Final Day in Gdansk

Our last full day in Gdansk consisted of kid-friendly museums. There are quite a few options available if you’re traveling here with young children, so we did the logical thing and picked what was open. The National Maritime Museum sounded like a lot of fun, and they have a dedicated childrens room. The museum opened at ten, but we were in no rush and arrived at half past. Tickets to the Crane are also sold here (and oddly, not sold at the Crane at all), so we purchased both as Hubster and I were equally excited about it, especially after our sneak peak during the previous days’ walking tour. We were told that entrance to the kids room in the Maritime Museum was every hour, so we headed downstairs to the coat room to lighten our load (free of charge) before heading back up to the second floor to wait until 11.

I have been frustrated in the past by “childrens areas” that were set up for kids between the ages of four and twelve. It makes traveling with a younger child so much more difficult, especially when you plan something around them and end up being disappointed. That being said, this room was probably aimed at about that age group, but Little Man was two and a half on the trip and found quite a few things to keep him occupied. There was a pool set up in the center of the room with different types of boats for you to navigate, an actual boat for kids to play on, a Lego marina where you could load and unload cargo from trucks onto ships, boats where you needed to balance cargo, and much more. It was very interactive and fun for all three of us.

Little Man balancing cargo

Hubster navigating a ship through the port

After almost an hour, we had exhausted all there was for a toddler to do (LM is not yet of an age to play with the computer exhibits), so, after retrieving our things from the coat room, we walked a few buildings over to check out the infamous Crane. It’s a small, narrow building, and we left our things outside the few lockers near the entrance. The attendant behind the desk mumbled something, but no one asked for our tickets until we had reached the top of the first flight of stairs. I hadn’t really been expecting a museum; I was more interested in seeing the crane mechanisms up close. Little Man had no interest in the piecemeal exhibits, so he and I made short work of them while Hubster read about the different displays.

Model wharf at the Crane Museum

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re asking (repeatedly) “what is this crane you’re talking about?!” (I was particularly confused because all of the official Visit Gdansk stuff uses, what looks to me, like an origami crane – the bird – as their logo.) As Gdansk is a port town, there are port cranes all over so naturally, this is a large, and quite famous, port crane.

View from Gora Gradowa

Nowadays, these cranes are used mostly for building ships, but in days gone by, they were used for loading and unloading cargo. This particular crane was the largest port crane in medieval Europe, allowing four men to lift up to two tons. The crane building dates back to 1367. It burnt down in 1442, but was rebuilt in the two years following. Over the years, it lost its importance as a port crane but continued to serve other purposes. In the late 19th century, the building was occupied by residents and local businesses. The Crane was destroyed in WWII, leaving only 60% of the brick behind. Reconstruction commenced in the 1950’s-60’s bringing us what we see today. There’s your history lesson for today. Now, back to the tour!

There were quite a few rooms to pass through before climbing into the actual crane. These rooms offered information on the various people who worked at the port; dockers, skippers, merchants, and sail and rope makers. On the way up to the crane mechanism, you walk through one side of the building, then continue down on the other.

Model ship at the Crane Museum

I couldn’t figure out how to get a decent picture of the inside of the crane due to the dim lighting, but they did have a model in one of the rooms.

Side view of the model crane

As I couldn’t get a nice picture of the mechanism, I can at least show you how happy I was to see it!

Inside the Crane

Climbing to the top puts you about 27 meters above the ground. This may not give you a great view of the city, but it does provide a wonderful opportunity to wave at passing ships, as well as a lovely view of the harbor.

Harbor view from inside the Crane

Little Man was a trooper climbing up and down all those stairs. (It was narrow inside the Crane and holding hands became tricky.) When we finally made it back down, we decided it was time for lunch. Hubster managed to find a perogi restaurant, and we headed straight there. Swojski Smak was the name of the place, and oh my goodness, it was delicious. We each ordered the sampler platter with four different types of perogi. It was a lot of food, but I have no regrets. For Little Man, I ordered what I think was called a pancake, but it ended up being sweet. At that point, he was too tired to eat, so after two bites, he promptly ignored all food. Oh well, more perogi for me.

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We managed to use up some of our cash when paying here (way more places than I anticipated took cards, so we ended up with much more cash than we needed), and with full tummies, set off for the European Solidarity Center. This truly looks like an amazing museum and I would have loved to explore it. However, the main reason we went was for the indoor play area. As I mentioned in previous posts, it was right about freezing the entire time we were there, so being able to play inside, without all that winter clothing on was nice.

We found the play area and asked to buy tickets, but were told we had to do that at the main ticket desk. We wound our way back through the spacious main level and I was again surprised when we not only had to pay for LM, but also for Hubster and myself. I guess I’ve gotten used to Finland and Hop Lop where you only pay for the child. (Instead of 9 zloti, it was 27 for all three of us.) I was also told that the admission is for one hour, starting at the top of the hour and since it was twenty minutes passed, we would lose out on that time. Oy vey. We went for it anyway, since we didn’t anticipate staying much longer than 40 minutes. (I honestly don’t think they keep track of the time people arrive in the play area, especially since the attendants are not the ones who sell the tickets.)

Anyway, it was a nice place for LM to play. There were large blocks to stack, a ball pit, some slides and tunnels, as well as things for older children. (You can check out their website here.) We were right though, in thinking that we wouldn’t stay for a solid hour. Little Man was tired and so were we, after having been out all day. So, back to the hotel we trudged, where we decided, for the second night in a row, to order room service. I mean, with a spread like this, can you blame us?

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Fun fact: gummy bears are referred to as Haribo in Europe. Little Man really enjoyed those, and we all enjoyed our last evening in Gdansk.

A Historic Boxing Day

The day after Christmas we decided to do a walking tour. This was something that I was rather adamant about for this trip and as most of the museums were still closed until the following day, this worked out perfectly. Walkative is a group that offers free walking tours in a multitude of cities around Poland. Keeping with their support of active tourism, they offered additional tours on Christmas, as well as their regularly scheduled Wednesday tours on Boxing Day. Check out their website here for more information, I highly recommend them.

Having chosen to do the Main Town tour, we left the hotel after a leisurely breakfast to meet our guide just outside the Golden Gate. There were four other people in our group, and, while the day was clear and bright, Little Man had a far from sunny disposition. The tour was fascinating, but Hubster and I only heard about half of it each. Every time we moved to a new location, we’d trade off child duties so one of us could listen while the other attended to our overtired monster. (I’m not sure why he was overtired. The tour started at ten and he woke up about seven. Even the prospect of being outside didn’t seem to help. Just one of those rough days, I guess.)

Anyway, one reason I was super pleased that we did this tour was because the guide pointed things out that I never would have noticed otherwise. Or rather, things I would have noticed and asked endless questions about without ever getting the answers. Take this building, for example:

There’s a long story about the executioners daughter being rejected by her fathers apprentice. She did not take kindly to that and ended up beheading the man herself (wearing the executioners garb, of course, so she could get away with it), which is why the man is carved with no head. The head above him represents rebirth and the Renaissance…or some such. (This is now the Amber Museum.) Just knowing there’s such a legend represented so thoroughly in sculptures is fascinating. I wonder how many people actually know the story.

Heading back to the Golden Gate, this is one of the four statues on top of it. Most homes of the time (1650’s) had a statue on top representing which virtue they wanted to imbue: peace, freedom, wealth, or fame. After the tour, I noticed statues atop many of the buildings along Dlugi Torg. I don’t think I would have craned my neck quite that far if I hadn’t known to look for them, but I must admit, I felt rather smug not only knowing the statues were there, but why.

The next big stop on the tour was Saint Mary’s Basilica. This place is huge. There was no point trying to get a picture of it as you can only see bits of it from the street. It is believed to be the largest all brick church in the world and can hold up to 25,000 people. If you’d like excellent views of Gdansk, you can climb the 405 steps to the top of the 78 meter tour. I cannot, however, vouch for how excellent the views are as we unfortunately did not participate in leg day. I did manage to get a couple snaps inside the church, despite the screaming toddler. (Thank goodness services were already over!)

A glimpse of Saint Mary’s

Carvings inside the church

Astronomical clock dating from 1464

Now, keep in mind, this tour was two and a half hours long (and SO worth it!) and I am terrible at remembering details like names and dates. (Any dates I shared were researched for accuracy before posting this.) Therefore, I’m only hitting the highlights of what I found especially fascinating and can remember. (I seriously pity my history teachers.)

This next building is a former armory and every decorative bit has a meaning. The guide made a point of saying that it was the “glorified aspect of war”, meaning it was designed by the people who pay for the war, not the people fighting it. An interesting perspective. The very top piece is a canon ball exploding. The figures on either side are actually dressed in the uniforms the soldiers wore at that time. The sphinxes in the middle apparently caused quite the scandal because they’re men with mustaches and breasts. According to the designer, the only significant part of these statues were the mustaches. Personally, I think he said that to throw people off.

Former armory building

The two doors leading into the armory were each guarded by two lions. The statues over the left hand door were unexceptional, but the right hand door was a bit more risque.

Even the drainpipes were ornamented with dragon heads at the spout. I forget what they represented, but many other drainpipes in main town Gdansk also had dragon heads, so you could see that the architectural influences reached private homes as well. It was fun to spot these bits of minutiae and recognize the connections.

We touched briefly on The Crane (more about that in my next post) before heading to the Polish Post. That’s a bit of history that I find riveting. The Post was the first defense against the Nazi’s leading up to WWII. The building is still a functioning post office which also houses a small museum. Outside, there is a memorial to the 38 men who were put to death, after being captured and tried by the Nazi’s.

Finger print memorial to the Polish Post

The tour ended there and we happily tipped the guide 20 zloti for the fun and informative morning. Little Man was still awake at this point, so we decided to walk around for a while to see if he would fall asleep. Finally, luck was on our side! (The cobblestone streets probably helped.) Being midday, it was the perfect time for lunch. After debating whether or not to eat somewhere along the waterfront which was bound to be touristy, we went for it as there were options for outdoor seating, even in the near-freezing temperatures. (I’m in love with the heaters that were supplied almost everywhere.)

Our restaurant of choice for lunch

Why did we want to sit outside if it was so cold? Because, as you’ll know if you have a toddler, however he falls asleep is how we will keep him until naptime is over. (Experience has taught us that if LM falls asleep outside, he will wake up the instant we go indoors.) We were all bundled up anyway, so it wasn’t too bad, especially after Hubster and I had ordered hot drinks.

Hot mulled wine, perfect for a warm up

I indulged in two of these delightful concoctions and, if we hadn’t needed to get moving after lunch, could have gone for a third. (Until I stood up and realized they were stronger than I’d first realized.) Needing to “walk it off”, we strolled leisurely along the waterfront, crossed over to Granary Island, and looped back to the hotel.

The gorgeous Gdansk waterfront

After returning to the hotel, we came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to venture back out for dinner. We were all tired from a full day and Hubster had the brilliant idea to order room service. This sounded like pure luxury to me, and the perfect ending to an exhausting day. And let me tell you, it was.

 

 

 

Christmas in Gdansk

Christmas morning arrived at a decent hour in Gdansk, something I know a lot of parents of toddlers would envy. We all managed to sleep through the night and woke well-rested and ready for breakfast. Upon opening the door to go downstairs, we were greeted with a box of Lindor truffles, a Christmas gift from the hotel. (This may very well have spoiled me for anything less than five star accommodations.)

The breakfast buffet was included in the price of the room (something non-Europeans should take note of; it’s very common in Europe to not include breakfast, so it’s worth checking to see if it’s cheaper when included versus purchased separately). I love breakfast and I especially love European breakfast buffets. There was the standard bacon, sausage, croissants, bread, poached and soft boiled eggs, cold meats and cheese, smoked salmon, fried mushrooms, and some sort of potato casserole. They had an assortment of juices which included black current, orange, and grapefruit. Apple juice was the most popular; every restaurant we went to automatically offered apple juice for Little Man. I particularly enjoyed the coffee machine because I could make lattes and Little Man could partake of his standard cup of steamed milk. (He really likes the foam.)

In addition to the buffet, there was also a menu you could order from which listed omelets, eggs, and pancakes. Hellooooo, pancakes! I cannot describe my excitement when I read that. Granted, I was envisioning pancakes similar to those from IHOP. I may have been wrong, but I was not disappointed. These were thinner, like crepes, folded into quarters, and doughy in the center. LM, clearly my child, ate one and a half of these delicious concoctions. Between those and the plate full of cantaloupe, he consumed nearly as much food as I did.

With our stomachs full, we returned to the room to retrieve our coats (it was right around freezing the whole time we were there), then made our way to the waterfront as we walked to one of my must-dos on this trip: the Amber Sky Ferris wheel. This beauty is 50 meters tall and boasts 36 enclosed cabins which are air conditioned in the warmer months. (There’s also a window you can open to help prevent the glass from fogging when it’s cold outside.) It costs 28 zloti per person, which is a little under 7 euro, and children under 3 years are free. (Those under 1.4 meters in height ride for 18 zl.) The VIP booth is a bit more costly at 250 zloti (about 63 euros), but provides lounge chairs, a glass floor, champagne, and a 30 minute ride instead of the standard 15. Each cabin holds eight people, so if you’re splitting the cost, it wouldn’t break the bank. (For all the info, this is the best website I’ve found.)

Amber Sky Ferris Wheel

Now, I’m sure on a clear day the views would be stunning. Our luck, however, did not extend to the weather as it was a dull, overcast day. The ride was still fun (slightly terrifying at first; I always seem to forget that when I get up, I’m scared of heights), and every time we came back down, Little Man said, “again!”

Hazy views from Amber Sky

After our exhilarating circuit, we had to wait a few minutes for the draw bridge to be lowered before we could cross back onto the mainland. (Amber Sky is located on Granary Island, which doesn’t really seem like an island, but can be tricky when you need to get on or off of it.)

The ship that caused the drawbridge to be raised

From there, we navigated our way to Gora Gradowa, a hill also known for it’s views of Gdansk. Seeing as it was cloudy, I should’ve known the views would be mediocre, at best. Being Christmas, the museum located there was also closed, so really, we hiked 15 minutes uphill in the snow (while also pushing a pram weighed down by a sleeping toddler), for a poor view of a nondescript skyline. (Okay, once I took the pictures, I realized that it wasn’t nondescript at all, but rather cool.)

Obviously, all this walking had worked up our appetites, so we headed toward a cafe we’d passed a few times, right inside Old Town. Our route took us by the Christmas Market again, and as there were quite a few people there, we decided to change course and see what we could find at the stalls. I’m glad we did. We ended up with a chicken and vegetable dish (listed as “chicken and vegetables in a delicious sauce”), and a bratwurst. Hubster stopped by the beer stall next door and ordered a mulled beer. We sat in the tent erected behind the stall, which was peppered with heat lamps, to stay out of the wind. LM became antsy not long after we stopped moving, prompting us to desire a break in the hotel so we could all relax. (It’s nice to not be bundled in winter clothes the entire vacation.) Once there, we didn’t want to move too much, so LM played with his toys while Hubster and I put our feet up.

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. We had made a reservation in advance at another hotel’s restaurant, not knowing what our options would be. (Turns out, our hotel offered a buffet dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We happily ate there the previous evening.) Brovarnia Gdansk was the restaurant of choice for Christmas, and it was quite lovely.

One of the best things about being in Poland was the pierogis. We decided on those for an appetizer and, for the main course, I had duck served with red cabbage, Hubster had borscht and honeyed pork served with potatoes and sauerkraut, and LM basically had a plate of French fries as he had zero interest in the chicken breast that came with them. To drink, we partook of hot wine, mulled beer, and apple juice, respectively. Live music was playing softly and the place was full of other families with small children. (Full, but not loud and obnoxious.) It was a wonderful atmosphere in which to enjoy our Christmas dinner abroad.

Little Man enjoying his fries

Now, as Christmas is usually spent with family, but we were half a world away from ours, I wanted to give a shout out to my mama, who sent us a lovely care package before we left. Not only did she find one of the prettiest cards I’ve ever seen, but she stuffed that box full of all the things expats miss from “home”. Namely, a huge jar of peanut butter and a knitting magazine I can actually read. I’m also a big fan of those adorable world map wine glasses. Although homesickness has been much less this year, it always hits me around this time, so care packages definitely help. Thanks, Mom!

Best care package of 2018

How did you spend your Christmas? Stay posted and I’ll tell you how we spent Boxing Day!

 

Getting to Gdansk

Having caught the 7 am flight from Helsinki to Amsterdam a few too many times, we’ve since wised up and booked a hotel near the airport the night before our 7:45 flight to Gdansk, Poland. (It being Christmas Eve and therefore having limited public transit options available, we decided sleep and sanity were a priority.) This gave us all day Sunday to pack and prepare for the trip.

We arrived at the Scandic hotel (Hubster actually had enough points to pay for the room!) a little before 8 pm. The plan was to keep Little Man up later than usual so he would sleep well, but since he hadn’t napped, that plan went right down the drain. We got hardly any sleep, and any sanity we had was pushed to the limit when he woke up at 2:30 and refused to go back to sleep. Three hours later, we got up (as in turned on the lights and got out of bed, it’s not like we’d actually slept) so we could grab some breakfast before catching the shuttle to the airport. After that, things were easy. We had an hour until our flight, security was a ten minute wait, and we didn’t check any bags. (Little Man was a whole passenger this time, so he was allowed a carry on bag as well as a personal item. Yes, we were those people walking onto the plane with six pieces of luggage. Granted, one was a bag of diapers, but still.) The prop plane took an hour and 40 minutes to fly to Gdansk, and it was smooth and surprisingly comfortable. (I’m not ashamed to admit that Little Man watched Twirlywoos on the tablet for most of the flight. Keeping an overtired toddler happy and still for nearly two hours means I deploy all the weapons in my arsenal.)

The plane was two by two, so I sat on the first officer side with an empty seat, and Hubster was pilot side with LM (until he came to sit by me). It’s amazing what a different view you get from one side to the next!

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Once we had deplaned and recombobulated in Gdansk (because let’s face it, we were hot messes without actually coming across as such), we easily navigated our way to the train that would take us to the central station. From there, we switched to another train that took us closer to Old Town Gdansk. This cost 7.60 zloti for the two of us, with LM being free. (That’s a little less than 2 euros total.) It started snowing on our ride to the central station where we quickly discovered that all of the display monitors were incorrect.

After some confusion about which train we could take (there are two different train companies, SKM and PKP Intercity; we had tickets for SKM), we finally found the correct platform. We hopped on the train that was already there and rode about ten seconds before Hubster pointed out that we were travelling in the wrong direction. So, off we hopped at the first stop, where we promptly missed the next train, and proceeded to wait ten minutes in the snow for the next one. Okay, so that wasn’t too bad. We had to do the two person lift to get the stroller onto the trains because they all (except the ones at the airport) had steps, but the trains themselves were incredibly roomy and nice.

We were confused once again (I say “we” but Hubster is the one who navigates; if it were left up to me, we’d still be circling the train station) when we arrived at Gdansk Śródmieście. Two of the four elevators were out of order, but luckily, the one we actually needed was working. We were all sorts of turned around, and by this time, it was snow/hailing, but it actually allowed us to see some pretty cool stuff. We ducked into a mall to recalibrate Hubster’s inner compass while also avoiding the elements, and oh boy, was it a sight!

We circled this glowing ship (allowing me to get the optimal photo angle) until we found an exit that would put us out close to where we needed to go. Don’t worry, we still wandered around like headless chickens in the snow before making our way passed the closed Christmas market and into Old Town. This is when you wish someone would take a picture of you simply for the laugh factor: We’re traipsing through heavily falling snow, both of us wearing backpacks, Hubster pushing little better than an umbrella stroller, me pulling a roller bag, and Little Man finally passed out, oblivious to it all. I think it’s going to be one of my favorite moments of this trip.

Miracle of Christmas miracles, our room was ready when we arrived at the Radisson Blu at 11:00. We checked in and headed upstairs to our suite. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a suite before. Talk about fancy! There’s a huge sitting room with a sofa bed (LM has officially graduated from cribs, a point he solidified when he climbed out of it the night before), a bedroom with sliding doors to close off said sitting room, and a large bathroom which you can get to from the bedroom or sitting room. It’s quite posh.

We dropped our luggage, rearranged what we needed to carry with us, and hurried back out in hopes of keeping our slumbering toddler, well, slumbering. The snow had let up in that short time and, as we were walking, a plow came through to clear the snow. I chuckled to myself as I saw a young couple pulling roller bags down the now easily traversible street.

Our wanderings took us along the waterfront and eventually to a pizza place for lunch. Some warm mulled wine was much appreciated as the day was colder than either of us had anticipated. LM woke up, ate a few bites of focaccia bread, then insisted we leave. (He’s been go-go-go on this trip since before we left the hotel room in Helsinki.) I managed to snap a few photos as we walked back to the hotel. (We’d discovered LM was rather cold after napping outside, and Hubster and I were both exhausted from lack of sleep.) We had a nice rest, then made sure to check out the outdoor lighting situation before dinner. I’m so glad we did! Our hotel is right on Dlugi Torg, or Long Market, which is very festively decorated with a huge glowing Christmas tree, a wooden manger scene, and the over-street lights that I’ve become so accustomed to in Helsinki. (Is that mainly a European thing? I don’t know, but I love it!)

As we followed the people (I won’t say “crowds” as I haven’t experienced anything resembling a crowd here yet), we were led just outside the gates of Old Town to where the market stalls were set up. There were some more glorious lights, so we went toward those and, lo and behold, some of the stalls were open! (Everything we’d read beforehand said the market closed the day before.)

It was only the food and drink stalls, but it made it extra special because we hadn’t expected it to be open at all. Little Man led us through the entire market, had a meltdown, then calmed down enough to wander some more while I waited for two Hungarian chimney cakes. I’d never heard of them, but I pretty much followed the smell and knew I needed to try one. They were a hit.

Soon after that, it was time for dinner. Our hotel, thankfully, was offering a Christmas Eve meal, so we didn’t have to try to find somewhere to go. We hadn’t made a reservation, but only had to wait about five minutes for a table. Hubster and I enjoyed a thoroughly Polish buffet, complete with perogis and red borsch, while LM was more than content with bread and sausage. (I think he’s hitting that picky toddler food phase. I’m not a fan.) By the time we were finished, LM was exhausted so we retired to our suite and toddler-proofed his sleeping area. Amazingly, he only wandered around, peeking into our room two or three times, for about 45 minutes before totally passing out. I’m very impressed. Now, if he’ll only give us the gift of sleeping through the night…

He did. We didn’t wake up until almost seven. It was glorious. And now, as my present to you, a few more pictures. The last one is my favorite.

The Waterfront

The glorious lights at the Christmas Market

Carousel at the Christmas Market

Dlugi Torg at night

If you celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! If not, I hope you had a wonderful Tuesday!