My impression of Warsaw is that it is really grey, gritty and dirty. Maybe it's the melting snow, which leaves everywhere really muddy. And the mist. It is so foggy that you can only see a few hundred meters ahead, and everything seems to fade into the same grey expanse. There are street side stalls selling what appears to be fake DVDs and stalls selling gloves and scarves and hats, designs of which would not feel out of place if found in China. In fact, for some reason, being here makes me feel like I'm back in China.

Today, Wilson and I tried to visit the Palace of Science and Culture, which is this monstrous building (30 floors and thousands of rooms) in the town centre built by the Russians several decades ago as a gift for the Polish people (it was meant to show off Russian influence in Poland). We were expecting a museum and some cultural exhibits, but having walked by all four sides, we could not find anything of the sort (now that I think of it, there actually were technology and biology museums), so we gave up and instead tried out the ice skating rink which was set up in front of the Palace. Great fun, if it weren't for this group of horrible kids who decided to pick on us innocent people by tripping us when we tried to skate. I was pushed in the back of the knee and fell over at least twice. I feel like a complaining old man.

Then we set off to look for Blue City the first large shopping complex in Poland. We started walking there, and after over an hour of braving the cold and asking directions and hopping on and off a bus. It turned out that we could have taken a 10 min bus... anyway, had a nice time walking around. The prices here for foreign brands like Diesel and Lee are actually quite expensive, we discovered, probably same as in London. If you want to go shopping, America is still the best place I guess...

The hostel we are staying in - Oki Doki Hostel, is really great. It is right in the middle of town - a minute or two away from the shops in town and a few minutes away from the Old Town. The rooms are all designed in a particular theme by different art students. Our room used, some round, flat metal objects and, interestingly, support systems from old mattresses as art pieces. Really cool. And this for just over 15 pounds a night.