A Quiet Day in Gdańsk

Gdańsk, located in the north of Poland very near to the sea side, was a quiet, charming town. We
traveled here simply for the beautiful photos of the city we had seen online. The city certainly did not
disappoint, though our journey from here to Krakow was a tiring one. We decided to take the train overnight,
which was very well-priced, but uncomfortable, tiring, and did not leave us in a very adventurous mood
the next morning. However, we made the most of Gdańsk, and soaked up as much of its beauty and history
as possible in the short time we had there!

Dlugi Targ

Our day started incredibly early, around 7:00am, where we stopped at a local Starbucks (the only thing open

after our long night train), and walked along Gdank's Dulgi Targ. At such an early hours, Gdańsk was hushed,

sleepy and quiet. It was delightfully eerie to walk along its streets, observing all of the beautiful buildings. A great

deal of Gdańsk was destroyed during the Second World War, however, the city has been rebuilt to showcase

it unique and quaint architectural style. While walking around the old downtown, we also made sure to check out

the Main Town Hall, Neptune's Fountain, the Waterfront, Mariacka Street, and St. Mary's Basilica. Unfortunately,

I lost most of my photos from this excursion, the ones here are the few that I happened to share with friends and

family while enjoying my adventure!

The Dulgi Targ

The inside of St. Mary's Basilica was breathtaking, and the climb up to the top of its tower was even more

awe inspiring. So many stairs... but it was quite the experience to see the structure of the tower from the inside.

The views from the top were also spectacular.

View from the top of St. Mary's Basilica

One of the best experiences we had was visiting the Museum of the Second World War. The museum was absolutely huge, and presented the War from various perspectives. As a Texan, most of the WWII history I've been taught throughout my life has had a heavy American focus. At school, we never learned the Polish perspective, or about the difficulties of facing invasion and occupation from both the Nazi's and the Soviet Union. The cost of entry was 23 PLN, a little over $5.50. It was also definitely worth using the audio guide, at 5 PLN, or $1.20. We spent nearly 7 hours in this museum, and actually, we were only about half way through when we were asked to leave because the museum was closing for the evening! 

Our day and a half in Gdańsk was the perfect amount of time for us to see and explore some great parts of the city! Our trip centered heavily on WWII history, but if I ever have the chance to go back, the first thing I'd do is finish the exhibits we missed at the Museum of the Second World War. I'd also love to check out the European Solidarity Center, and walk along the sea side!