I had read that Gdansk was one of the most beautiful cities in Poland but even that did not prepare me for how much I loved this city! We were lucky to be visiting during their popular St. Dominics days (which are 3 weeks in the summer when lots of vendors come and set up stands for their handcrafts and general festival type items) and also to have a warm sunny day. The special days made for crowded streets or, as our guide called them, Squeezy streets. (luckily no one squeezed me!) The architecture was fabulous-especially in the old city. Each building was more beautiful then the next. The iron work, the patterned brick and plaster, the ornate roof tops were fabulous! I noticed a Hilton Hotel and noted to Peter that this would be a great place to visit for a few days. Our tour guide also went into details about life as a socialist nation . They were never occupied, in the sense that Russians were moved in, like some of the other countries-but they still bare the scars of their time under Soviet rule. We drove by the well known ship building area where Lech Walesa started it all and saw the various monuments to the workers who died fighting for their freedom. The country is not yet on the Euro so shops are still relatively reasonable. David was thrilled that the city was wired so he could enjoy free wifi while we lunched at a local cafe. I was impressed with how well dressed the workers in the city were. I guess having come from two Eastern European countries I was expecting the same sense (or lack thereof) of style but found the women and men of the city to be quite professional in their appearance and to favor subdued colors and natural fabrics. Lots of Flax cnatural linen dresses on this rather hot day.
Labels: Gdansk Poland, klaradal, Polish, Swedish Antiques
# posted by Klaradal Swede Thoughts by Sue @ 5:25 AM
