Gdańsk

BOU AVENUE
Gdańsk

Zosia Zgolak and I spent two days--20-21 August 2023--touring Gdańsk, Poland. Acting as our hosts and tour guides were Zosia's second cousin, Anna Wymysłowska, and her husband, Ariel Wymysłowski. On our first day, we travelled by train to the nearby city of Gdynia where we visited the local beach before walking south to the adjacent town of Sopot. We then took a train to Gdańsk's Stare Miasto (Old Town) and Główne Miasto (Main City) where the most popular tourist attractions are located. After much walking though, I was feeling rather exhausted, and we thankfully cut short our sight-seeing for the day and returned to Anna's and Ariel's apartment to rest for the remainder of the evening.

	Zosia, Ariel and Anna wait for the next train to downtown Gdańsk en route to the neighbouring city of Gdynia.
	Zosia, Anna and Sonny stand beside the beach front promenade at Gdynia. Behind them is Molo (Pier) Orłowo.
	Ariel and Anna had some of their wedding photos taken on Molo Orłowo six years earlier almost to the day (19 August 2017).
	Sonny, Zosia, Ariel and Anna take a selfie at the top of some bluffs overlooking Molo Orłowo and Zatoka Gdańska (Gulf of Gdańsk).
	After waiting out a sudden rainstorm in the town of Sopot, Ariel, Anna, Zosia and Sonny dry themselves out by having lunch at Masala, an East Indian restaurant.
	At the back of Kościół św. Katarzyny (St. Catherine's Church) in Gdańsk are stairs that descend to what appears to be an excavation of an old crypt.
	Anna, Ariel and Zosia stand in the middle of Ulica Długa (Long Street) in the heart of Gdańsk. The distinctive building at the end of the street is Wieża Więzienna (Prison Tower) which dates back to the 14th Century.

On the morning of the second day, Zosia, Anna, Ariel and I once again travelled by train to Główne Miasto. This time, Ariel booked us a ride on a boat to sail down the river, Martwa Wisła (Dead Vistula), to Westerplatte, the peninsula where Nazi Germany first attacked Poland to begin World War 2. We visited the monument there before returning to Główne Miasto on the same boat. We next climbed the bell tower in Bazylika Mariacka (St. Mary's Basilica) before stopping at a restaurant to enjoy a nice lunch. Our final tour stop was the entrance to the Stocznia Gdańska (Gdańsk Shipyard) which was the birthplace of the famed Solidarność (Solidarity) movement that ultimately led to the collapse of Communism across eastern Europe.

	Ariel, Anna and Zosia wait to board the small white boat at centre for their trip to Westerplatte.
	The boat ride to Westerplatte passes numerous cargo ships and dockyards.
	The Westerplatte Monument is about 25 metres high and was built in 1966 to commemorate the Polish soldiers who defended the peninsula at the outbreak of the Second World War. The Poles held out for seven days against overwhelming German forces before finally surrendering.
	Here is a closer look at the Westerplatte Monument.
	Zosia points to the bell tower of Bazylika Mariacka (St. Mary's Basilica) which is where she is heading.
	Inside the bell tower, the space in the lower staircase is more confined than it looks here. Photo courtesy of Ariel Wymysłowski
	The upper staircase is more open. In total, there are 409 stairs (82 metres) to climb to get to the top.
	Ariel, Anna, Sonny and Zosia pose for a selfie at the top of the bell tower. Behind Anna can be seen the tower for the Main Town Hall. Photo courtesy of Ariel Wymysłowski
	Inside St. Mary's Basilica is this sculpture commemorating the 2779 Polish priests who lost their lives in the Second World War.
	Here is a wide-angle view of the front door and bell tower of St. Mary's Basilica.
	Lunch is served at Restauracja KOS located along Piwna street.
	Sonny touches a fragment of the infamous Berlin Wall on display beside Wały Piastowskie Street.
	Near the entrance to Stocznia Gdańska (Gdańsk Shipyard) is the Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970 (Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970). A government announcement of significant increases in food prices triggered a major protest in northern Poland for about five days in December 1970. The protests were ultimately crushed by the communist regime and resulted in dozens of deaths and several thousand people injured or arrested.

The real highlight of the day was when Zosia and I introduced Anna and Ariel to the game of disc golf. Unlike in some neighbouring countries, the sport has been slow to catch on in Poland, but there are nevertheless two courses located in Gdańsk. We played the wooded 14-hole course at Park Jaśkowej Doliny which is actually quite challenging with lots of tight fairways and strenuous elevation changes. Zosia even lost a disc here when she sailed it over a high wall onto private property; we left the disc behind since we were unable to contact the property owner and did not want to risk trespassing. I am unsure if Anna and Ariel enjoyed playing or not, but Zosia and I happily left our discs with them in hopes that they might give the game another try in the future.

I wish to acknowledge both Anna and Ariel for their generous hospitality, their excellent humour, and their wonderful company. Gdańsk was a lot of fun because of them. Dziękuję bardzo, Anna i Ariel!

	Zosia attempts a putt at the disc golf course in Park Jaśkowej Doliny.
	The wooded course is very challenging with tight fairways and strenuous elevation changes.
	Ariel nails this putt.
	Zosia, Anna and Ariel wrap up a long day with beer and pizza.