Blogs from Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland, Europe - page 6

Gdansk, 11-07-2001. Getting in and out of big cities on a bicycle always is a major hassle, not to speak of the effect the hectic admosphere of big cities has on my poor brain after seven days of natural tranquility. Hoping to protect my alraedy hopelessly chaotic and traumatised Dutch raised brain from further damage I take a small cabin on a camp ground just outside town. My cabin is even furnished with what looks like an antiquated mini refridgerator - the lettering on the side telling me it is Russian manufracture. Whatever, I can drink ice-cold beer again during the evening on the small balcony of my cabin. No more polish Pivo - aka catpiss when drunk lukewarm - which the shopowners keep telling me is best drunk when warm... Armed with my aquarelics and ... read more

Gdansk is a very beautiful city with a storied history. Being on the Baltic, this was often where the latter day Vikings and Swedes invaded Poland. As for current affairs, it's got lots of those too. For example, this is where the first shots of the 2nd European war of the 20th century were fired by the German Battleship Schleswig Holstein and also where the Cold War ended, when the solidarity trade union of the Gdansk shipyards started their campaign against the Warsaw Pact government of Poland. Ok ... the beginning of the end of the Cold War. I guess the Cold War ended the day the Berlin Wall came down eh? E..'s family is from this area, and her dad specializes in collecting stamps, notes and coins related to Gdansk, Danzig and Pomerania. The whole ... read more

Stowinski National Park, at Lake Dolgie, 08-07-2001. I'm cycling through essentially rural land, sparsely polpulated with tiny hamlets that have a centuries old feel to it where small eateries were filled with hard bare breaking working class farmers quickly finish off tasteless looking food and whose hapless and crude clothes and often dull look in sometimes young but already wrinkled faces due to much time outside on the land, tells me all there's to know about their harsh excistence, about their meagre incomes. I now cycled along the Baltic coast, through a lake area set in massive and age old fine forests. This being a sunday means I get overtaken by old trabants and dented German Volkswagen cars covered in thick layers of dust that make me wonder just how ancient they really are. Big blueish ... read more

Those of you who know me well know that I suffer from a constant need for organisation. Spontaneity is not my strong point and doing nothing is somewhat akin to hell for me. And so the past couple of weeks have been impossibly challenging, and completely rewarding. We've spent the past few days hanging out at my aunt and uncle's farm in Mazury and pretty much enjoying the good life. Once Nemo finished writing his last blog, we took a trip to the lake and while my uncle and Nemo paddled off in a row boat to indulge in a spot of fishing, I went for a most glorious swim in the largest lake in Mazury. Fresh water, shallow and warm and with nothing more dangerous than a rogue killer seagull to threaten me I took ... read more

When we arrived in Gdynia, it was raining heavyly. When I decided to take Ania with me, I made a point to show her how european young people travel. Keeping to this promise, instead of taking a taxi to the centre we walked to the bus stop in the rain, when with a norvegian guy took the city bus to Gdynia train station and later train to Gdansk main station. I don't have to mention that we were the only ones from the whole ferry to do that. In the beginning of the day it rained, despite of this we left luggage, and went to the old town. It was relatively cold but it got better and at the end we saw even sun. Gdansk is one of the oldest city in Poland and one of ... read more