Gdañsk, Poland
Under brilliant blue skies we had a special day exploring this lovely city in Northern Poland. In the morning we had a walking tour of the amazingly restored Old Town. We started at the famous “Green Gate” which is actually a brown brick building but as our local guide said “This is how it is in Poland!” We wandered through the narrow streets and were shown pictures of how this area was completely destroyed at the end of the World War II. It is astonishing to discover that these beautiful old Hanseatic merchant houses were painstakingly restored based on original etchings from 300 to 400 years ago.
We went into Koœcio³ Mariacki, St. Mary’s Church, and the largest brick church in the world. Again this enormous structure was destroyed in the War and it took over thirty years to restore it brick by brick. You felt like a tiny ant wandering around, discovering the remains of old fresco’s on the wall and learning about the astronomical clock built in the 15th Century.
The last part of the walking tour was along the Royal Way past the town hall and we learned about the legend of the Neptune Fountain. It is said that the special Goldwasser, local gold flecked vodka, came shooting out of Neptune’s trident one merry night long ago and is still a specialty of the area today.
In the early evening, the highlight of the day was when Polish ex-President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lech Waleºa spoke to us in the Lounge. He told us a bit about the history of the Solidarity movement and his work when he was President. He graciously answered our questions with his famous charm and good humor. At the end, he asked us to always believe in the impossible, and it was an incredible opportunity to meet a man who helped change the world.
