Mex spot in Warsaw? Heck yeah! I can’t tell you why, but I was feeling the hankering for nachos… and didn’t quite want to try and hunt down all the ingredients myself. I found Blue Cactus, and was satiated.
Cafe Kafka – A cool brunch spot. Nothing crazy to report, but definitely a good spot to stop in.
Zapiecek – Amazing pierogi! And the soup! Ahh… amazing chicken broth and noodles. Full recommendation; If I’d been staying longer, I’d definitely have gone back to get some of the other traditional Polish options!
Błogo Bar and Cynamon Pub – I know, I know, “What the heck? Ben went to a bar???”. I did! It was a date, even! I got my first Aperol Spritz, tried a lovely pineapple mixed drink, and had a very enjoyable date night out on the town.
Shabby Chic – I ate breakfast here, then came back again for cake. All within two hours, give or take. If that’s not a good recommendation, I don’t know what is.
Szeroki Dunaj – Not everywhere can be a slam dunk, and Szeroki was a simple and efficient 3-pointer. A good meal, a quiet atmosphere, and a well-fed Ben. A grand end to a grand time in a grand city.
