Dancing with Death in Danzig

We arrived in Poland two days before the 20th anniversary of Solidarnosc and the tri-city was all a-flutter with nationalistic activity. So our boat actually docked in Gdynia, the port town of the tri-city, which consists of Gdynia (industrial town), Sopot (resort town), and Gdansk (historic town). We had to take the bus from the port to the train station and a train from Gdynia to Gdansk, which was a 30-minute ride. The central station in Gdansk is surprisingly beautiful.

Gdansk was completely destroyed in the Second World War and Westerplatte, a naval base a few kilometers away, was the site of the first shot fired (by the Germans of course) in WWII. I visited Westerplatte two years ago, its grim memorial, and curt white sign: Nigdy Wiecej Wojny (Never Again War). Anyway, the old town of Gdansk was rebuilt by the Poles starting in the 1950s by looking at old pictures, plans and drawings. Now, this part of the city is full of vibrant colors, cafés, people, shops, schoolchildren, etc and is truly a great testament to Polish willpower. The Gdansk shipyards are also the site of the Solidarnosc movement led by Lech Walesa in the 1980s, which led to the downfall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Overall, Gdansk is just a thoroughly historic town, with a rich history stretching from 997AD. Jenn and I rambled through the city, ate pizza, climbed St. Mary’s Cathedral (the largest brick church in the world and not as scary as I remember) and then decided to sit down to enjoy some Tyskie at an outdoor café. We left with plenty of time to get back to Gdynia.

I will refrain from making observations on the Poles because my comments are prejudiced.

Soundtrack for the day:

Katarzyna Nosowska- Kokaina
IRA- Troche Wolniej
The Decemberists- The Wanting Comes in Waves, Repaid
Explosions in the Sky- The Birth and Death of the Day
Faunts- Feel Love Thinking Of

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