How I spent my summer

My wife and I decided to go to Poland for our honeymoon. The choice of country was made completely by accident — we just spun the globe and pointed with our finger (mine or my wife’s — I don’t remember) and ended up there. After a bit of googling, we chose the city. The choice fell on the cozy seaside city of Gdansk.

Gdansk is located in the north of Poland and together with the cities of Sopot and Gdynia form a structure called trojmiasto (three cities).

If you are interested in how it was and what came out of it, you are welcome.

To be honest, I imagined Poland a little differently, not so "European".

The first thing that catches your eye is that there is not a single street in Gdansk without a bike path. It seems that Gdansk residents have wheels instead of legs. They use them to go to work, to the store, they carry children (in trailers or on an additional seat) and even dogs.

There are many playgrounds and dog parks in the city. There are first aid machines for dog care at every step. when you press the lever, you are given a specially designed bag in which you wrap your pet's feces and throw them into special trash bins located there.

The city's transport is very well developed. Trams and buses run around the city around the clock, although tickets are more expensive at night. You can buy a ticket either at any kiosk, or at a ticket machine, or on the tram (as a last resort, tickets are usually not bought on the tram so as not to delay the driver).

The railway transport is divided into two offices — SKM and PKP. The first trains are relatively cheap and run short distances. Ticket prices are not much different from city tickets  mdash; a ticket to Sopot costs 3.60, and to Gdynia  — 5.40. PKP trains are equipped with the latest technology. Tickets for them are much more expensive.

The climate in Gdansk is quite cold  — at the beginning of August, the thermometer did not show more than 20 degrees. Despite this, the sea was warm  — we swam as often as the weather allowed, although we swam once in the rain. But, although the sea is warm, you are unlikely to see many people in the water  — locals prefer to just stroll along the shore.

It was disappointing that in Gdansk it is simply impossible to find normal tea. Absolutely everywhere they sell tea in bags. In an expensive restaurant you will be served fried salmon, meat in French, a glass of good wine, but the tea will still be brought in a bag. Although no, we still found a place where you can drink normal tea — this is a restaurant with Russian cuisine, although their tea is very expensive and they serve it in a samovar :).

Although we have more holidays, the Poles really celebrate: the city seems to be dying, all the shops, shopping centers, cinemas, and many museums are closed. And what are these Poles doing anyway?

I heard somewhere that the condition of the city is determined by the condition of the street birds. In my opinion, the city monitors this, but on the contrary: the birds have nowhere to sit at all, since any protruding parts of the buildings (air conditioners, ebb tides, signs and even stucco) have metal pins. They are probably offered to run on bicycle paths :). But that's just the tip of the iceberg. We were amazed that there are signs in the parks prohibiting feeding pigeons! Where else to feed them, if not in the park. The poor birds just pounce on those who eat something.

Despite some minor downsides, overall, Gdansk is worth visiting.