Mile 24: Parading through Polska!

Gdansk, Poland (or Polska, as the locals call it) was the second port on our whirlwind tour of Europe. We had two really lovely days there and the weather cooperated beautifully – brilliant blue skies and not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Unfortunately, I had fallen sick with the cold that was circulating on the ship, but I vowed not to let that stop me! When some friends were heading out, I packed Kleenex and joined in. On the first day, a group of us – Jess, Mike, Katie, Lisa and Candace - traveled to the seaside town of Sopot by train.

We passed the main city center to find a Lithuanian music festival happening that weekend (such luck!). Vendors were selling snacks, homemade crafts and home décor items. Along side the vender tents, a stage was set up for musicians to play that evening – we vowed to return! The train station in Gdansk was easy to find (although it was a long walk) and after buying tickets, we traveled 20 minutes to Sopot. The town is a popular tourist spot for eastern Europeans because of its warm sandy beaches, long iconic pier and beautiful hotels. We walked into the main square and passed by lots of souvenir shops, restaurants and donut shops (a must in Poland, by the way!). We stopped for lunch at a really delicious vegetarian restaurant that Katie found (since she is vegan) and I had the tastiest vegetarian pierogies. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a taste of this Polish delicacy because most pieorgies have meat in them. They were velvety soft pillows of fried dough filled with vegetables and doused in a light yogurt sauce. Oh yum!

Some of our other friends were planning to bike to Sopot instead of riding the train so we contacted them once they arrived and all shared a beer together. We were desperately trying to figure out how to say “cheers” in Polish but we couldn’t get anyone to tell us so we reverted back to the Russian for cheers, Nostrovia (which quickly became “Nova Scotia” after a few beers!). We hopped next door to the donut place for dessert and I had devoured more fried dough, this time filled with apple-pie filling! So good. Some of us stopped to buy magnets and postcards while others went into the drug store to stock up on supplies we forgot. It felt really nice to not be on a tour in Poland because I had spent so much time on buses being guided through STP. My new friends had the same travel style as I did – go where you want, stop where you want, but aim to explore all.

 We headed to the beach next and the ocean air was cool but the sunshine kept us comfortable. A few of us dipped our feet in the water while others went to see the beautiful Grand Hotel up close – the manicured gardens were divine. Lisa and I immediately thought the hotel resembled the one in The Grand Budapest Hotel movie. Then, we walked some more, in no particular direction. It was nice to just get a feel for the town and see how people vacationed in this part of the world. This town was a perfectly good place to spend a quiet afternoon meandering about with no agenda.

Folks sat in outdoor coffee shops for hours sipping on lattes and people watching. But, since Poland is a very homogenous country and about 97% of population is of Polish origin, Sopot looked like it was filled with multi-cultured tourists, where were the locals? We walked outside of the main center and found quiet little fruit stands and private homes filled with flower baskets on the outside (we walked and walked and walked for hours and I hit a record high on my pedometer – 24k steps!) We had learned about the history of the war in Poland, but I didn’t see any evidence of war-time or war-monuments while there.  

On the way back from Sopot, we made plans to have dinner in Gdansk and stop by the music festival. Dinner was at a quiet place called XO where Polish and Italian food was on the menu. I ordered a “Bio-pizza” with arugula and tomatoes. Let’s just say the Polish don’t make pizza like the Italians do. Instead of a bread crust, my “Pizza” toppings sat on a very large and thick potato cake. I ate less than half of it. My friends had similar issues with potatoes – they were so overwhelming the center of their dishes that none of us could finish our dinner. This country really loved its potatoes. They also love their salt. Bleh.

The next morning, the librarian, Catherine, and I wandered through the marketed main square in Gdansk, passing by souvenir ships, cafes with outdoor seating and old churches with tall spires. The faces of the buildings were particularly interesting because they were all colored with different pastel hues with multiple shapes on their roofs (squares, curved, triangle). The town had been reconstructed after WWII because the Germans and Soviets bombed so much of it. The buildings in the center of town are all replicas of a time gone by.

First we went into St. Mary’s church, the oldest brick church in Europe. The inside of this Roman Catholic Church had beautiful stain-glassed windows but seemed very modern compared the ones I had seen in STP. Next, we made our way to the top of Town Hall in Gdansk (some 100+ steps) to take in the panoramic views – beautiful. From the top, the city looked less uniform since the city center area did not seem to resemble the outskirts of town. It was like the city center buildings were purposefully constructed to meet tourist expectations of Poland but the rest of the city didn’t follow suit. 

After seeing Town Hall, Catherine and I poked our heads into some of the shops and buildings in the main square. I was a little surprised to find that most of the insides of the buildings did not match the Polish architecture on the outside. Instead, they resembled office spaces or modern restaurants one would find in the US. After grabbing coffee, I headed back to the ship to get some rest (the cold was still lingering!). I got to thinking about my Polish experience and the word that comes to mind for the country is Façade. While the city is still aiming to rebuild itself from the inside, the outsides of it appear to be very pleasant and beautiful. However, the people, I imagine, are still very heavily influenced by the war and its destruction. Nevertheless, I am very glad I got to spend some time getting to know the country.