Gdansk
After a smooth sail from Latvia, the sun continues to shine brightly on National Geographic Endeavour as we sail into Gdansk, Poland. Poland is one of the newest editions to the European Union, and all around we can see changes happening as a new economic security sets up in the country. Road after road is being re-done or newly constructed, new housing developments are rising, and tourism is bustling. But we cannot help but remember how devastated this city was during WWII. Pictures remind us of how the city was reduced to rubble in 1945, but the Polish people have painstakingly and with loving care, rebuilt the city bit by bit, matching it as closely as possible to its former grandeur.
Our morning begins with a visit from ex-president Lech Walesa. A man from humble beginnings, he lost his job for speaking out against the government, and then went on to organize the Solidarity trade union into an official political party. This movement was the catalyst for the fall of communism in Poland, who led the way for the rest of the former Soviet bloc. The ex-Presidents speech was full of history and experiences that few can really comprehend, and he talked about hopes and dreams for the bright future of Poland.
Still mulling over Lech Walesa’s words, we step off the ship eager to explore what Poland is all about. A walking tour of Old town Gdansk leads us across the Green Bridge, through Green Gate, and into a magical city mixed with modern and medieval buildings. Open air cafés are bustling as the temperature hits 80ºF, and many of us looked longingly at children’s ice cream cones as we strolled through the city. Magnificent church towers poked above the buildings and amber shops called our name, mostly succeeding at luring us in.
But a visit to Gdansk would not be complete without a Zodiac tour of the shipyards. Gdansk is an important shipbuilding and repair center in the Baltic, and the shipyard itself is almost 4 miles in length. We passed fully built ships, partly built ships, and ships that could fit 12 Endeavours inside of them. But one of the most impressive and interesting ships was not in the yard but berthed in front of us, a Russian square rig training vessel, which was the sister ship to thePeking (built 1929) of Around Cape Horn fame.
What a fantastic day we have had exploring by bus, foot, and boat, really squeezing all we could out of our visit to Gdansk. Although our adventure through the Baltic must continue, Poland has certainly left a lasting impression upon us, and as we sail slowly away we can’t help but say, “I’ll be back.”
After a smooth sail from Latvia, the sun continues to shine brightly on National Geographic Endeavour as we sail into Gdansk, Poland. Poland is one of the newest editions to the European Union, and all around we can see changes happening as a new economic security sets up in the country. Road after road is being re-done or newly constructed, new housing developments are rising, and tourism is bustling. But we cannot help but remember how devastated this city was during WWII. Pictures remind us of how the city was reduced to rubble in 1945, but the Polish people have painstakingly and with loving care, rebuilt the city bit by bit, matching it as closely as possible to its former grandeur.
Our morning begins with a visit from ex-president Lech Walesa. A man from humble beginnings, he lost his job for speaking out against the government, and then went on to organize the Solidarity trade union into an official political party. This movement was the catalyst for the fall of communism in Poland, who led the way for the rest of the former Soviet bloc. The ex-Presidents speech was full of history and experiences that few can really comprehend, and he talked about hopes and dreams for the bright future of Poland.
Still mulling over Lech Walesa’s words, we step off the ship eager to explore what Poland is all about. A walking tour of Old town Gdansk leads us across the Green Bridge, through Green Gate, and into a magical city mixed with modern and medieval buildings. Open air cafés are bustling as the temperature hits 80ºF, and many of us looked longingly at children’s ice cream cones as we strolled through the city. Magnificent church towers poked above the buildings and amber shops called our name, mostly succeeding at luring us in.
But a visit to Gdansk would not be complete without a Zodiac tour of the shipyards. Gdansk is an important shipbuilding and repair center in the Baltic, and the shipyard itself is almost 4 miles in length. We passed fully built ships, partly built ships, and ships that could fit 12 Endeavours inside of them. But one of the most impressive and interesting ships was not in the yard but berthed in front of us, a Russian square rig training vessel, which was the sister ship to thePeking (built 1929) of Around Cape Horn fame.
What a fantastic day we have had exploring by bus, foot, and boat, really squeezing all we could out of our visit to Gdansk. Although our adventure through the Baltic must continue, Poland has certainly left a lasting impression upon us, and as we sail slowly away we can’t help but say, “I’ll be back.”
