Warsaw and Tri-Cities

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When you check into your hostel and meet your fellow travellers, there are the usual conversation starters such as - name, country of origin, where have you been, how long been travelling for, etc etc etc. For something different, some random dude (from Melbourne of all places) told me that if I smelled something funny it was likely to be the new shampoo he was using as he had contracted some fungus infection. Whoaaa man, too much information; I was totally speechless. Anyway, onto the blog.

Left lovely Krakow and headed to Warsaw for a day. A lot of Poles I've met do not rate their capital at all and told me to bypass it. I figured it couldn't be that bad. Now I have visited it, I have to agree with their observation. Only highlight was spotting Rudy Guiliani near the main square. The inter-city trains are nice though - you get a free tea/coffee and a ginger bikkie.

Onwards to the Tri-Cities of Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia, which are located on the Baltic Sea. This area could best be described as a summer resort for Germans and Poles. It's main claim to fame was that the Gdansk Shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarity Movement led by Lech Walesa in the 1980's. Poland's victory in early 1989 provided the impetus for other Eastern Bloc nations to also break away from Mother Russia. Nice place to chill out.

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Photos

Answered prayers
Lech Walesa leading activists in prayer. Pope John Paul II is credited with providing the impetus for the birth of Solidarity.

Gdansk main square
Neptune's Fountain in the foreground.

Dar Pomorza
1909 sailboat docked at Gdynia pier

Sopot pier
Longest wooden pier in Europe which stretches 512 metres into the Baltic Sea

Baltic sunbaking
Had to be only 10 degrees, excluding the wind chill factor

Where is everybody?
Warsaw main square on Monday arvo

Polish grub
The Polish version of the counter lunch with pork chops, beetroot salad and mash