Where have you been?

It was kind of strange but I needed to travel all the way to Poland to see the famous Red Rocker Sammy Hagar. I guess he was taking a break from his busy schedule to take in the sights.


Some intricate carvings we found along one of the side streets.


And some more graffiti.

Gdańsk is an important Polish port city so naturally the harbor and ship yards play an important role in everyday life. There is a water bus service from the various beach cities into Gdańsk harbor as well as tourist ships like the galleon shown here.


If tall ships are not your thing there is also the option to hire a self-propelled ducky.


There is also a combination of the amber and ship themes in the form of this scale model of the RMS Queen Mary 2. I don't understand the connection between Gdańsk and this particular ship but it was interesting anyway.

More photos from around old town Gdańsk.

After a brief visit to the Sopot pier we headed into old town Gdańsk. As with other towns in Poland Gdańsk has passed from one set of hands to the next from over the ages. For a long time it was a free city but it has also been German, Prussian, and Russian. It is commonly known (to Germans) as Danzig.


As you can see from these photos it is very beautiful but I was having an off day with my camera. Something weird about sunlight, cloud cover, and the high, red toned walls. Oh well, everyone has an off day.


The city is really beautiful though. It is rumored to be a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage list but has to wait its turn.


The photos here are all of the old town and harbor areas.

We had a very nice Christmas here in Warsaw and I hope all of you had the same where ever you were. We are both really tired, like the two pictured above, so I hope you excuse the slight delay in posting the next batch of photos. This photo shows my mom and nephew resting in our pension in Sopot after a long day walking around the city.

The shipyards were important well before the founding of Solidarność. They had been the setting for peaceful protests against various Communist policies for over ten years before the Solidarity movement. In 1970, for example, there was a protest that was harshly put down by the Communist authorities which resulted in the death of at least 42 people and many, many injuries.



A monument was erected in 1980 to the fallen shipyard workers which was the first monument to Communist victims in a Communist country. Above top you can see three huge crosses for the victims. Above you can see list of some of the fallen. Please notice the age of the victims (listed on the right - "Lat32" for example) range from fifteen to sixty one.


There are markers in several languages explaining whats what about the monument. And of course there is something dedicated to the Solidarity movement (below) because of the prominent role they played in the whole saga.


It is interesting to note that Reagan took office in 1981, after the monument was constructed. It has been humbling for me to live in Europe (especially Poland) for the last four years and learn if not the "true history" at least another, fuller version of it. I don't think my mother or nephew fully understood why we visited the shipyards, in fact I think they thought it was odd considering the other places we visited. Perhaps upon reflection they will begin to grasp the pivotal role Poland has played in shaping modern Europe and appreciate the things they saw all the more.

I defy any Reagan Conservative to tell me who or what Solidarność and Lech Wałęsa are. To my Polish (and in general European) audience this challenge might not make sense but, you see, Americans are taught that not only were American's the reason "we" won WWII but President Reagan was the reason Communism fell. I am sure Nobel Laureate and the first President of a free Poland Lech Wałęsa and his buddies in Solidarność might have something to say about that.


These pictures of Gdańsk Shipyards are where the beginning of the end started. If you click on the Wikipedia link you can see a fabulous photo of people protesting in 1980 just outside the shipyards exactly where I took the top photo.

Sopot's history, like much of history in Poland, is hit and miss with the city changing function and ownership throughout time. It is currently a Spa town and a popular summer resort for both Poles and Germans alike. It is quite small, and, with the exception of the pubs on the main street Monte Cassino and the beach, there is not much to do.



There is a pier, however, which was sort of neat to go look around on. The weather was not so cooperative but the rain was light and the clouds eventually burned off while we were in the more interesting city of Gdańsk.

A few more for good measure. From Toruń we drove to Sopot where we had a lovely apartment waiting for us. We used Sopot as a base to visit two other wonderful UNESCO sites.

Here is a great view of Toruń showing just how classic it is.


And another photo of the Nicolaus Copernicus statue.