Day 9 - Tour Day 7 - Thursday 11 July 2019 – Gdańsk

Sunrise:         4:24am                                              Sunset:          9:16pm

I woke when the alarm went off this morning. So much for my sleep in but have pulled the doona out of the cover, as it was just far to hot with it in. Must be the winter doona.

Down to breakfast just before 7am and there were only 6 people there and none from the tour group.  A very small spread of food but there was freshly squeezed orange juice. Once again lovely crispy bacon and mushrooms.  As I was leaving the breakfast room, Carolyn arrived. Everyone must be having a sleep in today.

We all met shortly before 9am and went out to the bus for the start of our included tour.  It’s quite warm in the sunshine but once out of the sun, the breeze is very brisk. 

First up was a visit to Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers.  Lying right outside famous Gate #2 to the Gdansk Shipyard, the monument was unveiled in 1980 to commemorate the events of 1970 when 45 people died during street riots protesting against the communist regime.
Along with wage demands and the right to form free trade unions, the right to erect this memorial was one of Solidarity's main demands during the 1980 lock-in. The 42-metre, 139-tonne steel sculpture stands on the spot where the first three victims of the 1970 riots were killed. There are three crosses to represent the three victims and the crosses themselves signify the suffering and sacrifice of all the protesters. At the top you see anchors signifying the men’s profession and in the lower reaches the figures of their struggling comrades are depicted.

European Solidarity Centre

From there we then drove to the place where WWII started, Westerplatte.

Without warning at 0445 the German Battleship Schleswig-Holstein began shelling the Polish garrison at Westerplatte, while the German army swept across the border. The old battleship had sailed into the free city of Danzig earlier in August on a ‘courtesy visit’ and would have launched an assault on 26th August, only for Hitler to postpone the date of the invasion.

 

Amber Coloured Football Stadium

After that visit, it was back to the old town for a walking tour which finished around 11am and those that are doing the optional to Sopot this afternoon, are departing at 12:10.  Nicole and I found an ice cream place and had one each.  My first ice cream on this tour.  We checked out some paintings and then heading back to the hotel.  Her to get ready for the optional tour and me to change to a smaller handbag while I’m wandering around this afternoon.

Two different "birds"

I departed the hotel again, passed through the green gate, crossed over the canal and walked along the boardwalk until I could get a decent photo of The Crane.

The Crane is one of the defining symbols of Gdansk and represents what little is left of the city’s great trading age. First mentioned in 1367 the original structure burnt down in 1442 before its current design was created in 1442-1444. As a working crane it was used to transfer cargoes and to put up masts on ships. At one time this was the biggest working crane in the world but it also served a defence function and as one of the gates to the city. It had a lifting capacity of 4 tonnes to a height of 11 metres and this was achieved by two huge wooden wheels at its heart each with a diameter of 6 metres. These wheels were originally powered by men walking inside of them to turn the lifting mechanism. It remained a working crane until the middle of the 19th century and was 80% destroyed in 1945 in The Battle for Gdańsk.  After the war, it was rebuilt and donated to the Polish Maritime Museum, of which it remains a part of today. 

From there, I then walked back over the bridge and walked along the other side of the canal, following the route from this morning’s included tour. This time I visited St. Mary’s Church, formally the Basilicia of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 It’s construction began in 1379, or 1343.  It’s a brick built, Gothic Roman Catholic church, completed in 1502 and it has a Royal Chapel. St. Mary's Basilica is believed to be the largest brick church in the world. The interior vault supports 37 windows, over 300 tombstones and 31 chapels. It can hold up to 25,000 people.  There are renovations going on at the moment and the interior, although fairly oppulent, seemed to me to be very austere.  Maybe because of the size of the place.

After that, I just walked along a few of the  streets, taking photos along the way. I’ll now have to see if I can find out what the places are.  Some of them I do know.  On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to have a late lunch.  A salad with warm chicken, glass of wine & small bottle of water.  Very enjoyable.  

I caught up with both Carolyn and Nicole and we arranged to go out to dinner together.

We found a restaurant that served curries.  I had Thai Chicken skewers, Carolyn had a prawn dish and I’m not sure what Nicole had but we all agreed that it was very tasty and filling.  We also shared a bottle of a South Australian Cabernet Merlot.

After that, it was a leisurely stroll back to the hotel and back to our rooms and an early night for me.  
We have a 6am wake up call tomorrow, breakfast from 6:30, luggage out at 6:45 and departing for Warsaw at 7:45.  Can’t believe that this tour is almost over.

Steps Walked                      9,796

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Gdańsk.