Poland packs a punch – their sad and tragic history - The Poles have been through so much tragedy with the Nazis, WWII, death camps & murders of Jews and the 44 years of Communism as well as the 3 previous Partitions.
The positive punch is that the population is 95% Catholic and their Faith unified them throughout the 44 years of bondage. Also, today freedom-loving Poles are still firmly Catholic and embracing the Ukrainian refugees with empathy. The Solidarity movement started with the shipyard workers, led by Lech Walesa, ending in the Communist government handing over the keys. Pope John Paul II, a Pole, is an important part of their story and the fact that he came to Poland in 1979 and 1984, helped to move the country closer to freedom from Communist rule. Nowa Huta, a planned Communist town on the outskirts of Krakow, is a worthwhile visit simply to see and step inside the Lord’s Ark Church of Krakow; the inhabitants built it by hand and with their own money. They asked the Communist government for a church and were denied but were allowed to build it if they raised the money and built themselves. Which they did! Inspiring!
Flights: ATL>AMS>Gdańsk 5/17, Delta, operated by KLM. We were delayed 1-1/2 hours in Amsterdam. On the KLM Cityhopper flight, a young flight attendant and I had a lovely conversation about travel. She is 25, from Amsterdam, and became a flight attendant in order to travel the world. After she has worked on the Cityhopper routes after 5 years, she is eligible to apply to work on the big KLM that flies all over the world. When I deplaned in Gdańsk, she gave me an amenities bag with a small bottle of champagne and other goodies likes cookies and cheese crackers! She included a sweet note too.
I was met at the airport by a driver the hotel uses. The hotel called me and asked if I was at the airport as the driver was waiting for me; we were waiting for our bags almost 30 minutes at the baggage carousel! Finally I was in the car headed to the Admiral Hotel on the edge of the Old Town. The driver took me on a mini-tour of the Old Town pointing out places of interest, I was tickled by his enthusiasm but hoped he would deliver me to the hotel soon!
Got to my room about 7 pm, it was still light out and while I wanted to nap, I realized I needed to walk and take advantage of the daylight as the 9 pm sunset is fast approaching. Walking along the riverfront is lovely with lots of people out strolling along. There is a colorful carousel with lights and beautiful murals and children riding that adds to the lighthearted atmosphere of this relaxed town. It is part of a tri-city area with Gdynia and Sopot. Westerplatte near there is the place where the Nazis attacked the munitions depot on September 1, 1939, thus began World War II. Gdynia has an excellent Emigration Museum which I was tempted to visit but didn’t. I don’t have Polish heritage so it wasn’t a burning desire for me.
5/18 I grabbed a quick bite to eat somewhere on the riverfront and walked until 9 pm, went back to my hotel room and unpacked a little and got ready for bed. Slept well.
5/19 Sunday – breakfast in the hotel, extensive buffet! Went to mass at St. Mary’s Basilica at noon, service all in Polish. St. Mary’s would completely fill up a football field it is that huge, full of art in the many chapels. I went back two more times while in Gdańsk it is that interesting. After the service, I saw a private christening of an adorable baby.
5/19 (cont.) Did some wandering after the service at St. Mary’s and then walked to the World War II Museum, using the Carousel along the riverfront as a landmark! The museum is an excellent one and after spending a couple hours, I was done. I only made it through Section 6 out of 10. Very heavy (I’ve been to Berlin & other WWII sites), so I don’t know why I was so affected this time. Went to dinner twice, 2 nights in a row, we loved the food so much.