The Beach At Sodot
It surprised me that the sea-front at Sodot had such an amazing beach.
C would have loved to go swimming there. The sea must have been a bit cold, as I didn’t see one hardy soul venturing in.
The Gdansk Shipyard
You can’t avoid the shipyard in Gdansk, as the cranes are a massive presence over the city, which I had seen as I took the train in from Sodot. After walking the city centre, I took a tram to see the memorial at the shipyard to 42 or more workers killed in 1970.
Everybody should visit the birthplace of Solidarity and one of those iconic places that mark the start of the downfall of the First Soviet Empire. It might make us more wary about what is happening on Russia’s borders today.
Walking Back To Gdansk Station
After lunch at Kubicki and seeing the monument to the defence of the Post Office, I meandered back to the station.
I probably spent about four hours walking in a circle and in the wonderful weather, it was one of the best city walks I’ve had for some time.
As the pictures show, it wasn’t exactly busy and that’s the way most of us like it.
The Defence Of The Polish Post Office In Gdansk
Like most from Britain, my knowledge of the incidents at the start of the Second World War is limited.
I’d never heard the story of the Defence of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk.
The story and the defenders are commemorated with this monument. It reportedly shows the last defender handing his rifle to Nike; the goddess of victory.
Lunch In Kubicki, Gdansk
My guidebook said Kubicki was a good restaurant.
It was! And I didn’t have to worry about the gluten-free or the prices. My meal cost me just £17.70 for a salad starter, the exquisite fish and a large glass of reasonable wine.
As with Kubicki, most restaurants in Poland seem to have at least one member of staff, who understands the importance of gluten-free food to some people.
As the other restaurant I saw, Goldwasser, has good recommendations on the Internet, I would suspect that anybody with a food allergy; serious or just preference, will not have trouble with food in Gdansk.
Zuraw – The Gdansk Crane
This medieval crane is nothing like anything I’ve seen before. It was used to unload ships on the quayside.
Strangely, I couldn’t find a Wikipedia article in English. But Lonely Planet has a good article here.
Along The Gdansk Waterfront
I then walked up the waterfront.
It is a plesant walk and there are a lot of places to spend time.
Around The Centre Of Gdansk
I took these pictures as I walked around the centre of Gdansk.
As the streets are not big enough for tourist buses, Gdansk uses golf buggies. As it is such an obvious idea, why haven’t I seen it done before.
The centre has a sScandinavian feel about it. But then it was one of the cities in the Hanseatic League.
The Gdansk Trams
I used the Gdansk trams to get about the city, buying a daily ticket for a few zlotis. The daily ticket incidentally cost me just £2.36 according to my credit card statement.
I did play a bit of musical trams, where yoiu get on one and then get off at a promising site, before repeating the process to get srpound the city.
The Kindertransport Sculpture At Gdansk Station
I hadn’t expected to find this in Gdansk, but when I saw this, I knew exactly what it commemorated, as I pass the other statues at Liverpool Street station regularly.
There’s more about the Kindertransport sculptures here.
For some reason, I didn’t take a lot of pictures. You can never take too many!
Writing this blog with hindsight, my route home from Gdansk could have followed the route of the Kindertrannsport, which is marked by the moving statues. The two I missed are in Berlin and at the Hook of Holland. I actually went very near the one in Berlin, but I didn’t know it was there.
The Anonymous Widower 