Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Poland

  • Gdynia – Traffic Lights

    Gdynia – Traffic Lights

    I think it’s fair to say that the content I’m writing isn’t necessarily the most enthralling today, but I’m quite pleased at this development in traffic lights at pedestrian crossings….

    There are many crossings across Poland where I’m never quite sure when I’ve successfully pressed the button to cross. Not having an engineering mind, I’ve also noted many other British people struggle with their operation, as they don’t make sense to me. However, revolution is here with these, there are lights which flash to show where to press and then they make clear with all manner of shapes (well, a circle) when it’s time to cross the road.

    However, I’ve noticed over the last couple of days that whilst children seem to love pressing them, some of the more slightly mature generation look entirely bemused at them.

    A button for pedestrians using the new crossing, photo: Kamil Złoch

    I think the local authorities are quite pleased with them too….

  • Gdynia – Beach

    Gdynia – Beach

    Gdynia has a beach, although I expect that it’s a lot nicer and more pleasant during the summer months….

  • Gdynia – Pope John Paul II

    Gdynia – Pope John Paul II

    Pope John Paul II, who was the first non-Italian Pope since 1523, was an important figure not just to the Catholic Church, but also in the political reform movement. He came to Gdynia in June 1987 and he made a speech which mentioned the word ‘solidarity’ on several occasions. This was a deliberate reference to the Solidarity movement which had sprung up in Gdansk, and in other Polish cities, wanting reform and modernisation of the country.

    Wojciech Jaruzelski, the Polish head of state at the time, wasn’t best pleased at this speech, as he had been saying quite clearly that Solidarity was finished and had no future. Jaruzelski, who was later fortunate to avoid trial for serious crimes against humanity because of his age, wasn’t entirely correct, as Lech Wałęsa from the Solidarity movement became the democratically elected President of Poland in 1990. Jaruzelski later renounced communism, although his reputation by that time was shattered beyond repair and I do wonder what he thought of Poland by the time he died in 2014.

    Tens of thousands of people turned up to hear Pope John Paul II when he visited and this statue recalls some of the words that he said at the time. The city of Gdynia has also renamed one of its main streets, al. Jana Pawła II, after the Pope.

  • Gdynia – Shrubbery

    Gdynia – Shrubbery

    From a previous visit I made to Gdynia, some interesting shrubbery (I used that word solely for the Monty Python reference) in the city’s park.

  • Gdynia – C Corner Cafe

    Gdynia – C Corner Cafe

    This cafe looked of a reasonable size and seemed well reviewed, so I accidentally meandered in. I seem to do a lot of accidental meandering into cafes and pubs, but such is life. There was coffee cup decoration on the walls and I liked the clarity of the service, which was to pay at the counter and then wait for the food and drinks to be brought over. This is my favourite style of service, with the staff member being helpful and polite. The customer base was also quite mixed, which is usually a positive sign, with students on laptops and middle-aged women chatting.

    Some appetising and delicious looking cakes, although I hadn’t intended to eat anything on this visit.

    The latte was well presented and had a richness of taste.

    The temptation was too strong. The mango cake, which was served as a large portion and was moist and flavoursome. There were pieces of mango within the cake, with the chocolate accoutrements sticking out the top adding some extra texture. The cake was quite sweet, but was fresh and piquant. It wasn’t the cheapest of cafes, but the quality of the products justified the cost, with the atmosphere being suitably relaxed and informal.

  • Gdynia – Film Festival Sculpture

    Gdynia – Film Festival Sculpture

    The Gdynia Film Festival (or the Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych w Gdyni) is a substantial event for the area, having been annually since 1974, other than for a couple of years when Poland was under martial law. From 1974 until 1986, the event was held in Gdansk, but since then it has been held in Gdynia.

    The names of the winners of various categories are added to this sculpture after the results are announced, so it’s one of the few pieces of public artwork which is constantly updated. It’s a nicely crafted sculpture, something a little different for the park that it’s located in, which is the Council of Europe Park.

  • Gdynia – The Future of Ordering…..

    McDonald’s have been using screens for ordering for many years, indeed I tested them in 2012 in London when I was sent free vouchers by the company for timing them. And, KFC and Burger King have followed suit over the years with ordering screens, which make it much easier for those who don’t speak the native language or don’t know exactly what they want to order. There are some McDonald’s now as well which have been redesigned to just have one ordering counter, with their staff rarely actually taking orders any more.

    It’s only recently though I’ve noticed the trend of fast food outlets putting screens on the counter itself, with the staff now solely performing the role of preparing and serving the food. Marvellously convenient, although it does seem just a little impersonal.

  • Gdynia – Morning at the Dock

    It’s a little bit cold on the dock at Gdynia where the wind is blowing in, although it’s peaceful since I’m the only one there. Not that I’m going anywhere on the water, I’m going back to the warmth of the town centre….

  • Gdynia – Surfburger

    Gdynia – Surfburger

    Not the clearest of photos of the exterior of the restaurant unfortunately….. Surfburger is a little bit of a local burger institution, having well reviewed outlets in Gdynia, Sopot and in Gdansk. And I do like visiting the highest rated burger and pizza restaurant in a city, so this met my requirements as the best rated burger option.

    The menu and my Fritz-Kola, although they do also sell craft beer. The service was excellent as it was friendly, attentive and polite. It’s not a large restaurant, but there was sufficient space when I was there as there were only two other customers. It’s a comfortable place though, all clean and ordered, with customers ordering at the counter. There’s also a nice and simple order number process, which is a piece of paper with the order number on which is then called out.

    The burger and chips. They took just over twenty minutes to arrive, which was a little longer than I had anticipated, but if that’s the cost of freshly made food, it’s worth it. The chips smelt like they were from a fish & chip shop, so this pleased me greatly as I could pretend that I was back at Grosvenor.

    The caramel burger and it took me a little while to work out exactly what I was getting, with Google Translate producing some slightly inaccurate results. It transpired that this was a beefburger served with goat’s cheese from Norway, which had a caramel flavour. There was also tomato and red onion which added some texture, along with some lettuce and lime sauce. I wasn’t asked how I wanted the burger cooked, but it was moist and flavourful, quite a rich taste. The bun held together whilst eating it, with the burger being well presented.

    The price was a little high for Poland, around £7.25 for the burger, chips and drink, but I thought it was perfectly decent value given the quality. There were no real negatives about the visit, I might well visit the branches in Sopot and Gdansk when I’m next in those cities.

  • Gdansk – Mały Młyn

    Gdansk – Mały Młyn

    Mały Młyn means small mill, although it’s actually a former granary for the larger mill (known as the Great Mill, which has temporarily been closed to the public) which is located on the opposite. The original building here dates from around 1391 and 1407, although it was rebuilt during the fifteenth century. It was modified during the nineteenth century, but unfortunately was destroyed during the Second World War.

    The reconstructed building was completed in 1967 and it’s today used by private companies and groups, so there’s no routine public access to the interior. It’s a pretty gothic style building though.