What a great time we’ve had in Gdansk, Poland. Our apartment has been extra nice – very upmarket, beautifully renovated. It’s on the first floor of an old terraced building on Mariacka St – near everything in the Gdansk Old Town. The street is quaint – old cobblestones, lots of terraced houses. People tend to live on the upper floors but the bottom floors and basements are used for a variety of other reasons – the odd cafe or restaurant, a local artists gallery, shops selling jewelry made from local amber fossil resin. Very distinctive. Very beautiful. Lots of the shop owners set up stalls outside in the street – hopefully to catch the passing trade. Mariacka St is pedestrians only – lots of people wandering along checking things out. Extra stalls are also put on raised patio areas – they are like little walled terraces extending out from the buildings – with steps down to the street. The photos will give a better picture. These patios were originally built by wealthy homeowner/merchants to impress the neighbours and passersby. They would dine outside on of a summers evening – showing off all the expensive food they could afford. I love all these little bits of extra information – really adds to the feel of the place!
Mariacka is not a long street. At one end is the impressive Bazylika Mariacka (St Mary’s Basilica), at the other end is Brama Mariacka (St Mary’s Gate). The Old Town has many of its original gates – ours leads onto the cobblestone walkway that follows the nearby Motlawa River. Heaps of restaurants along the river – lots of museums and points of interest. Our little apartment is just a couple of streets away from Dlugi Targ – the main square in the Old Town. So beautiful – the medieval buildings surrounding the square and along Dlugi St have so much character – lots are covered with colourful artwork and ornate mouldings. Quite delicate and elegant. It’s lovely to to walk along and just take it all in. Lots more cafes and restaurants to choose from. Also lots of important Gdansk historical landmarks to check out – the Ratusz Glownego Miasta (Town Hall), the famous Fontanna Neptuna (Neptune’s Fountain). We managed a quick visit to Uphagen House – in Dlugu St. Very lush Bourgeois interiors – heavy wallpapers, painted mouldings and friezes. Interesting to see the heavy tiled radiators that once heated the rooms. Many other nearby streets have also been worth a visit – all full of restaurants and bars, hostels, hotels and other accommodation. More cobblestones and beautiful buildings. A bit repetitive I know – not a lot I can do about it!
We spent half a day visiting the World War Two Museum – a very modern museum walking distance from the Old Town. It’s interior is stark – lots of grey walls – really sets the scene. Amazing displays. Powerful film footage. The museum is primarily concerned with Poland and it’s unique experience during the war. It’s geographical position made it particularly vulnerable – stuck in the middle so to speak. Russia on one side – Germany on the other. But there’s heaps of information on other countries, especially the political maneuvering and objectives before the war. I learn’t heaps. There’s also rooms full of displays of weapons, transport and equipment – guns, tanks, planes, uniforms, supplies etc. Also lots of information about the horrible suffering of the many millions of soldiers, prisioners of war, and civilians who were used and abused by those in control. Slave labour, concentration camps. Personal testimonies from every point of view and experience. The thinking of the abusers, how they justified their actions……not sure what to say really. It was all very moving, very sad! We just walked through the sections about the end of the war and the post war era – our brains had kicked into overload. You need a least a day to do the museum justice.
Catching the train to Wroclaw in the morning. Visited another Gdansk restaurant tonight – we’ve tried to visit as many as we can. Tough job!!
Love Di and Reg
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