One of my favorite hobbies is traveling. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the world and sharing these adventures with my husband and family. It has been a while since we have traveled due to living in Colorado for the last two years, so when we had a four-day weekend, we took advantage of it and made some plans. Our first trip was to Gdanśk, Poland (known as Danzig in America.) . Poland is a true gem of a country, and I was happy to be headed back there. And for a quaint town on the water, it sure has a lot to show for itself!
The downtown old town is your typical old, cobblestone-streeted town full of spires and culture. Winding through the streets is always the best way to get to know a new place, so that was exactly what we did the first day. The town is on the Baltic Sea and one of the tributaries flows directly past The Gdanśk Crane - which is a black wooden beast of architecture and you cannot miss it. It is no longer a working crane, but is an incredible sight. The contrast of the dark wood against the orange brick and colorful houses is visually stunning. There is a museum within the structure, but we chose not to do it.
I love photographing strangers when I travel - locals, of course. They live life so normally in the town we have chosen to vacation, and I am always enamored with their version of daily life. Sometimes it is the scene, the person or the light that inspires me to photograph them.
Produce placed perfectly in the downtown. This is so different from how we would have things displayed in America and I thought it was very European.
Basilica of St. Mary in the center of Gdanśk is a beautiful site and the largest brick church in the world. The inside was under construction while we were there, but I still enjoyed the views. The walls are a gorgeous white and the stain glass and light fixtures add such depth to the indoor scape. If you have the lungs for it, you can walk up the 409 stairs to the top of the tower for birds eye views of the town. (I did not make the trek because our son is afraid of heights, so we stayed on the ground floor and let the other three walk up.)
Day two of our holiday was dedicated to Westerplatte, which was the starting place of WWII. (I had no idea about this fact until we arrived.) The entire area is a memorial for the war and those that died. We were also able to visit the exact spot where the first battle took place, and though chilling and sad, it was pretty incredible to set foot on the land and walk in the ruins of the building. A piece of the structure, which is not original, forms a cross which I am sure is comforting for the family members that lost loved ones there.
Above and below are image of the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 (erected and unveiled to the Lenin Shipyard) during the events of 1970. It represents the victims of communism and is beautifully designed by Bogdan Pietruszka, Wieslaw Szyślak, Wojceich Mokwiński and Jacek Krenz. When you look at the sculpted people, you can almost feel the pain communism caused the people. The monument shares space with the European Solidarity Centre which is a museum and library. It was a beautiful fall day outside the day we visited the area, so we chose to stick to the outdoors at this location and headed to the WWII Museum a few kilometers away. I don’t have any photos of the museum, but it was incredibly well done and is huge. You can devote an entire day to the museum if you want to. Since we had the kids, we only spent an hour or two there. I highly recommend you visit the WWII Museum of Gdanśk on your visit.
The best part of being in Gdanśk was the feeling of fall. You couldn’t escape the colors of the leaves on the trees or fallen on the ground; the crisp cool air, or cafe culture with fleece blankets and propane heaters everywhere. It was a great little getaway for our family of five over a four day weekend and would be a great destination for a quick couples holiday as well. Poland has a soft spot in my travel heart because of its history, but also because of the people. They are sweet and kind and love their country. The country has been through so much and I am happy to see they are doing okay now. Visit Gdanśk if you can at any time, but if you love a place that is gorgeous in the fall, visit in October.
And below are some photos of our family enjoying everything else the small town on the water has to offer, to prove to you that as long as you love the one(s) your with, you can pretty much enjoy anywhere!
