Gdansk, Poland

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Gdansk, Poland, followed by 10 days in the UK (I'll share my adventured in the UK at a later date). Gdansk is a beautiful city with a rich history. The people are friendly.

Notice all the windows, they seem to have been installed by the same company.

Even the gutters look charming.

Many of the roadways in town had these arches.

World War II is very much present in the various monuments around town. Gdansk was taken over by the Germans. Later they were bombed by the Americans and the English, leaving the city in rubble, but the people we happy to be free from the grip of the Germans. Much of the city had to be rebuilt using the bricks from the ruins. Unfortunately, they were then taken over by the Russians. It wasn't until 50 years later before they were once again free.

The monument below touched me the most. It show a photograph of Jewish men who were lined up against a wall and shot. This was before Hitler decided bullets were to expensive to do the job. The wall still has bullet holes in it and they've added metal fingerprints and chin prints in the exact spot where the men were. One can feel nothing but awe and respect in this place. The way it was done made the event absolutely real. It's difficult to describe the feelings from this place, knowing how many fell to the same fate.

On a lighter note, here I am for the very first time, standing on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The wind coming off the sea was very cold that day, but I never dreamed I would be in such a place. It was beautiful.

I'm waving bye for now, but will write again in the few days with some pictures of England, a place I go every year or so.