Warsaw and Rome

Posted by Shanif 74 days ago

Looking back on Poland

After my last post, where I told you about the amazing salt mines near Krakow, I left off by saying that I’d be heading to Warsaw and Poland next.  Since that time, Gowri, Oat, Caroline, and I were able to head to Warsaw and saw its reconstructed old town square – a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was very cool to see.

Overall, Poland was a pretty interesting place.  We ate very well.  In fact, I ate much better in Poland then I did in Milan.  And the portions were huge.  Probably bigger than what you get in the States.  We spent most of our time in Krakow, and only a night in Warsaw, which was what every single guide and site on the Internet told us to do.  In retrospect, though, I wish we had done it the other way around.

From what I was able to see in Warsaw, things were a lot more lively, and it just had a better vibe.  There were more young people, lights decorated every street, people were out, about, and more attractive, there was more culture, more things to see.  I wish I had more time there.

Be careful what advice you take

Interestingly enough, I felt the same way about my trip to Morocco.  All of the guides suggested going to Fes, possibly Marrakech, and avoiding Casablanca, which we did.  Strangely enough, though, I liked Casablanca a lot, and wish I had spent more time there and slightly less time in Fes and Marrakech (on the other hand, the desert tour was awesome, and I wouldn’t have changed that at all).

It’s interesting to note that both cities that others have suggested staying away from had the feel of more modern, 21st century cities, whereas the cities that others suggested visiting all had more of an old world feel to them.  I wonder if I’ve just gotten so jaded by all my travels that I don’t appreciate historical value, anymore, or if I just really like being in a modern city.  In any case, just keep this in mind if you ever decide to visit Morocco or Poland.

After leaving the freezing cold temperatures of Poland, Oat, Gowri, and I flew to the temperate climate of Rome, while Caroline flew back home for Thanksgiving and a high school reunion.  It’s too bad, too.  She got us through Poland, she was a blast to hang out with, and, not least of all, she was our 4th for spades.

Side note: over the course of this exchange, and during the past few weeks, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed just sitting and playing cards with friends.  I wonder if, as I get older, I start to appreciate simply being in the company of good friends more than going out and “having experiences,” or if I start to appreciate the thought and challenge that goes into winning a stimulating game.  I’m not as intent on “going out” now as I may have been in the past (though, I was never really that intense about such things anyway).

The eternal city (Rome)

I must say, I wish Bocconi were situated in Rome, instead of Milan.  The weather here is really nice, it just feels like there’s more to do here, and there are more Americans around, which, after four or five months of living without, becomes a very nice thing to have.

When we got in, Oat, Gowri, and I checked out Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.  The last time I was here, I don’t think I went to see the fountain, so that was a nice sight.  Today, we met up with Anthony (another friend from Stern who happened to be in Rome), and took a tour of the Colosseum and the Emperor’s Palace.  The tour was great, and both of our guides were awesome.  The first one had an amazing ability to tell a story such that you could visualize yourself in its settings.

The Colosseum was truly impressive, and I was surprised to learn just how advanced the Romans were in their mechanical engineering capabilities.  After the tours, we went to see the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon (this time, from the inside).  After an unsatisfyingly small (but tasty) dinner, we went to a small pizzeria, where Oat got a second meal, and the rest of us played spades once again, followed by a card game called golf, which Gowri taught us how to play.  Once again, I was completely satisfied sitting there, trying to figure out which card to play (in my defense, spades is an awesome game).

Tomorrow, we’ll all head over to the Vatican to see some of the great sights that they have there.  Right now, I should probably try to get some work done.

Before I sign off, though, I have to say how nice it has been to be able to hang out with some of my true Stern friends on this trip.  The Bocconi exchange crew was awesome, but we didn’t have the same amount of time to bond as the Stern crew.  Hanging out with them brings a certain level of comfort that I haven’t had on this exchange (which is good, considering I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone to see how I’d react).  It makes me want to get back to New York even more.

Until then, though, ciao Ciao ciao.


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