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| Green Gate (1560), Gdansk |
Sun 6 May
After a giant Polish breakfast in a barn festooned with stuffed birds of prey and animal hides (!)... UIKeyInputDownArrow
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| Scrambled eggs with ham & tomatoes, plate of ham & cheese, bread basket, pickled vegetables, coleslaw, coffee AND CAKE! |
we set of to drive through the vast Masurian Lakes - stopping at the massive Sanctuary of St Mary at Święta Lipka, one of Poland’s top pilgrimage sites.
and then had coffee & cake (!) in Zamek with impressive castle (and church of course).
Another lovely blue-sky day with tree-lined roads and vibrant green and yellow countryside. Onto our main castle of the day in Lidzbark Warminski - but we were surprised on the outskirts to discover a motor-cross competition in full flow!!
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| Lidzbark Warminski Castle |
This dates from 14thC but was battered in WWII, and since impressively restored with a big section now 5* hotel.
We arrive in Orzysz, checking in to the slightly oddly named Hotel Pirat - complete with wooden pirate statues, but in a fab location on a huge lake. Orzysz is perfect for a wander around cobbled streets and dinner in a cafe on the Rynek.
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| Orzysz Rynek |
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| Lake alongside Hotel Pirat! |
Mon 8 May
The last leg of our Polish journey north to Gdańsk included the number one tourist site in Poland: Malbork Castle.
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| Main courtyard, taken from the Bell Tower |
Malbork is the world’s largest brick Gothic castle, and a worthy UNESCO World Heritage site. A stunning construction that has had a fascinating but turbulent existence for 700 years, beginning with the Teutonic Knights in 1350 for 150 years, Polish Kings for 300 years, and Prussian military in the 18thC. The first phase of extensive restoration after countless redesigns began in 19thC and was completed in 1930's. Sadly Malbork didn’t escape the ravages of WWII - and in 1945 was smashed by artillery bombardment.
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| Malbork Castle 1945 |
The castle we saw today has undergone phenomenal reconstruction since the 1950’s - completed in 2016.
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| Tomb of one of the Teutonic Knights |
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| Central courtyard inside main castle |
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| Chapel doorway |
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| Chapel |
We made our way into Gdansk, testing Googlemaps with the one-way and pedestrian zones, finally finding the apartment we had rented for the final two nights slap bang alongside the iconic bell-tower of the town hall, that pealed every 30 mins!
Tues 10 May
Gdansk is a stunning city, especially in the May sunshine, with its beautiful 18C buildings (heavy restoration programmed after WWII that conveniently airbrushed 19thC Prussian architecture!), vast churches and gothic town hall.
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| Gdansk Town Hall |
Our central location allowed us too easily wander the ‘golden mile’ and surrounding streets early before the tourist throngs, and afterwards in the evening sun. This was our first stop after Krakow where we were back on the global tourist trail - making us realise how lovely the last 2 weeks have been “off the beaten track”.
Wed 10 May
Jess drove me to Gdansk airport in the clean blue Fiat Tipo; I couldn’t resist a visit to a car wash yesterday to remove the filth and 1000 flies from 2200km in two weeks! I flew back to Stansted and was met by Dad-taxi (impeccable service!) to return to Alderton and collect my car and re-pack ready for a 5-day trip to Skye on the west coast of Scotland for a ‘mountaineering adventure’.... Or a bit of hill walking if the current forecast of persistent rain doesn’t improve :(
Jess meanwhile is sensibly staying on to continue the Polish tour for two weeks, joined today by her sister Lucy for five days.
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