It’s pronounced, “Gid-yansk”
After four long days of anticipation, our ship landed in Gdansk, Poland! While we were sailing towards Gdansk, a group of my friends collaborated to organize a Grand Tour of Poland and Germany, which would bring us through major cities and sites before arriving at the ship in Warnermunde, Germany five days later. I’ll show more pictures from our travels in future posts, but first, I’ll tell you about Gdansk!
After leaving the ship, it became quite apparent that the history of Gdansk, Poland was quite unique judging solely from the architecture. What I learned in my history course is that Saint Petersburg, Russia and Gdansk, Poland were once part of the Hanseatic League, a very powerful trade organization in the early 1000’s. The cultural exchange between Hanseatic cities was very strong, which is what led to the similarities in architecture between Saint Petersburg and Gdansk! Check out my pictures of Saint Catherine’s Cathedral and the famous canals by night.
Another compelling element of the city is that, historically, Gdansk has been a major port for sea trade. The sailing culture within the city is undeniable, and one centerpiece of the city is the gleaming fountain of Poseidon, god of the sea, in the center of town. You’ll see a great photograph of the fountain lit by night.
Finally, the food in Gdansk was incredible. Throughout my brief stay, we dined on little neck steak with grilled vegetables for lunch with fresh sangria and I later snacked on a platter of fresh sausages with olives and peppers!
Overall my day in Gdansk was great, and we departed the city eagerly en route to Krakow, Poland on an overnight train. Although, I’ll speak more on that later. 🙂
Best,
Jake Reshetar
Tags: semester at sea, Study Abroad
