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Published: June 23rd 2009
Gdansk, Poland - June 15th, 2009 We arrived in Gdansk after a 6 hour train ride from Szczeczin. As usual, we were greeted by heavy rain, and of course, we did not have a hostel reserved. So we set out on a mission to find some lodging. Easier said then done. A lot of the hostels were booked solid because it was a holiday. After wandering around for several hours in the rain we managed to find of all places, a barge on the river which was converted into a hostel. The place was decent, even though the room was about 10'x6', with two bunk beds, which looked more like shelves then actual beds. It was so small that Dan could not even stretch out on the bed, as his feet and head would hit the walls. We stayed there for the first two nights, after which which we booked rooms through a tourist agency that rented out rooms in old granny's houses. A large room with a huge bed for only 110 PLN was luxury for us! Gdansk is a charming seaport city that offers tourists countless restaurants, shopping opportunities and loads of entertainment. One of the evenings
we wandered into the main square at 11pm and noticed a large crowd gathered around some street entertainers. The entertainers were putting on an outstanding performance, and in true Polish fashion offering vodka shots to the crowd! The performance finale was a spectacular fireworks show on the water. Just another evening in Gdansk!
While in Gdansk we also decided to visit Sopot, which is about a 20 minute train ride away. Its a beautiful little beach town with lots of cafes, restaurants, and of course a beach. Finally a day at the beach! Unfortunately it was still quite cold and very windy. After spending an hour on the beach (in our jeans and jackets) we left frustrated because the sand ended up inside everything. None the less, it was still a day at the beach and the first sunny day we have had in a very long time.
The following day we took a two hour ferry from Gdansk to Hel! It was finally sunny and warm so we spent the day exploring the beaches, numerous bunkers, gun emplacements and fortifications. During the opening days of World War II, the Hel Peninsula was the last piece of Polish
soil to fall to the fascist German invaders. These days, it is just another tourist attraction. We would have liked to spend some more time there, but we have already booked our flights to Russia. We fly out of Warsaw, so we are on a train there on Tuesday June 16th... We are looking forward to drinking some Russian vodka with the locals, should be fun!
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Jacqui
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AMAZING!
The sunset and night shots are unreal. I want to display them as artwork in my house!!!!