This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from August 4 to 10. We left Krakow on Monday, spent a day in Wroclaw (Tuesday), stopped by Torun on our way to Gdansk (Wednesday) and spent the rest of the week in Gdansk, with day trips to Malbork and Sopot. Whew!
Favorite thing we ate: Jonathan really enjoyed our lunch in Malbork, especially the kielbasa (above left). After finishing our tour of the castle (more below), we walked across the river to get a panoramic view of the castle and stopped for lunch at a small cafeteria we passed. Megan loved the chili chocolate we got at Czekoladomania, a chocolate café in Wroclaw [above right].
Favorite thing we drank: Instead of heading back to Gdansk after touring Malbork Castle, we went straight to Sopot: a small beach town that’s part of the “Tri-City” area in northern Poland (Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia). When we realized there was a fee to walk on the pier, we decided to go to a bar next to the pier for a drink instead. That drink turned into a whole bottle of champagne [pictured above]. Not a bad way to spend an August afternoon!
Favorite thing we did: Megan really enjoyed our visit to Malbork Castle [pictured above], which boasted one of the best audio guides she has ever listened to. The castle was huge and takes about three hours to get through with the audio guide, but it is well worth the time. Jonathan also liked the castle but was even more impressed by the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, which offers a comprehensive and straightforward look at the history of WWII and the atrocities that were committed in both Europe and Asia.
Biggest splurge: Well, we set a new record for our most expensive accommodation. Our hostel room is Gdansk cost us $110/night. Ouch! That’s the thing about flexible travel–it’s nice to be able to change plans last-minute, but sometimes there are no affordable rooms left by the time we decide where to go. We booked this room about two hours before we arrived in Gdansk, and it was literally one of four available choices we could find in the $100-and-under range. We couldn’t even find two dorm beds in the same hostel, so we booked the cheapest private room we could find.
Best deal: It only cost 5 PLN (about $1.30 USD) each to rent an audio guide for the Museum of the Second World War, and it significantly enhanced our experience. This museum is huge and comprehensive, and the audio guide helped direct our focus and move us through the exhibits. If you read all the signs and looked at the multimedia exhibits, you could easily spend 4+ hours here (we spent about 3).
What we’re reading: Jonathan finished Dark Money by Jane Mayer and started To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins on audio. Megan was disappointed by Those People by Louise Candlish, so she immediately followed it with another quick-paced thriller, Save Me from Dangerous Men by S.A. Lelchuk, which she preferred. She also read Jazz to commemorate the passing of Toni Morrison.
Total walking distance: 37.77 miles
Up next: Warsaw and then continuing north through the Baltics.
When I was a kid, I remember my parents watching Sopot Song festival on TV every year, it was very popular back then. To people living behind the “iron curtain” it was a piece of West and different, unattainable life.
As for the Museum of the Second World War – lots of travelers shy away from visiting places like that, and I am glad you did not. While this is not the most cheerful place to visit, it is such a big part of wold history. Poland and other European countries suffered so much during that time and lost so many people.
Did you pass, by any chance, by Gdansk Library of Polish Academy of Science? It is done in a Gothic style and I believe the original building dates back to 16th century or so.
Thanks for sharing, Marina! We did not visit the library you mentioned; now I wish we would have. We will definitely visit Poland again, so I’ll be sure to keep it on the list for next time. 😉 And yes, we agree–history is not always fun, but it’s important. We really like to learn about the places we visit, even when it’s not pleasant.