November 13, 2015 - We arrive without mishap (except Judy falling over a stone bench in the airport) in Warsaw.  The airport in Warsaw is Chopin airport.  It is quite nice and because we had some time to spare before getting our flight to Gdansk we roamed through the airport.  Amazingly, there is a music area with a young man playing on a Steinway Boston Grand Piano.  He was incredible.  Later, we went back to the area and no one was there, but the sign said that the anyone is invited to play.  Ken decided he would play the little bit of Moonlight Sonata that he had memorized.

Ken plays a few measures of Moonlight Sonata.

We finally catch our flight to Gdansk, after going through some pretty intense security.  The flight to Gdansk is uneventful.  We arrive late but have no trouble getting a cab to the hotel Qubus.

November 14, 2015 - GDANSK

We decided, based on the weather, that it would be best to go to Malbork Castle.  We figure out how to go to the railroad station to take the train (the people at the hotel were exceptionally helpful).  Lo and behold, there is a McDonald's at the railroad station, Ken gets breakfast (I get a big pretzel) and we take the train to Malbork.

On the train to Marlbork

 Marlbork Castle is a UNESCO Heritage site, a 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order.  It is a fine example of a medieval brick castle.  It later fell into decay and was restored in the 19th and 20th century.  It was severely damaged in WWII, but was restored.  The castle is the largest in the world, by surface area.    We had a good audio tour, of about 3 hours, although the history was somewhat confusing.
We'll have to research it.  Below are some pictures of the castle.

Summer refectory

Nice house.

We leave Malbork Castle, walk through the town of Malbork and head to the train station.  Along the way we pass a pharmacy which is of interest to the Gould clan.  

Bicycle car on train

Once back in Gdansk, we try to find our way to the old town.  It is raining and we are hungry.  We find a very good Chinese restaurant, Restaurant Chinska, which is very near the hotel.  Very good food and very good hot sake.  Unfortunately, while the hotel is nice, we can hear loud voices in the hallway.  The hotel could use better soundproofing.

November 15, 2015 - GDANSK

We head to the "old town" for breakfast at a very good restaurant.   We walk around the  Old Town, which is quite beautiful and not very big.  It actually was reconstructed after World War II

Gdańsk (Danzig in German) is a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. At the center of its Main Town, reconstructed after WWII, are the colorful facades of the Long Market, now home to shops and restaurants. Nearby is Neptune Fountain, a 17th-century symbol of the city topped by a bronze statue of the sea god.

We go to St. Mary's Church, Neptune's Fountain,  Main Town Hall, through the Green Gate and Golden Gate, tour Uphagen's House  (an 18th Century merchant's house).

Qubus Hotel

Old Town

Town Hall

Neptune's Fountain

St. Mary's Church

Main Town Hall

St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church

St.  Mary's Church

Motlawa River with view of Crane

Motlawa River

Green Gate

Uphagen's Haus

After walking through Old Town we work our way to the Solidarity Museum (known as the European Solidarity Center).  The museum is about a year old and is incredible.  We take the audio tour but one could easily spend a day or more there.  After going to the Solidarity Museum we walk to the shipyard.  It is in a deteriorated state but there are still cranes there.  

Shipyard

Memorial to the workers killed in 1970 in front of Solidarity Museum

Solidarity Museum

Check out the bike path to the Shipyard

Shipyard

Shipyard

Another view of the Memorial

Shipyard memorial

The Crane

We take the tram back to the old town and rush to the Crane, with 10 minutes to spare before it is closed.   We plead to go in. The  Gdańsk Crane (Żuraw) rises above the waterfront. Built in the mid-15th century as the biggest double-towered gate on the shoreline, it also served to shift heavy cargo directly onto vessels docked at the quay. Incredibly, this people-powered device could hoist loads of up to 2000kg, making it the largest crane in medieval Europe. Early-17th-century wheels were added higher up for installing masts.

Blasted to pieces in 1945, everything was carefully put back together in the postwar decades, making it the only fully restored relic of its kind in the world.We climb up into the section overlooking the water and have a closer look at the hoisting gear

Hoisting device

After a fast run through the Crane, we head for dinner at Pod Bandera, which is right on the Motlawa River.  The best part was the hot mulled wine.

We have a little bit of time to do some shopping.  Gdansk is known for its amber.  There are amber stores everywhere - to the point that one can be on amber overload.  We find some earrings for Jacki and head back to the Hotel to wait for the taxi to the airport.

Artwork in tunnel to hotel

 The Gdansk airport is relatively new with vaulted ceilings.  We go by prop plane to Warsaw, where we have to deplane, go to a different gate, only to take the bus back to the same prop plane.  Once in Krakow  (about midnight), Judy falls over a suitcase that someone dropped.  We had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport. but he doesn't show up.  Luckily someone lent us a cell phone to call the hotel.  The manager says to just take a taxi and we ultimately do that and arrive at Hotel Santi at about 12:45 a.m.  The hotel, in an old building, overlooks the Old Town of Krakow.  The room is quite nice - very large, although it took us awhile to find our room.
But more of Krakow next.