Exchange in Sweden: Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia (Poland)

For me, thoughts of Poland before this trip did not conjure anything beautiful. My thoughts would hinge on the fact that Poland is a war torn country and simply didn't have time to be artistic. I certainly did not expect beautiful colourful architecture, a finely crafted town hall, expansive beaches, or friendly and generous people. In fact, it was only because of a connecting flight that we stayed in Poland for two days. And the appearance of this story shows that there is something to be told of those two days.

We arrived at night and took a cab to our accommodation. I can't tell you anything about hostels or hotels in Poland, but I can tell you about a great opportunity called CouchSurfing. If you haven't heard of it, it is a great way for like-minded people to meet and share some wealth. It is organized as a website that is in some ways like Facebook; with regards to having a personal profile and chatting to others. However, the main point is to search out people who live in a location one is interested in visiting. By email, an agreement can be made between the local person, or host, and the visitor, or guest. Our particular agreement was between us four: Myself, Nick, Spencer, and Sveta, and a nice lady named Hania. We stayed with Hania for two nights, in which time she provided us with two beds, a shower, tea, and some local recommendations. On the surface, Hania receives nothing more than a crowded apartment (her place consisted of a bedroom, living room / kitchen, and bathroom) but I think there is a mutual gratitude for sharing the experience and an appreciation for some cultural exchange. From my own experience and what I've heard from others, I highly recommend CouchSurfing to anyone with an open mind.

The first morning, by Hania's recommendation, we went to a milk bar. At first I thought of the Korova Milk Bar in Clockwork Orange where milk was served laced with illicit drugs, but this milk bar was just a left over piece of the communist control, serving a local taste of food and price. The full breakfast below of crèpes with yogurt, a bun with cheese, and milk cost about 1 Euro.

Breakfast at the milk bar (photo by Spencer Bridgers)

After a full breakfast, and honestly too much dairy to start the day, we set out to explore the town. The buildings here are what I have in mind when I think of Europe: colourful with intricate designs, and narrow streets barely passable for cars.

Me and Sveta in the main square of Gdansk

Townhall at the end of the colourful buildings. Notice how no building is the same color. Each one is different.

Town hall on the less colourful side.

Buildings along the canal

Canal; otherside

Statue of Poseidon in front of the post office or a museum (can't remember)

Church in the background, 4-lion pride in front of the orange building

At first Spencer could not believe her eyes!

So she got a much closer look.

We didn't notice this building the first time we walked past it. Not the most observant tourists. . .

Check out this door!

Neat-o door

Think that's nice? Lets have a look inside Town Hall.

Fireplace for the Main Room

Ceiling; fireplace is the bottom left corner

Ceiling: left

Ceiling: right

Wall: Right

Artistic Shot by Spencer Bridgers

Secondary fireplace down the hall

Must be important.

There was a section of town hall dedicated to photographs of the devastation from World War 2. Mostly buildings and streets covered in rubble and workers repairing roofs to a backdrop of a city demolished. Gdansk was hit pretty hard during those times and it is really a testament of the Polish people to have rebuilt it so nicely. Still there are some remnants of the war, as seen in the following pictures.

One remaining wall.

Foundations of a deserted bridge

Gdansk in 1945; notice the streets flooding with debris.

Gdansk 1945; notice the widespread destruction.

The black and whites were housed inside this underpass.

I eventually made it through after some reflection on a time I'm glad to have not experienced.

Well, that's basically all of Gdansk. Lets head off to Sopot and Gdynia, to the beach town and port, only 10 minutes away by train.

I can see the train station over the horizon!

SOPOT

There were two cool things in Sopot: the longest pier in Europe (apparently) on the beach, and the Krzywy Domek.

View from the pier looking toward Sopot

View of the beach from the pier.

Underneath

The swans are alright with me :)

The Krzywy Domek is a gathering of some high-end restaurants, shops, and a night club. Upstairs are dental offices, and other professional establishments. Although not typically walk you'd expect from this sort of strip mall.

Krzywy Domek

Hard to believe there's no camera distortion here, just straight architectural genius.

It's a nice preview of what's to come in the story of Barcelona.

Another nice building in Sopot; behind it lies the beach and to the right is a foot path along the coast.

GDYNIA

We were recommended to visit Gdynia by a local in Gdansk. I don't know what this guy was smoking, but that city was bare and quite boring. We decided to wander until we found something, settled on a port. Satisfied that we saw something in Gdynia, it was time to go.

Here's the port.