Gdańsk…we had no clue…

August 5,2025

We sailed into port, with no expectations and no plan other than I wanted to take a boat ride on the Motlawa River. As Timmy often says “we get off a big boat to ride on a small boat”. Yes, yes we do!

Sail in onboard Symphony

…the Port House

After first breakfast in the room…we fortified ourselves in Tastes at the Late Risers Breakfast…I prefer “Slow Travelers” …but we are true late risers…so I can’t quibble😊

Crystal provided a shuttle into Gdansk…it was a 25 minute ride. We had a guide onboard the shuttle, I remember her name – Elvira- because she made a joke about the witch “Elvira”…anyway she provided great information about the Gdańsk…gave us a bit of history…Gdansk is the city where the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The battle of Westerplatte lasted 7 days. She also related the important role that the Gdansk shipyard played in resisting and eventually overcoming Communism. We passed by many Soviet era housing projects…essentially concrete squares.

We had front row seats on the bus

The shuttle dropped us off and we made our way towards the Motlawa River in search of a boat ride. What we discovered was surprising and amazing.

We came upon several flower decorated doorways.

Our approach to the Green Bridge

The Motlawa River from the Green Bridge

We were absolutely taken with the beauty and charm of Gdańsk…I don’t know what we were expecting…but it was not this gorgeous architecture dating from the 13th-15th centuries.

We are going to keep taking these selfies…and someday we will be satisfied with the result…

As we walked across the bridge and into the Main City, my head was on a swivel. So many lovely buildings…cool shops …nice outdoor restaurants. We wandered for a bit then headed off in search of St. Mary’s church.

We were also surprised at the number of visitors …these visitors appeared to hail from different parts of Europe…we met a nice family on vacation from Sweden.

When buildings are this large, it’s hard to get a decent photo …

I think I was laying on the ground for this one…

We absolutely love the architecture

I’m trying to convey a sense of just how cool this city is…

The exterior of St. Mary’s …I didn’t even try to capture it …I was just too close…It is one of two or three largest brick churches in the world…it seats 25,000 people. It has three aisles and two bells…

The main aisle and altar

There are many lovely side altars…here are my two favorites.

…again the scale is tremendous.

The organ was also so impressive…

…meanwhile back on the Main Street…

Another cool really large brick building

Although there were lots of visitors, we never felt crowded

IYKYK

We stopped to listen and this adorable child began to dance… it’s these moments that make traveling so much fun

Okay, so you might not believe this…but I was so excited to spot a covered boat for hire (most boats that we saw were either open to the sun, or typical large tourist excursion boats), that we engaged the boat and left the dock and I failed to take a photo of the boat…yikes! I did however, take many pics while on the river…

The National Maritime Museum…located in “The Crane” …the port Crane was built in the 15th century, damaged in WWII and rebuilt in the 1950s.

Two of many tour boats on the river…

…here’s Tim in our boat 🩵

I am so glad we took the boat ride…it was a great way to see more of the city

…our second attempt of the day…we are not quitters…please note that Timmy managed to get the name of the city in the frame (it’s over my head…you might be forgiven if you thought it was graffiti).

We had to wait while this pedestrian bridge was lowered…the opposite of raising a bridge for vehicles.

The bridge is lowered every half hour …and lots of folks were lined up to cross.

Here’s the line up of other boats waiting for the all clear…boats can go under the bridge…just not while they lower it.

The green stuff is some type of grass

We went out to Lech Walesa’s ship yard…very cool…

Gdansk has a long ship building history…a yacht similar to this was built for Jason Mamoa

This yellow structure has some significance…can’t for the life of me remember what

So yes, folks can rent these these silly boats…our Captain Matthew, gives them a wide berth.

So in addition to the various touring boats, we encountered kayakers …we witnessed one couple crash into a dock (no, I am most certainly not casting aspersions..not after our outings in Iceland and San Diego)… but I did feel like those folks were definitely risking their lives…what with all the amateurs on the river…and really big touring boats. #crazy

Another pic of the Crane…this time I captured the crane atop the Crane. (Look closer)

This was beyond bizarre…without warning, our Captain begins lowering the top of the boat…literally smushing us down in our seats, so that we could fit under a bridge. #reallycrazy

That’s the bridge

Here’s the Green Bridge…it was built in 1564 and serves as the primary connection between the Main City and Granary Island.

Back on land we strolled around a bit more, enjoying the cool vibe. Then we headed back.

Here we are back on the shuttle bus heading through the very industrial port …on our way back to Symphony

This is the monument honoring the folks who fought in the battle of Westerplatte…it was visible from the starboard side of Symphony

Back on the ship, I had a burger and Timmy had gelato…we ate poolside and hung out enjoying the glorious weather.

A longer view of the monument.

IYKYK

Here’s my view from the treadmill in the gym

So pitiful…I didn’t even bother to edit this one…for some reason Timmy is now all of a sudden reluctant to pose for multiple takes…it is now one and done ..he’s turning into a real grinch