I came, I Warsaw, I ate.

I spent a portion of today walking around Warsaw, checking out architecture, ohh-ing at artworks and marveling over how gorgeous everything is.

And I’m tapped out. So don’t expect any reports on churches or the like from the Italian leg of this journey. I saw them all last year. Ok, maybe not not every church but by Day 7, it sure felt like there was nothing new under the giant, radiating Jesus on the ceiling. My preference for travel is driving around through the countryside enjoying smaller delights, and that’s what you can expect.

But for now, let’s talk food. Polish food. Sort of.

Our first night in Warsaw we were groggy from lack of sleep and stumbling around one of the main shopping/eating districts on Nowy Swiat.  Our first restaurant stop was in a place whose recommending feature was the giant sign that said Beer Hall. Sold! We were led into the very back of what turned out to be a a large, Polish sports bar, featuring such Polish delicacies as the Caesar salad, and onion rings. That was all I needed to see – time to move on.

I insisted that we find some Polish food - but on this main strip, many exotic foreign cuisines are on show. Finally we found a restaurant whose name was Regional Specialties. What could go wrong? Well other than the fact that every dish seemed to feature lashings of sour cream and extra fat, nothing. Steve’s system is not entirely tolerant of those creamy or fatty foods, so off we shuffled, me staring longingly back at sour cream heaven.

At this point, I was starving and gave Steve free rein. And so it came to pass that on our first night in Warsaw, we ate Mexican food.

At Frida’s, they take their namesake seriously and the walls are covered in portraits of Ms. Kahlo. Steve, a fan of Mexican food only, pondered the restaurant’s obsession was with uni-browed Mexican women. I explained. He nodded. Burritos arrived. We spoke of this no more.

The food was good enough – but it was the decor that made it stand out. the walls were covered with all manner of delights:

Even the bathroom was something to see:

But still, we hadn’t eaten Polish food. This was remedied tonight, when we went all of 20 steps away from the door to our apartment to CK Oberza. I’m not going to spoil this with a lot of talk, except to say “pork shank”

Join me tomorrow, for another adventure in Eating My Way Around Europe.  Or as far as I can go until my heart gives out.