A trip to the northern cities

Today we were off to Gdansk, Sopa, and Gdynia for site seeing.

I took lots of great photos of old buildings to show to my students. They are on my good camera and will have to wait for me to be back in the states to upload.

For now I have a photo of Joanna on the phone talking to potential customers who do not know she is playing hooky from work and hanging out with Cole and I. Michael encouraged us to eat at an American burger restaurant. I had to tease him about that… We have been to McDonalds twice so it has made no difference if I tease… I did get real Polish food later, so it’s okay.

Gdansk is a very old city with quaint buildings. We wandered the walking tour of fountains and cobble stone streets admiring the architecture. There were many shops and street vendors. Cole found gifts for his sibling– cross bows and a bow and arrow from a renaissance toy kiosk. They may have to stay until the end of July as the children had them out, “just to try” at Brunon’s and had lots of fun.

Sopa is a contrast to Gdansk. It is very white. Very cosmopolitan. Very polished. The pier was like a pomade out to sea with many people walking and enjoying the restaurant. The area around the pier had many shops and again very inviting restaurants. We bought the boys a bag of candy each as I think they we’re about done with my interest in sightseeing by then.

Gadynia is a modern city. It is neither quaint and old like Gdansk, nor polished and sophisticated like Sopa. We took a driving tour and admired the boats, the boys wanted to head to the farm.

They were happy when they could just play and explore. I enjoyed soup from Stefania’s kitchen, Brunon was pleased that he was the best with the bow and arrow… so we were all happy.

Two days left for me and I am feeling at peace with Cole staying. He is very comfortable and everyone is so kind to him. I am ready to have a glass of wine, watch the people on holiday pass by the hotel and try the dessert that Stefania sent along… It’s been a good day…

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our first days exploring

Yesterday afternoon we went for a drive down the peninsula. We can now officially say we have been to Hel and back as it is the tip of the peninsula that is called Hel. Along the way we saw small villages, mostly fishing and tourism. It is high season and the tourists are everywhere. Kiosks trail the roads full of trinkets and souvenirs for people on holiday.

Bikes, cars, and people make the roads crowded and I worried for awhile about Tomasz, our host, driving us around. I am an accomplished anti-backseat driver so I decided to continue my philosophy and not think too much about it. It turned out we were more than fine and had a great time exploring.

My favorite place was Jastarnia where I saw the Konkel house and the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church; a boat hangs from the wall and Cole found ice cream outside.

Cole especially liked the open air military museum where we saw a number of bombs and weapons used to protect the peninsula during World War II.

Today we road our bikes to Puck on the bay side where we met Brunon, Grandpa Konkel of the same generation as my parents. There is an entire book written about how we are all related and if you are terribly interested I can put you in touch with the editor, my dad, who loves to tell the story.

For now I want to share how much we enjoyed Brunon’s home. I can hardly believe that dad did not prepare us for all the fun. We simply knew that he had hens. Now we can add ducks, rabbits, carrots, apples, berries, and a mini-farm waiting to be explored. Cole looks forward to going back. I found a rose garden, a cup of tea, and strawberry dessert – Brunon’s wife Stefania knew exactly how to make me feel spoiled!

We spent the late afternoon at the beach. On the north side of Władysławowie just across the street from Baltos the beach is beautiful, clean, and full of tourists. It was a fun place to do some people watching and let the boys play in the sand.

Tonight we are a little saddle sore and very tired. We are planning more site seeing tomorrow.

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A cafe day

That’s what Joanna calls a day at the Baltos when it rains. This is in contrast to a beach day when the sun is shinning and all the tourists go about their day.

Joanna is very proud of her cafe. She put much of herself into it. I think is is very stylish and cozy- a place that is nice to linger and watch the rain or enjoy the sunshine. The breakfast is lovely, the ice cream is whimsical, and the white hot- chocolate perfect for today.

Life running an inn and entertaining your relatives is, to say the least, busy. There is a constant phone or email message to address, people checking in and out, and a full staff to assist. Yes, mom I offered to help, but they keep saying to relax. Clearly, I am the only family member not working as Thomas’s sister, Agnes is working in the cafe and Joanna’s family runs the inn behind Baltos.

So a bit about where we are exactly, Władysławowie is a township located at the base of the Hel Peninsula. It is now a very touristy place, but historically it has been home to many fishermen. The Baltic Sea is to the north and the “little sea” Gulf of Puck is on the south of the peninsula. The landscape reminds me of northern Wisconsin- woodsy conifers and sandy beaches. Except here “jantar” amber washes up after a storm. This seems almost magical to me!

Michael promises to show me…he has a collection to prove that it is true- and perhaps the end of a “cafe” day will be a good time…

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A month in Hel… The epic adventure!

Cole and I have made it to the airport… Poland or bust! Cole is feeling very brave– sort if… Right now he thinks he will miss his people, but is excited to have fun– an adventure!

Stayed tuned because while we are blogging our adventure, Tim and Anna Mae are planning some guest blogs to keep record of all the fun at home…

Here we go … To Hel and back!

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