Today we arrived in Gdansk, Poland and also to weather which was mostly warm, dry, and sunny. The entire group went to visit the Solidarity Center in the morning, a huge and amazing museum which is only two years old. The building itself is a significant architectural achievement, and the exhibition it houses is interactive, full of content, and very moving, telling as it does the story of the Polish people’s journey to freedom and self-determination in the late twentieth century.
We all returned to the National Geographic Orion for lunch, and then split into different groups to explore other aspects of this marvelous city. Some of us visited the old Franciscan monastery which is now the National Museum, where we saw a fine collection of art treasures, including some Durer prints, paintings by Breughel, Fragonard, and Van Dyck, and most importantly, a magnificent triptych by Hans Memling called the Last Judgment. Later we had a tour of the Gothic-Renaissance town hall, a former seat of government, a highlight of which is the Great Council Chamber, called the Red Room because of the colour of the fabric on its walls. Others visited the Maritime Museum, taking Zodiacs through the Gdansk shipyards and learning about their central importance to the organized resistance movement that emerged in the 1970s and 80s.
After these trips, most of us took advantage of free time to explore this wonderful city. We walked from the monumental Green Gate (which is mostly red) along Dlugi Tart street, past the legendary Neptune’s Fountain and to the Golden Gate at the other end. Some ventured off the main drag to visit a wonderful graduate arts exhibition in the Armaments building, others headed for the huge red-brick gothic St Mary’s basilica, but many just wandered around enjoying the sights and sounds, and also perhaps a beer or a coffee at one of the many cafes lining the street. The city was buzzing with life, music, and color, as the fair of Saint Dominic was in full swing, attracting lots of visitors apart from ourselves. There were stalls selling local wares everywhere, from food to crafts of all sorts including jewelry and leather goods, and, of course, amber, which was for sale everywhere, and many of us felt irresistibly drawn to make a purchase.
We then all reconvened for a marvelous dinner at the Brovarnia Restaurant, after which we had the highlight of the day for many—a private performance of Chopin and Schubert pieces at the Philharmonie. After this we returned by coaches to Westerplatte, where the National Geographic Orion was docked, having had a very full but very enjoyable day in this wonderful city.
