kit: 2008

2008/12/26

Warsaw and where to go Part 2

‘The Warsaw metro’, is one of Europes newest, reminds us of the New York Subway. One of the coolest stations is probably ‘Plac Wilsona’ in ‘Zoliborz’ district with an oval formed light ceiling reminding of a seashell.
[Warsaw/Zoliborz/Metro Station: Plac Wilsona]

‘Wedel’ is THE Polish Chocolate Companys. The factory started back in 1851 and is working till now. In the middle of the city you can visit the famous ‘Wedel Café’ and try one of their super-tasty hot chocolates. Their menu contains everything you can imagine chocolate being served with, and even more. Ginger-, orange-, cherry-, or even chilly flavoured chocolate. Besides that you can buy cookies, cakes and pralines. In one sentence: ‘Wedel’ is here as big as Hershey’s is in America.
[Warsaw/Srodmiescie/Ulica Szpitalna 8]

‘Fusion’, one of Warsaws probably coolest dealer for Piaggio. It is placed in the centre of the city in a super-small room reminding of a livingroom, just that it contains over 10 Vespas instead of couches. The interior is held white and minimal.
[Warsaw/Srodmiescie/ Ul. Szpitalna 8]

‘Nalesnikarnia’, openes every day from 12:00 am to 08:00 pm and offers home made polish food for low prices in the ‘srodmiescie’ district. You can eat one of their fabulous vegetarian, meat or sweet Pancakes. Standart price for two pieces is around 15 zl (= 3,75€). Between 12:00 am and 05:00 pm you can get a lunch with soup, main dish and salad for just 16 zl (= 4€). [Warsaw/Srodmiescie/Kopernika 25]

‘Motto Café*’ offers young amateur artists to show their work in the café. Paintings, sculptures or photography. You can sit down downstairs or walk up the stairs and sit down in a comfy giant-pillow.
[Warsaw/Srodmiescie/Ordynacka]

‘Lazienki Park’ is a leftover summer residence of the former polish king. The building and the park is now open for everyone and offers a wonderful walk in summertime. On your way you can see squirrels, ducks and peercocks which you can feed and sometimes even touch or pet. The park contains as well the ‘Center of Contemporary Art’.
[Warsaw/Mokotow/Lazienki Park/Aleje Ujazdowskie]

‘Royal Netherlands Embassy’, in front of the ‘Japanese Embassy’, is a building designed by the dutch architect Erick van Egraat. This eye-catching complex features a green steel fence imitating plants and a high structured and minimalistic façade.
[Warsaw/Mokotow/Ulica Kawalerii 10]

Warsaw and where to go Part 1

After arriving in Warsaw, a city full of busy people – searching for their last Christmas presents, we tried to avoid the main streets and areas downtown.
My Sister and Me discovered lots of unique cafés and bars in the ‘Powisle’ district, an area full of students on their way to ‘Warsaw University Library’.

‘Kafka’: a unique café combined with a second-hand bookshop, with tasty cakes and cookies, features interesting interior design and is mostly visited by Varsovian students who are hanging around with friends, or are doing their homework on their macbooks. (like: String Café, Stockholm)
[Warsaw/Powisle/Ulica Obozna 3]

As well the café ‘Czuly Barbarzynca’ in the same district features a bookstore as well with books about art and travel and lots of magazines and gives you the feeling of sitting in an private library. Here you can find among other things the Wallpaper* City Guide and various Moleskine - also my favourite agenda - Books. Free internet access is granted.
[Warszawa/Powisle/Ulica Dobra 31]

Near the River ‘Wisla’ you can find the ‘Warsaw University Library’ a modern building designed by Zbigniew Badowski and Marek Budzynski and completed in 2000. It contains lots of glas and plants reminding of a wintergarden. The colors of the library are kept in natural green, whereas in front of the main entrance a neon pink installation point out. Visitors can enter the huge roof in summertime (damnit) and the hall, but not the library itself.
[Warsaw/Powisle/ Ulica Dobra 56-66]

‘Palace of Culture and Science’, probably the most popular building in Warsaw, accompanied by its 230 m height the skyscrapers which are build around, is an former gift by the Russians after the 2nd World War (1955). Most of the older people associate it with the era of communism and therefore detest it, but for this generation it represents the Polish Capitol like Big Ben London, or the Eifel Tower Paris. It contains a cinema, theatres, museums, a swimming pool and offices.
[Warsaw/Srodmiescie/Plac Defilad 1]

‘Zlote Tarasy’, one of the biggest shopping malls in Europe, contains also an immense glass roof. It is one of numerous malls in Warsaw next to Arcadia, Blue City, Galeria Mokotow and Promenada. To my convenience it contains cool stores like Topshop, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Zara, Mango and various polish shops.
[Warsaw/Srodmiescie/Ulica Zlota 59]

2008/12/20

Regionale 09

Regionale 09 is a current exhibition of 44 local artists working on contemporary art. It's located in of Freiburg's most interesting showroom: Kunstverein Freiburg. This year the assortment contains a high variety of paintings, drawings, photography, video and sculptures.

29/11/08 - 04/01/08

2008/12/19

Wallpaper City Guide Warsaw

While spending my time in Warsaw, the capitol of Poland, I referred to one of my most favourite city guides related to underground locations : The Wallpaper City Guide (Phaidon Press). I made positive experience using this fascinating guide in cities like Basel and Stockholm. I do recommend it for short trips if you are willing to get to know the city from an insider point of view.