2018 in a nutshell

2018 is slowly coming to an end. We have a little less than 8 hours left before we can welcome 2019. It's time for a short recap of this year, mostly travel-wise. That's not going to be much, but at least something.

1. At the end of January, we took our little bunch to Egypt for winter break. We spent two weeks in a lovely, family-friendly hotel in Hurghada, where we enjoyed ourselves, took in as much sunshine as we could and the kids had a blast swimming and playing in the pools. We hardly saw anything, but it was a great time to rest. We had our daily routine adjusted to the baby's needs incorporating fun-activities for the older two, like mini golf, tennis, swimming pool, the beach and mini club. In the evening there was also mini disco.

2. In July, me, my dad and the kids (my mom at times, too) spent a few days in Hel. The days were filled with walks in the forests and on the beach. When the weather was better, the kids were also playing in the sea. I showed them the places where I used to play when I was a kid. These were slow, family- and memory-filled days for me.We also went to Hel a few times for one-two days before that, plus the kids even more times with my parents. I can't blame them for wanting to spend all their free time there.

3. In July, we went to my cousin's wedding to Bydgoszcz. Before the wedding, we spent half a day enjoying ouselves and seeing the city (which I always treated as a pass through kind of town on the way to grandma). We had a lovely time, the weather was stunning (hot and sunny, as most of the summer this year). It was all great.

4. In August, we went to Sobieszewo (which technically, is a district of Gdańsk, yet an island quite separated from it as well) to meet with friends, climb up a tower (water tank, in fact) and enjoy the view of the surroundings. While we had to book the visit to the tower tank, it was still free of charge (and if I remember correctly, still will be the upcoming year). It was a guided tour, the guide was very open to kids and we learnt a lot. Very well organised.

5. In August, we went on a three-week Eurotrip 2018. We had our car full of stuff, like tent and camping gear, clothes, food, toys, all we could think of and a general plan in mind, but we had no idea how far we could get with the baby on board. We already knew that the older two were great travel companions after our Eurotrip2016. And you know what? The baby fits our family perfectly. We not only managed to see all the places we wanted, but even more! Just see these few pictures, each from a different country we set our feet in.

Czech Republic

 Austria

 Slovenia

 Croatia

Italy

Germany

And that's basically it for this year. If we're not counting numerous fantastic walks in our hometown.

 
Apart from the travels, we also had a few family occassions to meet up and celebrate, like our youngest kid's baptism, our oldest kid's first holy communion, our 10th wedding anniversary, my husband sister's wedding, my cousin's wedding, my dad's 60th birthday, granpa's 90th birthday, our daughter's 1st birthday... just to name a few.

2019 is looking slow. We don't have any travel plans in mind. Neither close nor far. We're open to any opportunities (most likely), but we don't have anything particular in mind. We'll see what the next year is going to bring us.

In the meantime, though, I wish you all a great year. May it be better or at least as good as the last one.

A visit to Gdansk

With the upcoming summer months, we all think of new travels and new adventures. Seaside resorts are already full of people (I can't believe that in less than a month they will be so much more crowded), people spend every possible moment outside, in the sun. We all can't wait for the weekends to spend them somewhere possibly outside the big cities, even if that's only a few hours' getaway.

But big cities can be worth a visit, too.

And today I'll try to convince you to visit one of the Baltic pearls. Over a thousand years old Gdansk.

I have already written a post or two or three, showing you the beauty of the city. Its narrow streets, maritime museum, the famous crane, the colourful old town.

What else is there to do in Gdansk?

If you are a fan of museums, you can surely visit the European Solidarity Centre. Gdansk is the city where the Solidarity Movement was born. Gdansk is the city where Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Lech Walesa, was working in the shipyard and was fighting for freedom. If you want to learn about that revolution, European Solidarity Centre is the place to visit. Do not get discouraged by the outter looks of the building. It is "on purpose", which I don't get, but someone had an idea, a vision... The insides are much better than that.

If you like visiting churches, there's plenty to choose from in and around Gdansk Old Town, but not only.

The Cathedral in Gdansk Oliwa is famous for its great organ. It's really worth it to sit and listen to a concert there. There's plenty to choose from, especially during summertime.

Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or St. Mary's Church) is one of the most famous churches in Gdansk. Home to Memling's Last Judgement (now in National Museum of Gdansk), it's famous also for the following decorations:

• High Altar, 1511-1517, Michael of Augsburg,
• Ten Commandments, approx. 1485,
• Gravestone of Simon and Judith Bahr, 1614-1620, Abraham van den Blocke,
• Pieta, approx. 1420,
• Holy Mother of God sculpture, approx. 1420,
• Gdansk astronomical clock, 1464-1470, Hans Dueringer of Torun, reconstructed after 1945,
• organ set, partially transferred from St. John's Church,

and many more. Besides, you can always climb the church's tower for the panoramic view of Gdansk. If the weather is good, you'll be able to see the Amber Arena (a football stadium, currently known as Energa Arena) and the sea. But it is almost 500 steps to climb, so it's not for faint hearted. Mind you, there's no lift ;)

St. Bridget's Church was the church of the Solidarity Movement. It is famous for an attempt to build an altar made purely of amber. Go and check the progress of works.

And many more to add to the list.

If you are looking for social/commercial events, do not miss St. Dominic's Fair. It's one of the oldest fair's in Poland, taking place each year at the beginning of August. This year it will start July 30th and end August 21st. With stands and booths in all the narrow streets of the Old Town, it attract those looking for unique, hand-made things as well as those searching for antiques. Unfortunately, there's a lot of cheap "made in China" junk as well. But you can find some gems, eat local food and have a lot of great time. There are concerts, plays and other cultural events during the fair as well. I love the event. There were years when I simply couldn't miss spending at least one day at the event. Last time we went to St. Dominic's was four years ago and we're going to miss this year's edition also (we'll be on our Eurotrip, so actually no regrets).

Gdańsk is often uderrated. Skipped by those visiting other Polish cities, mainly Cracow and Warsaw. Not to mention those visiting other European cities. And Gdansk has so much to offer - history, museums, churches, but also social and cultural events, beautiful architecture and its right on the coast. So sunny beach days - feel free to spend the days on beautiful white sandy beaches. Water might be a bit cold, but it's like that in the whole northern coast of Europe, right?

If you ever plan to visit Poland, don't skip Gdansk. I mean, Cracow is beautiful and all, but Gdansk also has a lot to offer. If not more. Get on the train (ok, the train ride takes "a few" hours) or hop on the plane and come see Gdansk! And Gdansk is a prt of Tricity, so Gdynia and Sopot come as a bonus, too :)

Any other big cities with history that are also seside resorts perfect for summer days 

you could recommend?

Any festivals, fairs?

A date in Gdansk

Last Saturday, my husband took me on a date. It doesn't happen too often, so yes, it was kind of a big deal.

We went to a theatre and then for dinner.

The day was sunny and warm. Beautiful. We left home around 2 p.m., cause we had to get to Gdansk and pick up the tickets at a given time. We still had some time to spare before the play, so we decided to take a walk around Gdansk Old Town.

It's been almost four years since our last visit in the area. And I already almost forgot how beautiful it is.

The houses are colourful. Vast majority of them is either renovated or under renovation. And they look gorgeous. Renovated with attention to detail and their original character.

The main street of the Old Town, called Long Street (ulica Długa) is free of traffic. So you can walk freely, enjoying the architecture around you. Ok. Not that freely, as it's usually crowded. Keep your kids close to you cause it's very easy to lose sight of them. But, then again, it's quite common in the touristy places. Long Street will take you from the Coal Market (Targ Węglowy) through the Golden Gate, past the city hall (you can climb up the tower for the views),

the Neptune Fountain (the famous one),

King Arthur's Court (Dwór Artusa) - the one right behind the fountain (picture on the right shows the neighbouring buildings)

 to the Long Market (Długi Targ).

 Keep walking and through the Green Gate you'll get to the banks of Motlawa River.

 Get on the bridge that is right in front of you. Stop in the middle and look left. You'll see this:

 the famous wooden crane that is pictured on most postcards and pictures of Gdansk. Opposite the crane, you can see three buildings on an island. The island is called Wyspa Spichrzów and the buildings are historic grain siloses. There's a museum there. If you continue walking the bridge and turn left after the roadworks are over (yes, there's construction work going on right behind the bridge, so the passages are very narrow), you'll get to the museum.

But let me take you back. Get back to the bank on which the crane is situated and walk towards the crane. Right behind the crane, there is another dept of the National Marine Museum, opened in 2012, that is Maritime Culture Centre. Turn left into one of the narrow street called Mariacka Street and you will get to St. Mary's Church (Bazylika Mariacka). I will write next time why you should not hesitate and get inside.

Don't be afraid to take turns into the less crowded streets. They are also gorgeous. And less crowded, which is always a plus :)

The pictures I'm showing you today were taken four years ago. Obviosuly, I didn't take my camera with me this time. It didn't fit in my tiny purse. Plus, we were on a date, so no phones, no camera. Just us. Refreshing. And always good.

Have you ever been to Gdańsk? What did you like about the city most?