Poland - Gdansk

"What You Do Speaks So Loud That I Can Not Hear What You Say"

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our 1st Old Home

Our 2nd Old Home, so different today

Whilst I have few memories of my birthplace, I always find it deeply moving to go back, a return to simplicity and an anchoring to all that is important. Gdansk is a beautiful port city on the Baltic, most famously remembered in modern times for the start of Solidarity - the very reason we fled in the middle of the night as political refugees in the 80s.

Neptune Fountain in Old Town

Growing up in idyllic New Hampshire, it all seems but a dream, so it is important for me to remember and be grateful for all that was sacrificed and risked by my parents, by friends and even by strangers. A reminder to me that people are still good, still choose love over hate, and build vs destroy. Lucky perhaps, but that goodness and positivity is woven into my story which is why I recommend starting at the Solidarity Museum in Gdansk at the Shipyard, the beginning of it all...

Museum and Shipyard

Inside the Massive Museum

Gdansk is not a big city, but full of history - after WWII it was reconstructed back to its original glory, taking some architectural inspiration from Amsterdam so you will see many similarities. It was once its own city-state and has changed many hands, also known as Danzig for a long period of time. My favourite part of Gdansk is all the lovely outdoor markets, representative of the bustling port it used to be. And you can go to the sea in Sopot for an afternoon. It's a great weekend trip in the summer. 

My favourite part of Poland is going south where we spent most of our growing up years, on my grandfathers farm, where everyone works hard, drinks vodka, enjoys life and pretty much all live to 100 or so. It is simple and beautiful - to visit - a nice anchor in the modern world. 

My dear Grandfather on his farm in the small village of Hipolitów