Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Gdansk

Gdansk – Galleon Tour to Westerplatte

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

It was my final day in Poland and Łukasz’s suggestion to go on a pirate galleon to Westerplatte didn’t seem like a bad idea. It required very little energy and involved sailing the high seas. Well, the Baltic Sea.

The company operating the trip has two boats that they use, which are quite different in design, but both look the part. We got to go on both of them, the Czarna Perła (the Black Pearl) and the Galeon Lew (the Lion Galleon).

They had live music with a man playing sea shanties, he was surprisingly good.

We had a little visit to Westerplatte, with the monument in the background. We only had an hour there which would have been insufficient to actually see the entire historic site. It was certainly much busier than when I had gone before in November 1996.

Our galleon arrives into Westerplatte, ready to sweep us back into Gdansk. We enjoyed watching some of the visitors trying to barge their way up the gangway to ensure that they got first entry to the boat…..

Gdansk harbour area.

Watching the other galleon go sailing past us as we headed back into Gdansk.

The final trip was over as we arrived back into Gdansk.

I’d never noticed this sign before, but it’s on the entry to the central harbour area.

Łukasz, surveying the high seas and wondering what life would have been like as a Polish naval commander.

Me, wondering what free gift Greggs will be sending me this month on the app.

September 9, 2025
Gdansk

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

After a lovely few days in Gdansk, I’m now off to the airport to catch my first Wizzair flight which will take me to Cologne in Germany.

Willa Fahrenheita

Galleon Tour to Westerplatte

Caffe Perro Negro

Browar PG4

Forum Shopping Centre

Westerplatte

Kotka Cafe

Salad Story

Labeerynt

Gryf Hotel

Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa

Solidarity Museum

I’ve arrived 🙂

September 9, 2025
Gdansk – Willa Fahrenheita

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

For my final three days in Gdansk I stayed at the two-star Willa Fahrenheita. It’s about a twenty-minute walk to the city centre, but there’s a tram setup nearby meaning both Sopot and central Gdansk are easily accessible.

The hotel reception isn’t always open, but there’s a number that can be called. They have a system of not using keycards or keys, but instead relying on numerical entry pads for the main door and the room, something which I prefer (I don’t have to wait at reception at hand them back….).

Nice welcome snack and drink, always a lovely little touch. The man at check-in was also particularly friendly, making a real effort to give a positive first impression, which he certainly managed to do. I was also checking-in slightly earlier than the usual hours, so his efforts were much appreciated.

The room had a pleasant balcony, although the view wasn’t spectacular, I had hoped to see The Hanging Gardens of Babylon or herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain.

The room was clean and comfortable, I quite liked the little sofa which overlooked the balcony area. I did find that the housekeeping hours were rather erratic, but given the price, I thought that it was overall a very acceptable stay. It was also quiet, it’s tucked away down a back street set back from the road, so it’s unlikely that anyone would be disturbed by external noise.

September 9, 2025
Gdansk – Caffe Perro Negro

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I’m not really a cafe person normally, but since it started to pour with rain, I thought it would be a pleasant environment to sit for a while. There were no brave patrons sitting outside when I went in, primarily because it was bucketing down with rain, but it started to get a little busier by the time I had left. I also like the building, it’s rather quaint.

The cafe, which was mostly full when I was there, had a quirky interior, and felt rather at ease with itself. There was just one staff member serving, and she didn’t really get chance to stop during my visit. She seemed rushed, but was always helpful and pleasant.

I liked the spider effect which the lighting had. I also liked the atmosphere, as it was quiet and peaceful, without some awful rowdy and raucous music playing. The interior of the restaurant also felt quite artistic in its design, some considerable thought had been put in to how the cafe felt and looked for customers.

I was less taken with the light covering.

It was raining outside, so the rule is that I must have a hot chocolate. The rule is actually quite flexible, sometimes I must have beer. I wasn’t asked if I wanted cream on top, but I was very pleased that the drink appeared with lots of it.

The price was reasonable as the cafe was quite central, 9zl for the drink, which is around £1.80. They did food as well, primarily cakes, but also rolls and some light meals. I didn’t see any chicken bakes on offer though, so I decided to save myself for a pub visit…..

September 9, 2025
Gdansk – Forum Shopping Centre

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

Since I last came to Gdansk a huge new shopping centre has opened up near to the city centre, and it’s rather substantial in size with two McDonald’s (that’s how a shopping centre size can be judged). I do quite like shopping centres, as it means free toilets and food courts, which are both useful things to have available.

I also have an exciting theory (well, it’s not exciting at all really, but I have to make things sound as interesting as I can) that a city’s economic situation can be measured to some degree by what is happening with their shopping centres. In Norwich, the Castle Mall seems to be looking ever emptier every time I go into it. There appear to be more closed up units than open units, and I do wonder whether the Castle Mall is actually going to be a viable shopping unit in a few years.

Anyway, I digress. In Gdansk, as in much of central and eastern Europe, they’re building shopping centres at some pace. And I rather like this new one, the Forum Gdansk, and it’s an impressive building in terms of its design and its size. Apparently there were some teething troubles and the opening launch got delayed, but all these little snagging issues (I use that word for Liam) seem to have been resolved.

The food court. One of my favourite places in any shopping centre. And, unlike many other centres around the world, they’ve actually got enough tables even for when I came here at a busy time (ie, not when I took the above photo).

Much of the shopping centre has three storeys of shops.

Big and airy….

Some sort of dance event being held outside of the centre.

The exterior area, and one of the centre’s two McDonald’s. The whole centre appears popular in terms of the number of people here, although since it’s just opened it might still have a novelty factor. The opening hours are long and it’s easily accessible from both the main railway station and the main street.

September 8, 2025
Gdansk – Westerplatte

[I originally posted this in June 2018 regarding a visit to Gdansk in November 2016, but I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links]

Back to November 2016, when I visited Westerplatte which is where the first military conflict of the Second World War took place. Of all the places that I visited on that trip, this is the one that stayed with me for the longest, as the area is now so serene and peaceful that it’s hard to imagine the horrors of what happened there.

For such an important historical site, it’s not particularly easy to get there. There are buses which go to and from the site from Gdansk city centre, but they’re not that frequent. The buses were though quite busy, so perhaps in time the frequency of the buses might increase. For the moment, buses 106 and 138 go the site and they’re the standard bus ticket price.

The site is substantial in size and it contains a large memorial to the battle, as well as numerous buildings in various states of repair. Some of the buildings are nearly entirely destroyed, a few are still standing, but most are badly damaged. There’s no entrance charge to enter the site and there are numerous information boards placed around the location to allow visitors to interpret the site. My investigation of the area took just over two hours, although I could have done with just a little more time, but was constrained by the bus timetable.

Back to the importance of Westerplatte…. Gdansk was at the time known as the Free City of Danzig and was technically run by the League of Nations to ensure that it was protected. However, the League of Nations wasn’t a particularly effective or strong organisation, and it was soon railroaded into positions which weren’t in the interests of Poland or its people.

Danzig had a majority German population, so it found itself as a bastion of empire in what was now an area surrounded by Poland. The compromise agreement of being managed by the League of Nations was never really tenable, as German nationalists wanted it back. With the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, that desire of seeing a German Danzig became an important point of principle for Hitler.

On the 1 September 1939 the German ship Schleswig-Holstein fired upon the Polish troops at Westerplatte and the war had begun. The Polish resistance surprised, and I think horrified, the Germans. The Poles were also holding other locations in Gdansk that the Germans were to attack, and the strength of the defence was respected by the German troops. However, the Nazi control saw it as a substantial threat, and so perhaps took a much more aggressive line to how they treated the Polish military.

The defence of Westerplatte did delay the Germans by many hours, which was the initial point of building these defensive structures. Around 15 Poles were killed during the battle, but around 250 Germans lost their lives. The Germans soldiers at the site were so impressed at the bravery of the Polish defence that when the Poles surrendered, the commander of the site was allowed to keep his sword.

One of the badly damaged buildings which the Germans attacked. It was impressive to me that the building still stayed standing, let alone they had managed to secure it so that visitors could walk around it. They must have done complex civil engineering things to strengthen and support parts of the collapsing concrete and masonry. Or they just left it and hoped for the best…..

More photos of the interior of the same building. There are ramps which have been added to the structure to get in and out of the building, but none of it was closed off to visitors. I didn’t like to explore too closely though, just in case random bits of building fell on me.

The exterior of the above building, with the ramp to access it visible on the right hand side.

Another damaged structure at the site.

This today is the bridge at the end of the main street that so many tourists walk over and the Żuraw (or crane) building is visible on the right hand side of the photo. It’s rather haunting to be reminded that the Nazi party was so warmly welcomed into Danzig by the mostly German inhabitants.

The Westerplatte Memorial which was contributed to mark the bravery of those Poles who defended this site, and to all of those who defended freedom.

The flags of Poland and the European Union fly at the site. Freedom prevails.

September 7, 2025
Gdansk – Labeerynt

[This was a post from June 2018 early in my craft beer adventures, so excuse the lack of details. I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links]

This craft beer bar came well recommended, and although it was nearly empty on my arrival, it soon got busier.

I asked if they had any dark beers, and they located two different bottles in the fridges. One of the beers they found was milk stout, which perfectly matched my requirements.

The drinks selection on a large chalkboard.

The bar got busy when the World Cup match started. It’s Mexico against South Korea and I hope it finishes soon….

August 11, 2025
Gdansk – Browar PG4

[I originally posted this in June 2018 but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I’m always pleased to see new brewery restaurants opening up, and this is located at Podwale Grodzkie 4 in the basement of a city hotel. It’s quite easy to miss the restaurant as it’s to the rear of the building, rather than accessed through the main frontage of the hotel.

The brewery equipment gives a positive first impression, with everything looking modern and clean.

The beer selection, at first sight, looked interesting, but unfortunately the majority of it wasn’t available. The staff member made an appropriate alternative recommendation, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of dark beer.

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant wasn’t packed at 14:00 on a Monday afternoon in rainy Gdansk.

The restaurant interior, like the whole theme, is modern and on-trend, so there’s a contemporary feel. The menus at the table are in Polish on one side and in English on the other, with the prices being surprisingly reasonable given the location.

The service was efficient, attentive and very polite throughout, so it did feel like a welcoming restaurant. The beer tasted of a high quality and seemed fresh, with the temperature also being appropriate.

I ordered the fish and chips, because I do that a lot. The meal was beautifully presented, but I don’t know what the red dollops of sauce were, so there was a slight element of style over substance.

The fish was battered in a panko type breadcrumb, which made it crispy and added texture. Unfortunately, the whole fish was over-cooked slightly, so although perfectly edible, there was a bit too much texture for my liking. The cod itself flaked away and seemed of a good quality, and it had a pleasant taste. The tartare sauce seemed home-made and the chips tasted excellent, firm on the exterior and fluffy on the interior.

Overall, I thought that this was a rather pleasant location and it had a calm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff members were pleasant and the food wasn’t unreasonably priced, with the 0.5 litre of beer and food coming in around £10, although that’s towards the higher end for Poland. Ideally, there would have been a wider beer selection though, especially when they’ve got so many of the beer menus around the restaurant area.

August 4, 2025
Gdansk – Kotka Cafe

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

The cat cafe rules, sanitise your hands and then go and eat food and drink. And amuse yourself with cats if you so desire.

The food and drink, which is prepared in a separate room, was nicely presented and the prices are relatively low. There’s no charge to enter the cat cafe, and no timed entry system, with customers just expected to purchase food and drink during their visit. I felt that a latte and apple pie was a suitable morning dining experience, and it cost the equivalent of around £4. A decent depth of taste, everything at the appropriate temperature and tasting of a good quality, so all is well.

Some cats were sitting in baskets on the floor.

Some cats were sitting in baskets on the window sill.

Some cats, or kitten in this case, were lying down making a deliberate effort to look cute.

Some cats wanted to survey the action that was going on from their vantage point up high.

My favourite cat, a black and white one.

Resting cat.

The other heart-warming element of this cafe is that some of the cats are up for adoption, so you can take away an apple pie and a cat. Actually, the adoption process is slightly more complex than that, but it’s a nice idea that you can see the cat you like and interact with it. Some of the cats here are owned by the cafe and aren’t up for adoption, they’re here permanently.

The cats were also well trained, or as much as you can train a cat, not to eat food from the tables. Customers were also trained not to feed the cats, who were given cat food by the owners so didn’t need any more, which seemed much more sensible. During my time at the cafe, it all seemed to be very professional and both the cats and customers were suitably well behaved.

August 4, 2025
Gdansk – Salad Story

[I originally posted this in 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I’ve seen a lot of Salad Story outlets around Poland, and as the saying goes, no good story starts with a salad. However, sometimes a new experience has to be tried, even a salad experience.

The menu boards, with salads, wraps and juices being advertised. They didn’t exactly whet my appetite, but at least the signage was clear. They could perhaps do with a little chicken strips section, but perhaps that takes away from the vibe they’re trying to create. And, they are literally next door in the food court to McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC.

Actually, the main reason I’m not dining at the holy trinity of McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC is that they have large queues. Salad Story doesn’t. I can’t begin to imagine why…..

Salad stuff.

I went for a healthy Fanta, with lots of sugar, and a hot avocado wrap. It transpired fortunately the wrap had chicken in it, as otherwise it would have tasted rather dull. I must admit, their tomatoes were excellent, I do dislike those mushy things that are sometimes served in, usually, British restaurants.

The wrap was grilled and I do like avocado and its smeary texture, and it was much more substantial than I had anticipated when I ordered it. The prices here are towards the higher end of the scale, primarily because I’m in the food court of the Gdansk Forum Mall. The UK equivalent for the Fanta and avocado wrap was £5, which is the same as a large McDonald’s extra value meal.

Overall, it was much better than I anticipated. Would I go again? That’s a much more challenging issue for me to deal with given that they normally locate these outlets next door to McDonald’s et al. However, I wouldn’t refuse to eat here again.

So, although not yet converted, not disappointed….

August 4, 2025