DRIVE
Art star: Kasia Kausa loads paintings by Cezary Poniatowski (left) into the trunk. Old school: The GLA deftly navigates the narrow alleys of Warsaw’s old town.
T
he glittering gateway to the East. And the West, too. Trendy city, hipster capital, rejuvenated boomtown – just a few of the terms used to describe Warsaw these days. In recent years, the Polish capital on the Vistula River has reinvented itself and cast off its former socialist character. “It’s all true,” Kasia Kausa tells us. She has lived here for six years, and through her job has become acquainted with plenty of business people, artists and creatives. The 33-year-old is about to introduce us to her captivating city, and we’re bringing just the vehicle for the rendezvous. The new MercedesBenz GLA is the perfect companion for her urban adventures. Kasia (pronounced “Kascha”) Kausa has a PhD in languages, is mother to a threeyear-old son and works for Photoby, a film and photography agency. Her first reaction upon spotting the GLA from the balcony of her city-centre apartment: “Wow!” She is suddenly in a rush to get downstairs, keen to see the car close up, hop in and get going. “I love the paintwork,” she marvels. “And the black leather seats combined with the red stitching. Very elegant indeed.” The sky’s the limit It’s early in the morning and things are just beginning to stir as we drive down one of the city’s posh boulevards. In many of Warsaw’s districts, the ongoing transformation of the city is clearly discernible, reflected, for example, in the joie de vivre with which its citizens are driving change. “Let’s begin by getting an overview of the place,” suggests Kasia. Now it’s our turn to marvel as she says, “The view from up here is amazing.” We are at Plac Europejski, gazing up
Spring - Summer 2018
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Mercedes