Gdansk (aka Danzig)

Hello again! I am writing to you while riding the train from Gdansk to Warsaw.... backwards, that is... my seat faces backwards.

So, let's look back at our time in G'Dansk.

We met up with Falk and Svenni at the Hamburg airport for our flight to Gdansk. It is quick, easy and cheap! Finding our apartment was no problem, groceries acquired and we are ready to explore!

We started our first full day with a free Walkative! tour of the old city including a history lesson beginning in 997AD with a visit by a bishop (the first time Gdansk was mentioned as a town) and ending in 1939 when WW2 started.

Gdansk is sometimes called the "city of beginnings". World War II started here in September 1939 and the Solidarity movement in 1980 which was the beginning of the end of the Iron Curtain and the USSR.

This is the Armory (where they kept their guns, etc)

St. Mary's Basilica.

409 steps to the viewing platform - the views were well worth the climb 

We also saw the interior.

One of the most famous sights is the wooden crane along the waterfront.

The crane is an example of a medieval port crane, dating back to 1367. It has two pair of giant wheels that were moved by workers walking inside the wheel (like big hamsters).

Here you see the crane in the far right of the photo with the flat red roof.

These lower wheels could lift the ship's cargo, up to 4 tons, to 35ft. 

Falk was eager to work the wheel... The addition of the two upper wheels enabled the crane to lift cargo to about 75 ft.

The architecture of the city reveals a strong Flanders influence. The city was 80% destroyed toward the end of WW2. When it was rebuilt they decided to actually rebuild it to reflect the time the city was most beautiful. 

The Gold Gate

The streets were not really as crowded as this looks. Plenty of shops, pubs and restaurants. 

Some of the houses had whimsical tops, like this turtle.

Even the train station is beautiful!

This view from a hill behind the train station helps show how massive St. Mary's church is (on the left). Completed in 1502 it is one of the three largest brick churches in Europe.

We had to try some Polish beer...

... And pierogi (4 different kinds of dumplings to share) all super delicious!

The UEFA Football Championship is happening in Germany right now so we went to the pub to watch the German match against Denmark. (Germany won!!)

On the way back to our place we found Neptune...

You should always check out what are the things to buy when you visit a new place. Amber is a big deal here in Poland, I found a lovely pendant as a souvenir.

St. Bridget church has an Amber altar. But first.... The CRYPT 

This (above) was my favorite room... Mostly because it was nice and cool.

Here is the Amber altar. Amber is a stone originating from resin exuded from tree bark over 40,000 years ago. Gdansk is well known for Amber.

No visit to Gdansk is complete without some discussion of the Solidarity movement. We visited the European Solidarity Center to learn more about these events.

These are the list of demands that were posted as seen here printed on big sheets of plywood... To avoid censorship. In 1980, after several failed attempts at strikes that resulted in deaths on the streets, the workers began an 18 day strike inside the ship yard. Their number 1 demand was that Unions be recognized and it's members free from retribution.

Pope John Paul III visited Poland three times during these times. He was a Polish native, he was a figure that the citizens of Poland could identify with , but was beyond the reach of the Communist regime. Here we see the a"Popemobile". Lech Walesa who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in Solidarity, claims Pope John Paul III was a significant factor in its creation.

Some funny things we have noticed:

The Polish word for "elevators" is "windy" which I shall be using going forward.

The trash cans are labeled, your choices are: GLASS or CONFUSED.

The scientist Fahrenheit was born in G'Dansk. There is a thermometer in one plaza but it is wildly off... Lol.

That's it for now.

Sheri & Carsten

PS. I know it is hot at home but we had a scorcher here yesterday - 96F and no AC. Ugh.

Stay cool people!