May 18 Vilnius Day 2

I had a great day today. The kind you don't get on tours.

I started my walking at nine, and I couldn't believe how quiet it was. I mean, today is Saturday, and I am downtown, and I am just about alone. No restaurants are open. Nada.

One of the things to do in Vilnius is to walk up the hill at the town center. I had intended to take the furnicular, but it didn't start till ten, and I was there shortly after nine, so I decided to hike up. You know you are getting old when a six year old goes by you as if you are standing still. Come to think about it, I was standing still. Huffing. The hill is the site of the original castle, which withstood several invasions, and sieges some by the crusaders. Some ruins are still present, and you get a lovely view of the city.

After my hike to the castle I visited the National Museum. Not one of the high-lights of the trip. Part of the collection were items collected by Lithuanians from far away, for example the was an Egyptian mummy. How that ties in with Lithuania I don't understand. There were some nice displays of national costumes, and also depictions of farm life. One of the things I don't understand is that you are not allowed any kind of photography. I can understand "no flash", but no photos at all doesn't male any sense.

I started to visit the Old Town, and discovered that today was the day that any musician could find a spot, and perform. There were some official bandstands, but most musicians just found a spot, and played. It was like a busker fest, but not as organized.

There was everything from kids playing a violin, to rock bands, folk singers, polka bands, there was even a group of salsa dancers. Every block had two or three acts. The streets that were empty at nine, were packed with people.

I happened to catch a trio, two guitars, and a vocalist. The girl had a gorgeous voice, and I spent over half an hour listening to her. She was really good. It amazes me the talent that never gets recognized.

It had been a beautiful, sunny day, but the clouds suddenly appeared, and it rained for a few minutes. I decided to head home, it's been a long day.

May 17 Vilnius, Day 1

I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to last night. The only ways to get directly from Gdansk to Vilnius, in Lithuania, was by plane, 300 dollars, or overnight bus, 45 dollars. For me that's not a choice. Bus here I come.
I did luck out three ways.
Number 1- my apartment, in Gdansk, wasn't rented out on Thursday, so I was able to use it till I left for my 7 pm bus.
Number 2- the bus was only a quarter full, and I took the last row, 5 seats, and I could lie across all five. I actually slept about 6 hours.
Number 3- my apartment in Vilnius was available, and I could check in as soon as I got there.
Getting there was a bit tricky, but I did make it.
Vilnius is not what I expected. It has none of the architecture of the medieval cities in Poland, but it looks more like a 19th century European city, like Madrid or Vienna. It is very clean, lots of flowers along the streets.
I decided to cheer myself up, by visiting the KGB museum. Yes, there is such a thing!
Lithuania suffered greatly under Soviet rule, until, about 1990. 95% of the Jews were killed during the war, and then the Nazis were replaced by the Communists, and suffered deportations to Russia, starvation, and brutality.
The KGB museum is in the actual building occupied by the KGB, and the display is quite sobering. The torture chamber is still there, as is the execution room, where several hundred people were taken to be shot.
Another photographic display showed that the Soviets would display the corpses of freedom fighters at public displays, like village squares and local markets. That could damping your shopping experience.
After that visit I decided to skip my "Happy Meal" at McDonalds.
I saw another sad thing. There was an elderly gentleman, who looked a bit rough, ahead of me at the grocery line. All he bought was a bottle of vodka; must be a new fad diet. Well as he stepped out, he dropped the bottle, and it shattered. I could see the tears in his eyes. Life can be rough sometimes.
Ralf

May 16 last day in Poland, for now

I have gained a lot of respect for Poland, and it's people, over the last few days. I don't think there has been a nation that has been shafted as much as Poland.
For 150 years, before 1918, there was no Poland,  it was divided between Prussia, Austria, and Russia. After WWI it became Poland again. It put up a valiant fight against Hitler in 1939, but, with no help, was defeated.
Before the war Poland was home to 80% of European Jews. 3 million were killed during the war. The Communist government encouraged many to emigrate, during the years after the war, so that the Jewish population is now less than 20 000. 
The Poles resisted the Nazis during the war, and were brutally put down.
After the war Russia dominated Poland, until 1989, the year semi-democratic elections were held. (The Communists were automatically give 65% of seats, the rest were elected. Not one Communist won one of those seats)
It is absolutely amazing to see Poland today, a fantastic accomplishment for Poland.
One of the remainders of the Communist era are "Milk Bars". I don't think they exist anywhere else. There is no alcohol served, thus the name. They were instituted by the Communist government, so that the workers could eat out, occasionally. These restaurants were subsidized by the government and served basic Polish food. Some are still in existence, some are still subsidized. There are no waiters, you order at the counter, and wait for your meal. There is no English menu. The decor is definitely Communist Era. I have eaten at a few, in the different cities, and found them very cheap, and the food was good. Service can be a problem. There have been a couple of times, where I've had the feeling they didn't want to serve tourists, and either ignored me, or just said "no" for whatever I asked.
For my last meal, before I leave for Lithuania, I had a bowl of soup, and a plate of pyrogies, the total came to 3 dollars, no tax, no tip,

May 15 Day 3 in Gdansk

I had a leisure day of sightseeing today.
By the way, yesterday was a scoreless draw..
Nuns.   0
Muslims 0.
Gdansk is not a typical Polish city. It sure doesn't look like one, and when you read the history it is inderstandable. Before it became part of modern Poland, after WWII, it was more German than anything.
An interesting fact, WWII officially started when Hitler fired on Westerplatte, on the edge of Gdansk.
After the war it was almost completely destroyed by the Russians, as revenge against the Germans. Looting and rape was encouraged. An entire convent of nuns threw themselves off the top of their convent, rather than face the Russians.
The restoration has been unbelievable. The old buildings have been restored to their splendour during the 16 and 17th century. One of the museums I toured had pictures of Gdansk in 1945, and it is nothing but rubble.
You wouldn't know it from what it looks like today.
I did "The Royal Walk", which is the route royalty would take when they visited Gdansk. It starts at 3 gates, which were the entrance to the city, and goes down the Main Street to the harbour, about half a kilometre.
The street is quite wide, pedestrian only, and is lined by beautiful houses and official buildings. As I mentioned before the houses are very similar to houses in Amsterdam. They are tall and skinny; taxes were based on frontage. The insides are all the same. If you were to look down on the house, it would not be a rectangle. It would be like a "U", but with the horizontal line being much longer. The rooms at the front, on all floors, would be the showpieces of the house. The back would be the same size as front, but it would be where the family lived, not as fancy as the front. The thin line connecting the two parts would be utility rooms, with a garden being inside the "U".
This afternoon I visited the shipyard area, which is world famous for the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, under Lech Walensa. This is where the liberation of Eastern Europe from Communism started.
There is a very moving museum, which described living conditions under Communism, and the story of the Solidarity movement. Three times did the regime put down the uprisings, one more violent than the next. It took 20 years, but the Polish people were the first to gain their independence.
I wish more Canadians would have an opportunity to see how lucky we are living in Canada. There would be a lot less complaining.
Tomorrow I leave Poland and move on to Lithuania.
Ralf

May.14 Day 2 in Gdansk

I spent the day visiting Malbork Castle. This is a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in the 12 century. It is about an hour and a half, by train, from Gdansk. 

To get the facts over and done, it is the largest, by area, castle in the world. 52 acres inside the walls. It is also the largest brick building in Europe.

To say it is impressive would be an understatement. 

You have to picture this castle in an area that is completely flat. It doesn't sit on a hill, there aren't any, it is just this massive structure sitting out in the open, visible for miles. It must have been an awesome sight to visitors, and enemies.

The reason it is made of bricks is that there are no rocks in the area, but there is plenty of clay; ergo...bricks.

The Teutonic Knights built Malbork, and several other, smaller castles to control the area for almost 200 years.

At its height it housed 3000 knights and brothers. I didn't see any mention of women, so it must have been testosterone  heaven.

It took me 3 hours to tour the castle.

There are some interesting features. In the basement they had layers of rocks, sitting atop of wooden furnaces. The hot rocks heated the air, and the air was directed, by chimneys to the upper floors, where floor vents allowed the rooms to be heated. There were few fireplaces. Quite ingenious.

The castle was almost completely destroyed during WWII; it was bombed by the Nazis, then the Americans, and finally by the Russians. The restorations are fantastic, and not yet finished.

If you google Malbork Castle you can appreciate its size and splendour.

I did learn another interesting bit. Another use of cabbage leaves? Think...before the invention of toilet paper. I'll never look at cole slaw the same way.

Another nice weather day

Ralf

May 13 Gdansk Day 1

May 13, 2013, and my apartment number is 13. You would think it is on the first floor; no such luck, third floor, 65 steps (that's divisible by 13). A superstitious person would have second thoughts.

Today went smoothly. I left Torun on the 8:52 train, and arrived in Gdansk at 12:30. The trains are quite comfortable, not too crowded, but well used.

This time of year seems to be field trip time. Everywhere I've been there have been school groups, from Kindergarten to high school. Most of the tourists have been German.

I never realized how much history is shared by Poland and Germany. Even the money. The small coins are called Groschen, which was the same as in Austria.

I always have fun, when I arrive at a new toenail, orienting myself. I ask, but not everyone speaks German or English, and it takes time to orient myself, even with a map. My apartment is only 15 from the train station, but it took me half an hour to find it.

I am staying in an apartment this time. The building is old, but the apartment has been renovated. It is fully equipped, kitchen, living room, it even has those fantastic European windows, that open in different ways.

There is a real German and Dutch feel to the town. For many years it was known as Danzig, and was self governing. It was an important port from medieval times on.

The architecture is very different from the Polish cities I have seen, at least in the old parts. Gdansk is more like Amsterdam. The houses are quite narrow, and tall, three stories, and an attic.

One of the things I love most, in Poland, are the bakeries and pastry shops. It seems there is one every second block. The aroma is fabulous, and the products are delicious. My kind of town.

The other thing I have noticed is the length of the day. It starts to get light at about 3:30, and sunrise is 4:30. It is still light at 9. 

If this were Dundas I would be walking Logan at 4 am.

I am off to Malbork Castle, one of the high lights of Poland tomorrow.

Till then, have fun,

Ralf

May 12 Torun Day 2

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers.
I take it all back, what I said about Torun. It is a lovely city.
My morning didn't start well, it started to rain as soon as I started to  go out. I walked for an hour or so, but it was cold and raining. What I thought was the main square, yesterday, was not. I did find it today, and it is lovely.
Torun has a population of about 200 000, but the medieval part is small. It is in an oval shape, about 6 city blocks by 10. It was not damaged during WWII, so the medieval buildings have survived remarkedly well. It has more original buildings than any other city in Poland.
It finally stopped raining in the early afternoon.
I spent most of the day at two attractions. One was the Ethnographic Museum, which is like a small Pioneer Village. Buildings from the surrounding area, from the 1800' on, are reassembled, all in an attractive park. The nice thing was that there was an English speaking guide to show me around. The most impressive structure was a wind mill, which was on a circular track, so that the entire building could be rotated as the wind direction changes. A neat system.
Torun, other than Copernicus' birthplace, is known for its ginger bread. They have been baking ginger bread in Torun for 700 years. I toured the Ginger Bread Museum, and it was a lot of fun. The ingredients are interesting. Honey is the only liquid used. The spices which are added are, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Two kinds of flour are used, white and wheat. After these ingredients are mixed into a dough, it is stored for 12 WEEKS, in wooden barrels. Only then is it formed and baked. In the olden times the baking time was the equivalent of 40 Hail Marys.
There are many shops selling ginger bread, and I have to say it is delicious, better than anything I have ever tasted.
I went to a restaurant specializing in pyrogies. These were more like Italian calzones, big, and baked. There are a varieties of fillings. One interesting note; the bread was served with lard, with bits of bacon. I would have preferred butter. I am enjoying the beer, although half a liter of beer gives me a good buzz.
Tomorrow it's on to Gdansk.
Ralf