To be quite honest with you it’s almost getting to where every European city is almost the same. You have an Old Town, a commercial area, and the transportation hubs whether it be an airport or train station. Mix in a few unique landmarks and you branded the town.

And it’s really weird because in Europe it is almost like America in that the cars aren’t all that different. The brands are slightly different but many are the same. The language is not understood by myself and I learn to cope with it.

I’ve made it a personal go to get to every European country. This one is number 17. I wouldn’t say that I’m necessarily bored with it but I do understand the reasoning behind some Travellers trying to get out of the bigger town and into the countryside for a more unique experience.

I’m staying in this large Downtown hotel which hasn’t been refurbished since at least the late nineties. I like to imagine that I’m some visiting Russian diplomat during the Cold War.

The hotel started serving breakfast at 6:30 but I slept in till about 7:30. It was pretty crowded. There was a breakfast bar with all types of the usual European Flair. As a bonus there was scrambled eggs. Also I managed to get myself some chocolate Cocoa Puffs for cereal.

While I was in the process of getting my food at the breakfast bar I had left a dirty plate at my table. I came back with a plate full of food and found a couple starting to sit at my table. The couple apologized and went to find another table. I’m not sure what was going on but there was at least a half a dozen Empty Tables there but they seem to want to sit at my table with the dirty dish

So looking at the weather I saw that it had rained earlier in the morning but no other rain was forecasted until Sunday. I decided to risk it and wear shorts and a t-shirt.  I figured the weather could have been like it was in Gdansk where it was cool in the morning and warm in the midday. This was a mistake as I was a little bit chilly throughout the day.

I decided to head toward the Old Town by going around that the Rick Steves tour book recommended. I found the Copernicus statue and took some pictures of it. There was also the Church of the Holy Cross which had a statue of Jesus bearing the cross in front of it.  The church had construction workers doing a facelift on the front of it therefore it would not have looked good for photos.

I decided to enter in to get some pictures. I noticed the church was having a service and I would not have even thought about being obnoxious and taking photos during the service. It was at this point that I was motioned very rapidly by a church worker not to be disruptive, I guess by taking photos.

This church worker’s act kind of frustrated me. On one hand he was thinking that I was going to be disruptive, and didn’t even try to welcome me. He just thought I was another obnoxious tourist with a camera.

On the other hand sometimes you have to make people be quiet during worship by being blunt with them. We have this problem at my home Church on Wednesday nights when people are talking loudly in the foyer while I short devotional is being offered.

I walked by the building where the Warsaw Pact was signed. This building also functioned as the equivalent of the Polish White House at one time.

I made it to Royal Square which is where the building of the castle sits. The square is elevated and has a highway running very near it which goes underneath an underpass. I took several pictures of the square.

I Came Upon the Cathedral of John the Baptist which appears to be a slightly newer Church then the rest of the churches in the area. They were having church service therefore I did not get a chance to take any photos. I found myself in Market Square and decided to go see the Warsaw Museum. The ticket-taker did not speak English very well but pointed me in the right direction. I would not recommend this Museum as many of the exhibits were empty. The only redeeming qualities is that in some of the art rooms there’s a nice comfy couch which you can lay down and rest your eyes (which I did). Also I managed to get some good photos of the Square from the top floor of the building.

The Rick Steves book recommended that I see the Warsaw film which supposedly is shown at 10 a.m. and noon each day. I asked about it and they said that it would be at 11:30. I decided to go ahead and go on in and I guess they felt pity on me and put the movie in just for me.

I feel bad because I was really fighting off a nap while in that nice comfy movie theater chair. The movie spoke about Warsaw’s history up until World War I and World War II. Much of Warsaw was flattened and probably 70% of it had to be rebuilt.

Next I decided to wander around the old town area. I found a local artist selling pen and ink drawings of Warsaw landmarks which I bought.

I decided to have lunch at Pizza Hut which consisted of a pepperoni and cheese pizza with orange soda with free refills.

I did some reading well I was eating lunch and found that I should visit St Ann’s church across from the castle Square to get a good view of the square from their Tower. I paid my six zloty and headed on up to the cold Tower. I took several pictures and decided to head on down.

After wandering around the square for quite a while I decided that I could head over to the Jewish Museum which was only about 1 or 2 kilometers away. 

The Jewish museum is actually built in the same area as the Jewish ghetto was during World War II. There is a monument to those who lost their lives at the Jewish ghetto.

The Jewish Museum was very well done. It probably would have been even better if I could stay awake during the museum exhibits. I had an audio guide and the tour lasted about 2 hours. The Rick Steves book gave good direction on how to find some remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto including an old wall from 1940 something which included barbed wire.

I decided to head on back and really wished I could have found a WiFi signal so that I could ride public transportation back. It wasn’t until I was close to Metro stop that I figured I could probably figure out how to get to where I need to go. I decided to have Pizza Hut again, but this time it wasn’t a pizza it was lasagna in rolls. It was a good meal at the end of the day when I really needed it.

Tomorrow’s weather forecast is much of the same. But this time I’ll be wearing jeans and my light jacket. I’m looking forward to trying to get everything in.

How does one even try to top seeing Lech Walesa? By going to the solidarity Museum. 

While I waited for the museum to open I chatted with a middle-aged woman who had sat beside me. I told her that I had seen Lech Walesa and got pictures of him.  She said she had seen him 4 times so I guess he makes himself available to the public.

The museum was done very thoroughly. As you enter you can see on the ceiling the workers hard hats. Beside the door is a time card punch clock. Within other rooms there were a police truck and riot shields that the police would use to break up the demonstrations. I enjoyed it tremendously but I was really too tired to read every caption to every artifact.

After the museum I decided to try and see a couple of the churches that I missed yesterday. The first church that I came to St Bridget’s church. This church was significant because Lech Walesa attended there during the demonstrations in 1980. The church cost 2 zloty to get in. I’m not so sure it was worth it as the church seemed like any other old church in Europe. The only significance of it seem to be the solidarity Flags hung along the aisles. There was no Tower to ascend to. So I made a short visit to the church and left to go to St Catherine’s church just a block away. I’m not sure why they build churches so close to each other especially since these are of the same Catholic faith

St Catherine’s church is the oldest church in Gdansk. In 2006 the church Burns due to a discarded cigarette. Locals managed to move the important part of the churches artifacts out but the ceiling was heavily damaged. I could not see any current damage to the building although I believe there are workers fixing the roof outside.

As I was leaving the church I noticed there was an option to visit a clock Museum and Ascend to the Tower of the church. I never want to pass up an opportunity to ascend high above a city to get some good photos. It was 10 złote to enter. And the funny part is those wishing to pay had to ascend about 100 steps to get to the ticket booth. Then they had to ascend about 270 more steps to get to the roof. 

The clocks and artifacts were mostly bathed in colored lights among the darkness. It made for some good photo opportunities. I noticed by the ticket booth the pendulum of the clock Was nearby as I hiked up more stair ways I noticed the strings holding the pendulum ascended down several levels.

I got a good view of the city and took several pictures. There was a watch man at the top of the tower making sure people didn’t do anything unsafe.

From the top of the tower I spotted the Market Hall which I had initially forgotten about. I had seen a similar Market Hall in Budapest that’s sold everything from souvenirs to fresh cut meat. This particular one in Gdansk wasn’t as big as the one in Budapest. I ended up buying a Gdansk t-shirt from a gentleman for 42 złote.

After my souvenir purchase I decided it probably would be a good idea to get something to eat. I remember Telepizza during one of my previous tours around the city. So I decided to try and find it again. On my way there I stopped by at souvenir stand looking for a large t-shirt showing the solidarity logo. But unfortunately this particular souvenir stand did not have it.

At Telepizza, I ordered a pepperoni pizza. But the only problem was they added onions to it so I was stuck digging out onions before I was able to eat it. I should have looked more closely at the menu to find out what exactly they added to the pizza period before ordering a showed the order-taker that I had taken some good photos of Lech Walesa. The order-taker seem somewhat impressed but said that he did not agree with Lech’s politics. I begin to wonder if the pizza worker was a communist.

Next I decided to visit the Uphagen house. It is a mansion that has. Furniture from before 1945 probably more like 1800s or 1700s. My mom and sister would have probably enjoyed this house. I enjoy looking at old furniture to some degree and this was probably a good opportunity to view old furniture and how things would have looked

Next I decided to go to The Maritime Museum. The Maritime Museum consists of three parts. When is the crane area which was used during times before industrialization in helping unload ships. The old Granary is a museum depicting Maritime life. The most interesting part was the Soldek ship which was the first post-war vessel built in the Gdansk Shipyard. I remember seeing the USS Missouri in Hawaii and this ship reminded me of that ship with all of its nooks and crannies.

I headed back to my hotel after buying some souvenirs. Near my hotel was a convenience store which I got an ice cream bar and orange soda. I ate it in hotel lobby and figured that the hotel receptionist might have thought that I was a vagrant.  I later asked for my luggage just prove that I was not a homeless person eating in the hotel lobby. The hotel clerk gave me good instructions for getting on the right train.

Halfway into the my walk to the train stationI realized that I probably left my Gdansk patch behind. Thought it was too late to go back for it especially hauling around such heavy luggage.

I got on the correct train during my journey I’m always scared to go to sleep figuring that I’ll either miss my stop or somebody will try to rob me. But I did make it to Warsaw safely and had supper at the McDonald’s at the main train station.

I’m back at my hotel now ready to get some sleep to have enough energy for the next day as I tour Warsaw.

On my way to the solidarity Museum I noticed there was a lot of activity including several police officers. I went up to one of the police officers and asked if they spoke English and asked if the museum was open. They said that they did not know as they were from a different city. As I was talking to them a man stepped out of a black car while the crowd and photographers surged. I asked the police officers if that was Lech Wałęsa. They said yes and I hurried to try to get a picture of him. At first I could only see the back of his head so I got several pictures of it but then I was able to get a bit closer and got several good pictures with my Nikon camera. He laid a couple of wreaths at different parts of the facility and gave a short speech all of which was in Polish so I couldn’t understand it.

It really is amazing how close I was able to get to him. Although he’s retired and no longer in politics he still is a significant figure and it amazes me how much less security is in Poland compared to the United States for former presidents.

Right now I’m in the solidarity Museum waiting for it to open. We have about 30 more minutes before it opens so I think I’ll just hang around here. It’s only 9:23 a.m. but I feel like my day has already been fulfilled.

Breakfast at the hotel was okay. However the European breakfast are rather different than us style breakfast. You’ll see more cold cuts and less traditional breakfast food. I made myself the usual ham and cheese sandwich and toasted two slices of bread. The jam for the toast was a little bit strong. I thought it was strawberry by looking at it but it tasted much more tart. Also on the breakfast spread was unscaled fish.

For the first time in my visits to Europe I walked out of my hotel room without first checking Google Maps. My hotel is so close to the city center I figured if I just started walking South eventually I would run into the city center. And sure enough after several blocks I made it to the city center.

I made it to St Mary’s Basilica which is the largest church in Gdansk. I didn’t see a ticket taker so I walked on in. I was stopped by a young man who said the church wasn’t open for 8 more minutes and I’d have to buy a ticket. I figured I wasn’t going to hang around for 8 more minutes and decided to see more of the town. I walked around taking photos and spied the Neptune statue which is famous in Gdańsk. I walked on the other side of the Waterway getting some great photos of the buildings across the Waterway. I saw a museum ship which some YouTube vloggers had recommended but I couldn’t figure out a way to get to it without walking way far out of my way.

I decided to walk back to the city centre and get some information about the F5 water tram that was to go to Westerplatte. The gentleman at the tourist area told me that the water tram would be leaving in about 20 minutes. Therefore I made it the water tram stop nearby. I got some good video and photos of the ride over there through the waterways of downtown Gdańsk with the old looking buildings.

Westerplatte is where World War II started. On September 1st 1939, Germans fired upon a Polish military area. There’s not much left to it but I figured it would be a good opportunity to visit a historic area.

The water tram deposited us a bit far from the Westerplatte Memorial. Nearby was the beach. I decided to walk up to it and put my hand in the water so that I could say I had been to the beach and had Waters from the Baltic Sea on me.

At Westerplatte Memorial there are souvenir stands and snack bars. There is also the ruins of a military Bastion composed of concrete. I had seen it on Google Maps and it is in a much better condition than what was featured on Google so long ago.

The actual Memorial consists of a large Stone pillar at the top of the hill. There were quite a few people at it and I really wanted to try and get a picture myself alone at the memorial but that was not to be.

Next was to ride the bus back as the bus stop was closer than the water tram stop. I had prepared ahead knowing which bus number I should take. I knew that all of them eventually made it back to the main train station but I figured I could get off at a stop near the Old Town.

I rode the bus and realize that I had missed the stop for the old town so I just got off at the next stop and walked a few blocks to the Old Town. I decided to have lunch at Subway. In front of me was a family which must have been placing the largest Subway order ever. This usually happens to me at home when I’m in the Drive-Thru. Luckily the Subway had Fountain drinks and an ice machine.

I decided to go to the Amber Museum which was nearby. I had to check my bag before entering the museum. The museum depicted scientific origins of the Amber. It also showed how insects became encased in Amber. The museum consisted of several floors of Amber sculptures. The sculptures were not solid as you could tell that each was made up of little pieces of Amber. Also within the museum was a Torture Museum. As it turns out the tower which used to house prisoners.

After the Amber Museum I went to the Gdańsk in The Old City Hall. There were some ornate sculptures in Old paintings in it. Also there was an opportunity to climb the stairs to the Clocktower which I decided to do.  At the top was a great view of the city. I took some videos and photos. Had the top I noticed a young man putting a sticker on me outside of the Tower. This kind of aggravated me because I feel as though old historical monuments do not need to be ruined by someone carving their initials or putting stickers on things. When he wasn’t looking I decided to try to peel off the sticker but it was only making a bigger mess so I decided to leave it on there.

At the top I saw St Mary’s Basilica which I decided to do next. This was the church I tried to go to early in the morning but with stock because it wasn’t open. The church had some very tall white ceilings and a very ornate altar. I also decided to climb to the top of the tower. This is my third Tower today and my feet were really getting worn out but I decided to go for it anyway. After all I’m probably not going to visit Gdańsk ever again why not see it all?

After viewing the tower I walked down the steps and found myself back into the church. Theoretically you could probably sneak back into the church by just buying a tower ticket and not mine the church ticket. I noticed there was a church worker somewhat watching people who came out of the tower exit. But you could probably try to avoid him if you’re careful enough.

I figured now was the time to walk toward the World War II museum which I saw from a distance at the top of the St Mary’s Basilica Tower. It was an odd shaped building which would be easily recognizable from the ground. he was a little further up from the old town but I found my way to it.

I would highly recommend the museum and I wish I had been more awake to view it. It covered things such as the Holocaust, forced labor, exile, and underground movements during the war. There were interviews with survivors on their perspective of their personal experience. I stayed about two and a half hours

Next I decided to go to Billy’s American restaurant. The entire place is covered in American posters and license plates. I got a cheeseburger which was okay the probably not worth the $14 I paid for it. It is however in a touristy part of town so I guess that goes with the territory. On my way back to the hotel I stopped by a supermarket and got a candy bar.

Tomorrow I will catch any things that I missed today including the solidarity Museum and a few churches. I’ll leave tomorrow evening for Warsaw.

After a long layover in Copenhagen I finally saw my gate listed on the Gdańsk flight. It seemed to take a while to actually check onto the plane. Our flight was supposed to leave at 5:10pm, but I don’t think I was actually seated on the plane until 5:15 p.m.

There were plenty of seats on the plane. I found myself in an ailse seat next to another male traveler. I guess I could have gotten up and moved to the empty row behind me but somehow a 40-minute flight probably didn’t make too much of a big deal.

We were served Refreshments on the plane but I believe Coke’s were extra. I asked for a Sprite but they were out and I probably would have refused to pay for it and instead got water instead.

At the airport there were lines leading to taxis which was a blue line, buses which was the yellow line and trains which was a red line. These lines were drawn on the floor and it was easy to navigate. At the ticket machine I was having trouble trying to figure out which ticket to use. I also did not want to purchase my ticket too early as there was a train in between the train that I wanted. I asked the native student there for help. After trying a 50 Polish currency bill and my credit card the Polish student volunteered to pay for my ticket. I feel this was a great gesture and really showed some Hospitality to someone who was visiting Poland for the first time.

While on the train as I was getting out my GoPro to film some scenery a man decided to set near the seat by me. He said something in Polish which I responded with “I do not speak Polish.” As it turned out he was just moving because the sun was in his eyes.

I ate supper at the KFC at the main train station in Gdansk. Be KFC restaurant worker spoke good English. I chose the chicken and pita bread which I believe was some type of Mexican dish that they would have served at Taco Bell had there been a Taco Bell in Poland. Chicken and barbecue sauce on it. As a bonus this KFC had self serve soda fountain machine which meant free refills.

I was able to find my hotel without the grid pattern of Google Maps. For some reason the street out lines were not available but my pin on the hotel was available. So I just had to navigate by walking toward my hotel not realizing which streets I was on.

I had trouble opening up my door and ask the front desk lady to help me. She too was unable to open up the door so she gave me the next available room which I believe is a sweet. It’s much bigger than other rooms I’ve been in.

Now I will try to get some sleep because I’ve got a big day tomorrow

Greetings from Copenhagen airport. My journey started last night at the Nashville airport. My original flight was quite late therefore I switched flights to Chicago when I realised the connection time with very short to make my flight to Copenhagen. I had supper at the Nashville Airport during my delay. And I was served by a grumpy woman who probably had worked all day and was ready to leave.

I managed to get on board the earlier flight to Chicago by being a bit assertive. I’ve found that you have to be assertive if you need to make it on board a flight. In a way it was like a rerun of the Amazing Race when teams are pressing ticket counter agents to get on board a particular flight.

I arrived in Chicago with about an hour Layover to switch terminals. It was quite a walk plus a train ride but I managed to make it in time and surprisingly the TSA security check was very short. There was a TSA agent yelling at all of us to stay behind the red line.

On my flight to Copenhagen had three seats all to myself that unfortunately I never really completely fell asleep. So here I am in the Copenhagen Airport waiting for my Gdansk flight to be assigned a gate.

I will blog more later as the time seems right period

There was a sense of awe that I felt when I first arrived in Europe in June of 2010. There was a feeling of newness, a need to explore, a fascination of all things different from America. I felt it when I rode around with my host and saw the old fortification in the Nuremberg city walls. I felt it when I saw the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. I felt it when I saw Big Ben while riding the escalator up from the London tube.

Sadly for me, Europe has somewhat become predictable. The sense of awe strikes at times when I see a well known landmark, as in my last trip to Spain when I saw the Sagrada Familia. But the sense of awe is rarer now. I long for those days when I am in an iconic zone or when there is a sense of newness. I guess I feel the need to get out of my comfort zone and visit countries or cities which are a bit less predictable…..maybe a country I know little about. It could be a country which tourists rarely visit.

This may be why I’m considering places like Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Caucuses for a vacation. “You went where?” my coworkers and friends would say. Yes, I did go there. It was off the beaten track, away from the rest of the tourists. I like to have a unique memory apart from what everyone else has done. Sure I could spend 7 days in Paris; tour the Eiffel Tower; the Louvre; etc. But everyone has done that! Not everyone has toured Sarajevo or Tbilisi. I could be the first to say “Sofia, Bulgaria is not a bad place to visit.” In fact many of these places are inexpensive.

So I will continue to search for that unique corner of the globe; that narrow alley; that special gift shop; each offering a unique sense of awe that I can’t find anywhere else.

I have it on my bucket list to visit every country in Europe. I think it very do-able. So far I’ve been able to visit 16 European countries. By my count I have about 27 more to go, so I’m a little of a third of the way there.

First the easy ones.

I could easily visit Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in one trip with entry and exit via Copenhagen and Oslo. Same way with Benelux with entry or exit via Brussels, Amsterdam or Luxembourg. I could hit up Switzerland and Liechtenstein in another trip.

Poland, Ireland, Greece, Malta and Iceland would each be a trip all to themselves. Romania and Moldova *could* go together, although honestly I’m not sure there’s much to see in Moldova, albeit just getting a passport stamped.

I’d spend a bit more time in the former Yugoslavia, probably concentrating first on Croatia and Slovenia. These two are considered probably the most well developed former Yugoslav nations, both being part of the EU and NATO.

Then I’d head to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria all countries which seem a bit more rustic, although maybe after visiting them I might see that they’re just as good as western Europe….who knows. I’d imagine Serbia and Bosnia be paired up, while Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania could go together. Same way with Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Georgia (European), Armenia, and Azerbaijan (both Asian) would be a great trip and they’re higher on my list, but I think it could be a little rough, if not very difficult (in travel time) to get to.

Next would be the more difficult countries…

Ukraine – I’d likely put this low on the bottom of my list at least for several years as there’s a war going on.
Belarus – As of writing this blog post I have found that Belarus recently lifted via requirements for travelers of 80 countries including the United States. But I’m kinda meh about Belarus anyways. I’m not sure there is much there if only to say I had been there.
Russia – It’s true Russia does require a visa except if you are on a cruise from a certain tour company from Helsinki. As long as you stay with your tour group in St. Petersburg, then you’d be ok without a visa. Honestly I do not have a desire to visit Moscow without a native to guide me…and that may happen if I can convince a former missionary to let me tag along.

Realistically probably last on my list (and almost forgotten) would be San Marino and Monaco. It would almost be an afterthought.

I realize I am very blessed to even dream this dream and even come close to doing this. This is truly a first world goal, especially when the majority of Americans don’t even travel abroad. I don’t take travel for granted and at the same time I’m always looking forward to my next trip.