Lesny Dwor Gdansk

Have spent every day of our vacation running about seeing monuments and museums and building styles and churches and old towns. Today is our last day beside the seashore before a 7 ½ hour train ride to Krakow. We thought to take it easy today. Slept late, went to a wonderfully chocolate restaurant for breakfast, determined from the hotel staff that there is no such thing as a coin Laundromat in Poland ...

... same chocolate. Oh heaven. This morning we headed directly to this café to check it out and to share with my hubby what a wonderful delicious thing this is. <br><br> While the Polish drink is not quite as decadent as that which I had in Croatia, it comes with so many more choices! You could get chocolate with coffee, with raspberries, with whiskey, Contreau, orange ...

We enter the electronics store. We have a mission. The plan is to buy a new laptop, a mini me that can travel with me around the world and anywhere else. The clerks are standing around a register discussing their activities of the prior evening. We stand next to them. They do not notice us. We check each computer in the store, play a game on one, and check prices. No one ...

... old prison and torture cells but while the sign outside shows lots of things to see inside, there was no entrance gate or ticket seller.<br><br> As we are walking into the old town on the pedestrian area, a young tourist guide approaches us. She gives tours in an electric car for ½ hour, an hour, or 1 ½ hour which includes going up to an overlook of the city. As I always go UP, it ...

... 8217;m sure other tourists have done it but oh well. It was still an awesome crane.<br><br> After we left, our posse found us! These were the well meaning and kind ladies from yesterday who made sure we were on the right bus and right train in order to get to Gdansk. They were touring around and heading for a boat that would take them around the harbor. They wanted us ...

... I finally find the conductor who nods to Gdansk. I am guessing the passenger thought I asked whether we were in Gdansk. The problems with lacking a common language. <br><br>I am at the Baltic Hostel since it is closest to the train station and is supposed to be modern with internet service. It is pretty poor. Beds are crammed together. I get a top bunk in a filled room of 5. At least It is clean. Internet service is a single PC which does not ...

... commercial port and worked out much better anyway, although it is in a very depressed part of town. It rained most of the night but without the gale force winds so we got some sleep. It was either that, or the <br>combination of no sleep last night and a bottle of wine with dinner. <br><br>Our tour today was supposed to involve a bus tour with various stops and walking, but since it was raining cats and dogs we drove by most of the ...

... I leave. Perfect timing I know. But in Gdansk the St. Dominic's Festival takes place over a few weeks. There are already loads of patios out where you can eat and drink but the festival means there are booths set up selling the usual knick knacks and things. For me, however, the best thing about the festival were the food booths set up. I came across several stands selling pierogis. Of course I had some a they were fantastic. I think my favourite are pierogi Ruskie, which is potato with ...

... for me. No one at the party was Jewish (except me) but they all assured me that the joke wasn't antisemitic and I shouldn't be offended. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but it would have been nice if they could have translated it for me and let me decide for myself if I should be offended or not. I also couldn't understand why he would have a kippah with him to use as a prop for the joke. Did he always carry it around with him? What is ...

... a Black Man, the literal translation for a rather normal type of chocolate cake they have here. Other interesting things: "Tak" means yes, so listening to Sigur Ros (which we have been doing a lot) has taken on a whole new meaning. I have picked up a few random other words. The Polish culture is quite distinct in a familiar way to me. It is almost entirely Catholic, and shows it, not in devoutness (though this exists, certainly) but ...