One Good Feature Of My Hotel
My room in the hotel did have one good feature; a good view of the Palace of Culture and Science.
Note the night time picture. Why was just one light on?
Thinking about it though, was it a good feature, as although Joseph Stalin might have liked this sort of architecture, we can certainly do better today. Unless it comes to The Shard.
Music While You Walk
Several of the pedestrian crossings in Warsaw weren’t zebras but keyboards.
Music While You Walk
Incidentally, it would appear from my experience of Poland, that Polish drivers tend to stop for someone on the crossing.
My Hotel In Warsaw
My hotel in Warsaw wasn’t the best.
My Hotel In Warsaw
It didn’t have any free wi-fi or a PC that I could use pro-gratis for a start. And I couldn’t find an Internet cafe in Warsaw either.
They also said that as I didn’t book breakfast originally, then I would have to have it in my room and couldn’t buy it as an extra in the restaurant. But the room service menu was as gluten-free as the average down-market bread shop. How customer-friendly is that?
With one or two exceptions, the staff weren’t very helpful and it is certainly a hotel or even a hotel group, I will ever use again.
Would I Go Back To Gdansk?
Most certainly!
But next time, I’d make sure that I stayed in the city centre of Gdansk, as although the Haffner was good, it wasn’t near much I wanted to visit.
I’d also go to visit Gdynia as well, as that is just a train ride away.
But above all, Gdansk is such good value.
It should be on everybody’s bucket list.
From Gdansk To Warsaw By Train
It should have been a five hour trip from Gdansk to Warsaw by train, with a change at Kutno.
It is not the most interesting of train rides, with this view being typical.
From Gdansk To Warsaw
But things didn’t quite work out as planned.
The train to Kutno was about half-an-hour late and I missed my connection to Warsaw, despite our train manager saying that they’d hold the Warsaw train.
So you’d think it would just be a matter of getting on the next train.
But it wasn’t, as I needed to get a new ticket issued.
So this delay nearly meant I missed the next train as well.
I should have done what logic said and waited in Gdansk for a few more hours to get the direct train.
As it was I think that I got that train on the last leg anyway.
I also ended up in the wrong statiuon in Warsaw and had to get a metro train for three stops to my hotel.
But still it was an enjoyable trip as I discussed Poland and the UK, using Google translate on my attractive companion’s laptop. Sadly, her battery ran out and there wasn’t a power point.
Next time, I’ll book the direct train.
A Good Day In Gdansk
One of the waitresses in Carluccio’s was right, when she said I should visit Gdansk. It is lovely, there is no language difficulties and I’ve eaten well without any trouble. Even if the waiters don’t know much English, they usually get something nutricious and safe for a coeliac.
Gdansk
The picture was taken yesterday, along the canal that runs through the city and gives a flavour of it. Note the weather.
On a train to Warsaw today.
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.
The Anonymous Widower 