Why Poland?
This was the question that followed me everywhere. Why, pray tell, would a young person such as myself choose to visit THIS specific country on the edge of the Baltic Sea?
18, new to freedom and aching to capitalise on the last touch of freedom offered to me before beginning university life, I had to go somewhere. Therefore, I was a soul with means and purpose, lacking a destination.
Poland? Sure! Seems cool!
If you know me or have read my about page, you’re aware of my obsessive love of the mountains. However, I deemed that staying in civilised areas was preferable as I cut my teeth on the blade of self-reliance.
Was I nervous? Yeah, a little. Truth is, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively throughout my childhood, and I was confident in my abilities. Does that mean I didn’t mess up at all? Noooooo way.
So, just what did I get up to? Seems to me like you’re about to find out.
If you want to see my itinerary based on this trip, you can find it here on Itinsy.
Gdańsk
An old port city with rich history, a world-renowned war museum, and a striking black medieval crane, I knew I had to visit Gdansk from the moment it landed in my search results.
Setting out
Given that it was far cheaper for me to fly from Luxembourg to Warsaw than directly to Gdańsk, I decided to take a train there after my flight.
While on the plane from Frankfurt to Warsaw, there was a man sitting next to me. I was absorbed in reading and staring out the window (I always book window seats, I’ve loved flying ever since I was little) while he watched movies on his phone. We didn’t speak except for when passing the infectious disease forms associated with Covid-19 to the flight attendant at the end.
I was not expecting him to find me in the concourse after disembarking the flight.
I knew I had to take a train from the airport to the main train station, and I was looking at a “public transportation” information placard on the wall to figure out which one would take me there. Imagine my surprise when he asked if I knew how to transfer to the train station.
A Swiss primary school teacher in his late 20s with a Polish family, he had been through this airport before. However, he claimed to have encountered a bit of trouble navigating it the last time. I was wary, but given the number of people around, I didn’t shoo him off.
We talked on the transfer from the airport to the main station where we parted ways. I found myself relieved that the encounter had gone well, with no alarms being set off other than general caution.
Arrival
The moment I stepped out of the train station in Gdańsk, I felt the rush of something new.
I was alone. Autonomous. Free to do as I pleased, surrounded by people I had never seen before and never would again.
I had known in advance that I would feel something akin to this, but nothing prepared me for the air of excitement that suddenly surrounded me.
Guiltily smiling to myself as any teenager acknowledging a newfound liberty is wont to do, I checked Google Maps and set out towards my hostel. I strode confidently through the streets, relishing in the knowledge that no one cared who I was or what I was doing. They were as absorbed in their own life narratives as I was in HAVING AN ADVENTURE.
How many other people had set out in the same way as I, thrilled by the potential at hand? How many of those I could see were on the cusp of creating memories to last a lifetime? And what majority were simply going about their daily lives?
After making it to the hostel and depositing what I didn’t need in the room (it was a self-check-in, reception was not active due to Covid-19), I wandered around the old town as dusk fell.
First impressions
I was struck by the architecture. There was a mix of styles and building placements that made little sense. In spite of this, I found myself taken by the city’s motley crew of charm.
I enjoyed taking in the form of written Polish in shop windows and hearing the strains of conversation I couldn’t understand pass me by. There were kids laughing near the water, clutching fairy floss the size of their torsos. Couples laughed and held on to each other as they strolled. I knew most were tourists like myself, but the majority had come from Poland itself.
I stayed in the well-lit streets as night fell before making my way back to the hostel and realising my first mistake. Always, always bring an eye mask when you travel.
Museum of the Second World War
When I planned this trip, I made sure that I would have plenty of potential things to do that interested me. Therefore, the rich history, wealth of museums, and proximity to other interesting areas made Gdańsk an ideal destination.
Knowing the Museum of the Second World War only allowed 100 visitors to enter per hour, I booked a ticket online in advance. This turned out to be far from necessary, but it was not detrimental.
Thoughts on the museum
I am an innately curious person. I find history fascinating when it is presented to me, but I don’t actively seek it out as I do with my other interests. Enter: museums.
I have been to a fantastic number of war museums over the past two years and the Verdun battlefield on a school trip. From the local National Museum of Military History in Diekirch (also a brand of beer you can’t get away from in this county) to the Imperial War Museum in London, I’ve seen numerous methods of telling the tragedies of wars. While vastly similar, this museum situated near Westerplatte, in a city used as a pretext for the invasion of Poland by Hitler, struck a different chord.
The Polish perspective on the war shines through with stations throughout the museum highlighting notable Polish citizens and their extraordinary contributions or sobering deaths in the war. It is unlikely I would have ever come across these names anywhere else.
I spent 5 hours meandering through the museum until I was absolutely inundated with information. Eventually, I wandered out for a very late lunch around 3pm.
Pierogi
I’m not going to say too much about my mealtime experience because that’s rather boring, but I would be in error to not mention this famous dumpling.
I went to a restaurant called Pierogarnia Mandu specialising in these little traditional parcels. As a specialty restaurant, they had seemingly no end of variations. Eventually, after some internal debate, I settled on one of their “Dumplings of the Champions”. These are made using recipes created by renowned Polish chefs with unique flavours. What I received was definitely memorable. A delicious struggle to finish, as pierogi happens to be one of the most filling dishes I’ve come across.
Malbork Castle
This day was certainly one of the highlights of my trip. As the largest castle in the world, fully restored and crowned with recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Malbork Castle awed me.
I live in Luxembourg. I know castles. For goodness’ sake, this place is home to the Vallée des Sept Châteaux, or Valley of Seven Castles. I’ve been to Vianden, Beaufort, and at least five more with names I cannot recall in a country that you can drive from end to furthest end in 80 minutes.
I’ve visited castles in Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Slovenia. I. Know. Castles.
And yet, this one in Poland managed to stun me.
Getting to the Castle
I wouldn’t include this here if it wasn’t the source of my second misstep of the trip. This is my blog, so I’m going to share my mistakes. It’s part of the journey.
To get from Gdańsk to Malbork, I had to take a train. I booked the ticket in question online and received a valid document, no problems there. Oh… wait. This train has reserved seats, and looking at the ticket… I couldn’t tell which one was mine.
For the train from Warsaw to Gdańsk, I booked through PolishTrains and received an SMS containing my seat number. However, using the official InterCity website left me with a slightly differently formatted ticket in Polish and no text message. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find what might be seating information on the ticket, and a quick Google search led me to believe it was possible to end up with a ticket and no reservation. Oops.
Standard protocol when you don’t have a reservation is to sit in any unoccupied seat, right? I did this once and after having the people with the seat reservation come (speaking rapidly to me in Polish), I decided it would be best to just stand the entire way. Who cares if I appeared to be a lurker without a ticket? I had one, and provided it to be scanned when asked.
Naturally, I figured out that I did in fact have a seat reservation at the very end of the train ride. Oh well. Do better next time (facepalm).
Upon reaching the castle, I immediately thanked myself for booking a ticket in advance. Even though it was close to opening time, there was a massive line to purchase tickets. Meanwhile, all I had to do was collect my audioguide.
Audioguide
Let’s be real here. The audioguide makes or breaks the experience of visiting the historical sites and museums that offer them.
I loved this one so much, I immediately sent my mum (and a few of my friends) a couple of texts about it. I know, I know, that’s a little strange, but what can I say? I’m easily excited by random things. Shouldn’t I be gushing over the Gothic architecture or quality of restoration instead? Naaaaaah.
This was the first time I encountered an audioguide that triggered content based on my location. As I walked into an area, the relevant track would begin playing without me doing anything. Additionally, at the end of the track, the recording told you where to go next. So. Cool.
The degree of immersion created by this system and my appreciation for the technology used enhanced my experience greatly. Although some of this excitement was due to novelty, I look forward to the integration of this type of system elsewhere.
I did look up the location-based system afterwards because I was curious. I believe I found what they used here.
The Castle
Okay, okay, get on with it already. We’re talking about a CASTLE here. Enough about the guide!
Cool, right? The castle was once the seat of the Teutonic Order of knights and has been visited by all manner of important figures through the ages.
It also contains an armoury and an extensive amber museum due to the importance of the organic mineral in the region.
As someone who went through a major geology phase in elementary school, this was quite a treat.
I struggle to find words to describe this place, so I’m letting a few images do the talking for me.
Overall, I’m giving Malbork Castle the crowning achievement of being my favourite castle thus far. If you ever have the chance, visit it!
Street Performance
After returning to Gdańsk this evening, I ventured out around 9pm because, quite frankly, I was bored. Plenty of people were out, and I was walking around watching them wander from bar to bar in the well-lit streets when I heard something that demanded I source it immediately. Trumpets. Trombones. A tuba. A phenomenal brass band.
I moved quickly, all of my focus on locating the musicians. As someone who was heavily involved in music in high school (I would sometimes be at school from 7:00-22:30 for the sake of jazz band, 2 hours of orchestra rehearsal, and playing in the stands for an American football game), hearing someone play a wind or string instrument will attract me with no delay.
The performers looked to be in their mid-20s, and from the sound of them, they must have been current or recent music students. They were playing off each other and performing with an attitude I hadn’t seen since I left the US (barring honour band in Salzburg). It felt like a piece of home, even though their calibre was far beyond what I ever achieved.
Unfortunately, I cannot post an example of their performance here. You’ll have to take my word for it.
Eventually, as they were busking illegally (and relatively late), the police cleared them out. I don’t know how the officers had the heart to do that. It was the best street performance I’ve ever seen.
Gdynia and Sopot
Now, I chose to go to Gdańsk for a reason. I grew up next to a lake, near the coast in Washington state. I missed walking along the beach and staring out over a large body of water, so with everything under my control, I knew I needed to go somewhere I had access to the Baltic Sea.
Gdańsk is part of something known as the Tri-City, composed of itself, Sopot, and Gdynia. Based on something I had read before I left, I knew it was possible to walk the 10km along the beach from Gdynia to Sopot. Sign me up!
The Coast
I’m that person who ambles slowly down the beach with their eyes on the ground at the edge of the waves, looking for anything interesting.
Buuuuut that means I usually take off my shoes.
That’s right, I almost lost my literal shoes on this trip.
I took off my sandals as I started walking along the beach to avoid abrasion blisters. I was going along, minding my own business, picking up flint from the sand. Then, upon reaching a point where the terrain changed… I realised both of my hands were filled with rocks. Classic Alex.
I remember thinking, “If all I lose on this trip are my actual SHOES, I’m never going to live this down.” In hindsight, I believe the fact that I’d have to walk several kilometres barefoot over unfriendly terrain before finding somewhere to purchase new footwear may have been a more pressing issue.
After vaguely remembering tapping sand out of them on a charred driftwood log, I located my sandals and was able to continue. This time, I strapped them to my bag. Why didn’t I think of that in the first place? Eventually, I decided to scramble up into the forest to the trail system I knew was there.
I was on the receiving end of few strange looks when I perched myself on a fence before entering the forest, waiting for my feet to dry enough to dust the sand off. What else should I have done? Get blisters? Thanks, but I’ll pass. Fences are perfectly acceptable as benches in my book.
I had dinner in Sopot before returning to Gdańsk for one final night. I was excited to move on to Warsaw the next day, but that will have to wait for another post.
Whew! That was an effort! If you’re reading this, thanks for sticking with me through that monster of a post. I’ve never written anything like this before, and it’s far more difficult than I could have imagined. That said, I have a part 2 coming for this post, and a document filled with ideas for future posts and series. This may have been a little dry, but I promise you, I’ll become more entertaining with practice. I have a lot to say, and I intend to figure out how to share it in a way people want to read!
