The City of Ruins short film is a 3D spectacle which can be viewed in a 24-seater cinema in the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw.  In a previous blog post you can find out more about the museum itself but for now let's just concentrate on the film.  Firstly, you have to buy an extra ticket at the cash desk on top of the museum entrance to enable you to see the film, but it's cheap-costing only 2 zloty extra per person.
     After entering the museum, you have to join the queue for the film in the Liberator Hall (or there is a 2D showing in the Liberator replica plane).  The queue is quite long and you will probably be standing there for about 30 minutes, so allow about 45 minutes extra if you want to see the film.
  The film itself is very short but powerful, shocking and memorable.  You fly over the city at the end of the war seeing nothing but ruins and rubble.  You fly up the river and only one bridge is intact.  Then you fly to presumably the old town, which lies one hundred percent in ruins.  The animation is excellent, although you never really get a sense that it is animation because it is hyper realistic.  The music is also quite fitting, giving a haunting quality.  The only sign of life in the film are a few birds flying low around the rubble.  The statistics at the end of the film tell the grim tale of Warsaw's demise.  Before the war Warsaw had a population of 1.3 million, after the war there were 900,00 (who fled and then came back) but there were 1,000 people living in the ruins themselves immediately after the devastation.

If you are in Warsaw, make the effort to go to the museum and see this film.

The Warsaw Run for 2012 has been and gone.  This is not the Warsaw Marathon, as many people think, but it's over a distance of 10km (6 miles). Just like every year it was well represented, well-organised (although there was a little confusion from some stewards as to where the start line actually was) and ultimately a lot of fun.  It was shown live on the internet via a Polish TV channel streaming it and you could see the remote controlled helicam buzzing overhead , taking some shots.  There were over 10,000 participants and it was  some kind of Polish record.

I got my personal best and I'm looking forward to 2013.  Here's the website for signing up and info https://www.biegnijwarszawo.pl/

Due to the fact we live in Mokotow it's not surprising that this is our local shopping centre.  If luxury is what you want then it's all here.  In fact how some of these shops survive is beyond me.
With mostly Italian designer brands its target audience is people who like to spend, spend, spend.

If you shop around there are some handy retail establishments there.  Kuchnia Swiat has world brands and you can buy marmite and Pop Tarts in one go.  With, of course, free wifi, a Carrefour supermarket, cinema and a host of other features it does, for us, make for a pleasant local shopping experience.  Now undergoing a facelift in the food court area and with super hi-tech touchscreens for the shopper, it seems it is still going places.

Actually it was fish and chips and it was damn good.  With malt vinegar and tartar sauce, it made for a winning meal.  Others said the same about the food and we all agreed it was top nosh and mighty portions.

What was once the London Steakhouse, a dire looking, cheesy grothole has been transformed to something more agreeable.  A fine selection of beer on tap and in bottles including Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen and a few lagers (competitively priced too).

There are a number of TV screens showing the obligatory sport but they are not that much of a distraction.  As Saturday evening rolled on, it really started to get busier, mostly with expats and as the pints were downed and the conversations got louder we ended up having a thoroughly enjoyable night out.  Cheers!

Just had my first taste of bubble tea from the newly opened tea shop underneath the Central Railway Station in Warsaw.  I think I'm hooked on this Tawainese invention- it was delicious!  I had no idea what to expect and the menu might have well been in Greek, luckily though it was in English.  I thought to myself why not jump in at the deep end, take a plunge mate.  So I found a fruit I liked, ordered the green tea to go with it sat down and hey presto - one bubble tea!  The winner for me was the tapioca pearls you get that lie in the bottom of the (plastic) glass.  I'm not going to tell you any more , just suck 'em and see.

Name: Boba Boba
Address:Al.Jerozolimskie 54
Location:Under Warsaw Central Station, Southern Gallery

NOW CLOSED DOWN! THERE IS NO THIRST LEFT FOR BUBBLE TEA HERE ANYMORE.

Here's the google interactive map for Warsaw.  Even though the streets are up-to-date, there is so much work going on that many streets are closed, or have diversions and so on.  Make sure that when you are driving in the city you have a good GPS, map or that you have checked the Warsaw city website for traffic restrictions.  Even for residents of the city it is chaotic and the diversions have mostly been caused by the building of the new underground line, which cuts through the heart of the city.  With Euro 2012 to throw into the mix, the next few weeks should be interesting.  Drivers you have been warned!

Here's a link to the Warsaw transport website (in English) http://www.ztm.waw.pl/aktualnosci.php?i=438&c=100&l=2

The Fanzone at the Palace of Culture is being constructed as we speak and with just over a week to go, it's all in good time.  The biggest Fanzone in Poland, there will be enough room for 100,000 fans and with 5 big screens there should be enough places to watch the matches, sink a few lagers and enjoy a kielbasa (Polish sausage - goes great with beer).

Carlsberg is the dominant alcoholic beverage in the zone, with a number of different beer tents and Coca Cola has a few stalls for the kids.  There will also be Maccy Ds, an Adidas shop, a kids play area and a VIP tent in the zone, with lots of seating and chill out areas (plus a selection of local gastronomical delights).  Nobody knows what to expect and it's now the calm before the storm.  The Fanzone has already been fenced off with the last minute touches being sorted out before the fans arrive.  Get to the Fanzone by coming out of Warsaw's Central Station and head for the Palace of Culture, a few metres away.

Go get in the zone.

I have been experimenting with the different ways of getting WIFI in the city.  One of the best places to go and get free WIFI is in McDonald's.The reason is that you get unlimited free WIFI in each restaurant.  So, while you are sitting there chomping away on your Big Mac, get out your tablet or laptop and hook up to their network.  No password necessary! 
Something new has just sprung up in the centre as well.  It started with a teaser campaign showing that there was WIFI in the centre by the central underground station.  It turns out that it's an ORANGE company campaign and lo and behold there are dishing out free WIFI on an open network right outside the central underground station.  The network gives a strong signal too, let's hope it lasts a while.  Happy surfing!