Lady Hamilton 2019

GDANSK

Days 19 – 21    Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7^th, 8^th, 9^th June 2019

We love Stare Miasto, the old city, of Gdansk!  This is why they decided to reconstruct the old town.

The buildings are very beautifully restored.    This is Artus Court, which used to be an old merchants’ meeting place and became the seat of the grain exchange.  Neptune’s Fountain in front of Artus’ Court – a popular photo spot.  Apparently the famous Gdansk vodka, Goldwasser, flows once a year in the fountain!

We go to the Museum in the Town Hall, with a tall tower on the top, which we climb up – 300 steps later!  It was really worth it, looking over the old town in all directions and St.Mary’s Church. 

The pictures below show the devastation of the city during WW11.

 

I love the work of this impressionist artist, Ernst Kolbe,  (1876 – 1945).  The artist’s development towards a more expressive style of painting was halted in 1933 due to the National Socialist takeover of power and the ‘cultural policy’ under which novel styles, including expressionism, cubism and surrealism, were deemed degenerate forms of art.

This is the medieval Crane Gate, with two wheels inside turned by men to operate the lifting mechanism. It was used to load and unload goods from ships.  And another view across the river from the Marina.  It’s the symbol of Gdansk.

 

On Saturday we hire a car and travel out of the city to Museum Stutthof, near the coast east of Gdansk.  This was a concentration camp run by the SS.  It was a very sobering and moving experience.  The monument to the dead is a huge commemoration.  The tower is surrounded by barbed wire and there would be no escape from the camp.

 

After that we went to Malbork, recommended by the Cruising Association on ‘Captain’s Mate’, the app we have to tell us what’s to see in all the ports.  It’s an amazingly huge castle – apparently the biggest in the world!    It was originally constructed by the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic religious order of crusaders. Cross a pedestrian bridge to get to the castle then a squall arrived and with it rain.

 

We scurry back to the car and go to a supermarket nearby.  We stock up on provisions for Kaliningrad and buy fuel as well on the way home.  That’s the benefit of having a car!  Normally we have to take rucksacks and lug all the shopping back to the boat.  This time we can park very near the boat and Malcolm takes up the trolley to load up the fuel cans.    

On Sunday, we cross the pedestrian bridge which is open when we arrive

and  then we go to the Museum of WW11 which tells the story of Poland’s part in the war as well as the global picture.   Another magnificent museum showing all aspects of the war from many angles.

Me in front of the Philharmonic Baltic Concert Hall:

Then we stroll through the Old City on our way back to the boat.  We have icecreams (mine is Walnut and Date flavoured, Malcolm’s Coffee), buy a little Polish jug and try to spend our remaining Polish currency in the very small supermarket on the quayside.  We miss the Regatta Prize-giving ceremony at 4pm but last night they were dancing to a live band when we got back from our French restaurant.  Only to remind us of our two years in France!  The food was so yummy! 

Our friendly marina girl attended to all our needs – including the car hire – and she was also running the Regatta as well!  It’s been a real pleasure to be in the heart of the old city of Gdansk, here at the City Marina.   They’ve been very welcoming and helpful.  Tomorrow Kaliningrad and our first taste of Russia!