Poland - Day 5, Gdansk

When we began looking at Poland as a holiday destination, we were struggling to decide among Warsaw, Gdansk, and Krakow.  Matt thought it would be fun to take a train from one location to another, and the most logical for our trip was Warsaw to Gdansk.

We woke up on the fifth day and had one last Warsaw breakfast at the hotel. This decoration was hanging near the entrance, and Clara was creeped out every time she saw it.

We had a taxi scheduled, but it felt like we had a long wait until it was time to leave. Matt and I escaped to the balcony for some fresh air.

Finally it was time to check out, and the kids were running wild waiting for the car.

It was a quick drive to the central train station, which had some really cool glass work.

We had arrived early enough that we stopped for a Starbucks, then made our way to the platform.

We set the kids up with their tablets, and Matt noticed a sign indicating that we should remain silent. Ha! Actually, the kids weren't so bad (Clara was whiny), but they were definitely not silent.

The train ride was pretty smooth, and the scenery reminded me of the Midwest.

We had a little snack and drinks during the ride.

And then more scenery...

Looks like Kansas

We arrived in Gdansk, and dropped our bags off at the hotel. Then we picked a direction and started walking. Our location was excellent, maybe a block away from the riverfront. The vibe was more touristy than Warsaw, but it was a beautiful area.

Where the weather had been cool and rainy in Warsaw, in Gdansk it was sunny and warm. What a welcome change. We walked along the riverfront, soaking in all of the sights.

One of the things on Anna's to do list was to get up close to the Gdasnk letters for pictures. However, the drawbridge went up as we approached, so we had some time to kill.

Luckily, the kids were fascinated by the passing pirate ship while I took photos.

We then wandered over to the carousel to let the kids have a ride. They loved it. Miles spun himself around in a teacup the whole time, while the girls laughed and waved as they went by.

Can you see Matt peeking out?

After a little more walking, we were able to cross the drawbridge to get to the letters. The kids really enjoyed climbing and playing around here.

By this time, we were getting hungry, so we sat down at an outdoor restaurant to eat.

However, when we tried to order, we learned that they were out of many things on the menu, so we moved on. There were several street food stalls near the ferris wheel, so we each picked what we wanted and were happy with that.

Delicious, though the kids ate most of my fries

It was a very relaxed and drawn out dinner, and afterward we were ready to rest. So we went back to the hotel to put the kids to bed and get ready for our first full day in Gdansk.