The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Poland

Prior to arriving at the Port of Gdynia, we decided to book a tour to travel into the historic city of Gdansk. While we generally prefer to travel on our own, the transit to the nearby city was a little complicated. With only a 6 1/2 hour travel window, we didn’t want to miss a train in Gdansk and then miss the departure of our cruise ship.

Gdynia is a young city, founded as a Polish harbor in 1927. Origins for nearby Gdansk go back to the 10th century. Throughout the centuries power went back and forth between Prussian and Hanseatic (German) rule. Due to German control of the country during World War II, and the port and shipbuilding interest in Gdansk, the city was bombed almost into oblivion. 90% of the city was destroyed. Rebuilding following the war began in the early ’50s when the country was under Russian domination. The stark, ugly architecture of the Soviet era is still present in many parts of the city. A small handful of structures in the historic center survived the bombings, but some are still undergoing renovations. Rebuilding in the “old town” started in the 1980s, with architects, historians, and city planners trying to replicate what had existed in the Middle Ages.

Traveling by bus from the cruise port, it took a surprising hour to travel the 15 miles to the center of Gdansk. Throughout the drive, our guide provided us with a detailed history of Poland and the area, but also pointed out countless points of interest along the route. Upon arrival, we followed our guide for the next 90 minutes and then had another hour to explore on our own. We started our walk at the Green Gate (it’s brick and not green at all). At the opposite end of the picturesque, cobblestoned Dluga Street (Main Street) is the Golden Gate built between 1612-1614. Sandwiched in between the gates are dozens of beautiful townhomes and shops with Dutch designs, all but 2 or 3 are totally new structures replicating the originals. In the center is the City Hall featuring a clock visible from many parts in the old town. Other highlights along the street are the Neptune Fountain and the nearby Artus Court where merchants met. While the historic center is accurately rendered and beautiful, it does have a Disney feel to it.

Nearby St. Mary’s Church, built in the 15th century, sustained some damage in the 1940s and is still undergoing renovation, but the structure and the large gold altar were largely intact. As the largest brick, Gothic church in Europe, it will hold up to 25,000 worshipers. La Pieta, in the church, is the oldest in the world, predating the world-renowned version by Michelangelo.

Amber, a fossil resin, is not really a gemstone, but is widely used to create jewelry and is mined and processed in the Baltic region. Dozens of vendors were offering their creations for sale throughout this district. On our exit from the city, we passed the city’s enclosed stadium which is covered in large, amber-colored tiles. The adjacent public transport is topped with the same tiling.

When heading back to the ship, we passed the Gdansk shipyard. At this site in December 1970, dozens of shipyard workers were killed by the military when soldiers fired into the crowd of protesting workers. A monument to the workers killed was erected at the shipyard over a decade later. Gdansk is also known for the start of the Solidarity movement which started in 1980, led by Lech Walesa. We had bypassed his home on the way into the city. Solidarity represented the hope of the Polish people to throw off the cloak of Soviet repression and was the beginning of democracy in the country.

Wawel Cathedral and Castle built in the early 1500s

Arriving in Krakow, we were helped immediately by a local we had met briefly on the train. Calling a taxi for us turned out to be a big help since there were no taxis at the station and even with a call it took 20-30 minutes for a cab to arrive. Through our Polish acquaintance, we were told there was a big funeral in town that was clogging up traffic and causing an issue with the taxis. We were grateful for the kindness of a stranger. Once the cab did arrive our new friend gave him our address and we were on our way. Renting another Airbnb property, we landed in a newly renovated apartment in an older building near the Jewish quarter. With 15-foot ceilings and large windows overlooking a courtyard (for $38/night), we settled in quickly and then went out for dinner at nearby Polakowski's Restaurant. Dinner for both of us with a beverage was only $12. Of course, this was not fine dining, more cafeteria-style, but the menu was traditional Polish and tasty. Rain and lightning the remainder of the evening prevented any exploring.

The following morning, we headed out early to walk around the historic district prior to

At Auschwitz

meeting the driver and guide for a full-day tour. Traveling about 1 1/2 hours outside the city in a van with 10 other visitors, we headed first to Auschwitz for a 3-hour tour, followed by a 2-hour tour at Birkenau. Our guide did a phenomenal job of covering the history and the horrors which had occurred at the death camps. It was overwhelming and difficult to understand how this could have happened on so many different levels. The combined political, social, and financial interests that supported and enabled the Holocaust cannot be comprehended. The Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration and extermination camps murdered more than one million Jews, Gypsies, prisoners of war, and homosexuals. The exact number will never be known since many were killed on arrival and their names were never registered. Visiting the camps was a sobering experience.

Rock-salt altar and statues in Chapel of St. Kinga

The next day, we took another tour. This trip took us to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. First mined in the 13th century, commercial mining was stopped in 1996 due to the low price of salt. But, the mines are now a major tourist attraction, hosting over a million guests each year. Through the centuries the miners have created statues and chapels in the rock salt. The Chapel of St. Kinga being the largest and most elaborate consists of salt crystal chandeliers, sculptures, and bas-relief on the altar and walls. With over 2000 chambers, the "tourist route" provides access to roughly 1% of what is there. Descending hundreds of wooden steps, we climbed down to over 400 feet below the surface. Luckily, an elevator whisked us back upon completion of the tour.

Since the salt mine tour was a half-day excursion, it gave us the remainder of the day to explore the Old Town and visit the Wawel Castle and Cathedral. Unlike Prague, the Krakow historical district is rather small. One serious day of sightseeing could probably cover everything to be visited within the city.

Departing Krakow the next day, we needed to decide on our next stop. With accommodations already set in Amsterdam, we decided to head in that direction and stop in Berlin for a couple of days. Train tickets for that journey could not be purchased online and required a stop by the train station. After a lengthy wait, we were able to secure tickets to Berlin via Warsaw. On our arrival at the station the following morning, we waited over 30 minutes for the attendant on duty to issue tickets for our journey from Berlin to Amsterdam. There was only one other person on duty and the line behind us continued to grow. Without explanation the man trying to get our tickets kept leaving his area, consulting with coworkers and manuals. We had read about the lack of customer service and efficiency in the country as being a holdover from the communist era, and this seemed to be a prime example. Finally, as the time for our train departure neared, we left without the tickets. On our arrival in Berlin, we were able to get the required tickets within a few minutes.