Summer Travel 2023 – Gdansk – July 28-30

OK, I’m not gonna lie, Warsaw was a bit of a disappointment. However, Gdansk exceeded all expectations. The vibrant Long Market, bisected by the Main Town Hall, is a riot of colors and people. Every building in the Old Town is a work of art. As a bonus, the Airbnb James and I stayed in was right in the middle of the Old Town, right across from the town hall.

Speaking of that Airbnb, it was the best one I stayed at during my travels. Spacious, big kitchen, great shower, washing machine, and good internet. It was a giant step up from the hole I stayed at in Istanbul. Oh well, it was cheap. You do get what you pay for.

Speaking of getting what you pay for, we decided to take the train to Gdansk from Warsaw. It sounded logical at the time, but now, I am not sure we made the best decision. We had a flight booked that would take us from Warsaw to Gdansk in about an hour. Of course, that would mean getting to the airport, at least 30 minutes away, add an hour for security and all that crap at the airport, and basically the flight was going to take at least 3 hours because the Gdansk airport is a 30-minute train ride from the Old Town. Instead, we could walk 15 minutes to the train station and take a 3-and-a-half-hour train ride right to the city center.

The only problem was that we would not have seats on the train. At the time, that didn’t sound too bad. In reality, it was kind of a bad idea. That’s a damn long time to stand up on a train. However, one positive did come out of the trip. We passed through a town called Malbork. The town didn’t look like much. In fact, it looked a bit like an industrial wasteland. However, towards the outskirts of town, we passed by a very cool fortress that we ended up going to the next day. So at least there was one positive to come out of that knee and back-destroying train ride.

Anyway, Gdansk was a gorgeous. It would be nice to go there when it isn’t completely rammed with people. I would like the chance to photograph the place without people walking in front of my lens or pushing baby carriages in the middle of my shot.