G’day in Gdynia

Yesterday we toured with a local guide that Sandy had made arrangements with over the internet. Malgorzata, our guide, was waiting for us when we got off the ship at 9AM.

The weather was overcast with light rain, which actually seemed appropriate for the first stop on our tour, the Stutthof concentration camp which operated from 1939-1945. It was a very sobering experience. The camp was built in an area of thick woods to help camouflage it from outside.

 

The brick building on the left in the photo below was built by the prisoners for the commandant. The tall structure in the middle is the main gate to the area in which the prisoners were kept.

After going through the grounds and the many exhibits within the buildings, we piled back into the van and switched gears mentally to focus on an important positive time in Poland’s history. We headed for Gdansk, a medieval city that was the home of the Solidarity movement. We learned that the Polish workers’ uprisings against the oppressive Communist rule in 1980 was the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Malgorzata is very proud of her countrymen for initiating this revolution. The Solidarity monument is surrounded by photos and memorabilia chronicling this period of civil unrest.

As we approached Old Town Gdansk, we passed by remnants of the original city walls dating from the 1300’s.

We walked through the Old Town, which was especially lively because the annual Saint Dominick’s Festival was taking place. Although most of the city was destroyed in World War II, it has been rebuilt to its former condition, keeping the original architectural style intact.

We had been busy touring all day, and by now we were a little hungry. When we mentioned something to Malgorzata about stopping for something to eat, she said, “No, no, I have too much to show you. Eating takes too much time.” Poor Bill and Ray were drooling as we passed by all the ice cream stands.

I want you to know that we did stop at a bakery for take-out snacks, so don’t feel too sorry for us; we weren’t completely starving!Malgorzata had so much she wanted to show us, and made the most of our day. We didn’t arrive back to the ship until 5:20, ten minutes before we had to be onboard.