Our trip had been planned for 3 months, so when the end of July approached... we were ready to travel and explore a new area of Poland!
We traveled our 35 minute flight from Warsaw to Gdańsk on OLT Express Airline - a newly opened discount airline. It was our first time to fly on OLT and little did we know it, but we would soon find out that it would also be our last!
The morning after our arrival in Gdańsk, OLT declared bankruptcy....so all further flights were cancelled, including our return flight on Monday. Luckily we found a flight on LOT Polish Airlines that could fly us home early Monday morning. It would cut one day out of our trip in northern Poland, but we were glad we could at least get a flight home.
We arrived in Gdańsk late Thursday afternoon...arriving at the Lech Wałęsa Airport.
We spent our first afternoon/evening just walking the streets in and around our our hotel...which was very close to the old city centre.
As we came to ul. Długie Pobrzeże next to the Motława River, we noticed the colorful, very tall buildings...which reminded us of a scene from Amsterdam.
We noticed that the architecture had a Dutch influence. The big difference between Amsterdam and Gdańsk though is that in Gdańsk there are not canals in front of the homes and businesses....but it is still quite beautiful.
Our hotel was just off one end of the main streets in Old Town. Gdańsk does not have a town square, but two connected old town streets....Długi Targ (Long Market St.) and Długa (Long St.).
The Main Town Hall tower on ul. Długi Targ....Gdańsk, Poland
This is definitely a tourist city, filled with numerous shops, restaurants and people selling their wares from Poland. There are beautiful buildings, historical buildings, and monuments up and down this very long street. These streets and the surrounding areas are considered the most attractive streets in all of Gdańsk.
Near one end of the street, quite close to our hotel was the Green Gate. It is where Lech Wałęsa has his office.
We looked for places to eat breakfast each morning -because the hotel's breakfast was overpriced- and also lunch and dinner....and found many good restaurants. In the street outside many restaurants are hosts and hostesses who invite passersby to eat there. They were all real people except for the one above. We enjoyed simple dinner and lody (ice cream) on our first night.
Here is the symbol of Gdańsk...the Fountain of Neptune. It was just a bronze statue in 1549 but became a fountain 1633!
I tried to imagine all the people who have passed by the fountain over nearly four centuries, and in the last century or so had their pictures taken here!
Another view of the Main Town Hall...with a beautiful, large clock tower. It was almost completely destroyed during WWII but rebuilt with great care.
We like to find a high point in the cities we visit in order to look out over the city...we climbed the 240+ steps of the winding staircase....
....and once again we were not disappointed in the view below.
Our view of the famous street Długi Targ...looking north from the Main Hall Tower to the Green Gate. Our hotel was at the end of this street and just around the corner to the right.
Looking west, we see St. Mary's Church....believed to be the largest brick church in the world! To understand the size, look at how the 5-story buildings in the foreground are dwarfed by the church. Also...next to the church on the right is a white building....
I zoomed in to get a closer look...it is really not a tiny building....but it looks so small compared to the gigantic church beside it!
Here we look south...from the clock tower towards the Golden Gate...a gateway to the city. This is referred to as "The Royal Way", as it would be the path taken by royal visitors into the city hundreds of years ago.
We left the Main Town Hall...and walked along a few more streets...
looking up at St. Mary's Church....
buying fresh raspberries in Gdańsk...
and seeing so many shops, kiosks, and stands selling amber jewelry!
Amber is often called "Polish gold". It is buried in layers of rock underground, and often washed up on the shores of the Baltic Sea after heavy storms. I have seen amber jewelry before...but never I have seen so much....so many colors and styles in one area!
Another symbol of Gdańsk is the Gdańsk Crane (in the front of the black part of the building above). The crane was a beautiful medieval structure built in the 14th century. It served as both a city gate and a crane to unload cargo from ships and to install masts on sailing vessels. The crane was destroyed in the latter days of World War II, but was rebuilt during the time of reconstruction. Many areas of Gdańsk were destroyed during WWII, much like in Warsaw...but a great rebuilding program was undertaken, and the structures and buildings were rebuilt .
Our first afternoon exploring this historically beautiful city has been great!
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