It's time to say GOODBYE!

Now Alexander is on a plane to London. Then he'll get into the plane to Charlotte and there his family will be waiting to pick him up. He feels a little bit homesick... but he had a great time in Poland !!!

The last day in Gdansk

The Crane.

The oldest documented mention of Zuraw as a wooden port crane was in 1367. What you see today, however, was reconstructed in the middle of the 15th century after a devastating fire devoured the original structure. The large crane was used to place masts on ships and to load cargo. During World War II, the wooden area was destroyed and only 60% of the brick portion remained in tact. After the war, Zuraw was once again rebuilt and handed over to the museum. Today you can find different exhibits detailing the interesting history of the entire port of Gdansk. The crane is home to a branch of the Maritime Museum.


Neptune's Fountain.

Neptune's Fountain, in the center of Dlugi Targ (the Long Market) has grown to be one of Gdansk's most recognizable symbols. The bronze statue of the Roman god of the sea was first erected in 1549, before being aptly made into a fountain in 1633. Like the city he represents, Neptune has had a storied history, himself - dismantled and hidden during World War II, old Neptune didn't come out of hiding until 1954 when he was restored to his rightful place in the heart of the city, reminding us of Gdansk's relationship to the sea. Chances are you've already had your photo taken with this mighty trident-wielding behemoth, or will soon. The colourful buildings of Dlugi Targ make a great backdrop for any photo-op, so flash those gums and say 'cheese!'


The Long Street.

The main and the most representative street of the old town of Gdansk is called Ulica (abbrevation ul.) Dluga which means Long Street. The street is closed for traffic and crowded with pedestrians. Although it's only about 400 m long, it took me a few hours to see, visit and taste some of its attractions: food, museums, architecture etc. It's probably the only street in the old Gdansk without any church put along. Commerce of the wealthy city instead of any religion had to rule between the Golden Gate in the west and the Long Market (Dlugi Targ) with the Green Gate in the east.


Golden Gate.

The Zlota Brama, or Golden Gate, is the second gate on the Royal Route. The gate was designed and constructed for the St. George Brotherhood, an elite rifle club and social group, by Abraham van der Block and Jan Strakowski. The gate is a mix of Flemish and Italian styles and since its reconstruction and renovation it has served as a symbol of the city as a whole. The actual portal of this gate is slightly rotated, so that as you walk through the gate, you are treated to an exceptional view of Dluga street and the Old Town Hall!

The gate itself is adorned with gold trim, but has a very clean, sharp look to it. Eight figures stand proudly on top of the gate, four facing the Upland Gate (Peace, Freedom, Wealth, and Fame) and four facing Dluga Street (Concord, Justice, Piety, and Reason). Below the figures, but above the proud Gdansk City symbol, reads another Latin Maxim: ?mall states grow in harmony, large states fall in discord?


Now, it is time to pack up and go home!!!

Alexander in a pharmacy

Today, Alexender was helping his cousin Dorothy doing her work in a pharmacy.

He was assisting during some ointment preparation. He's managed doing his task very well.

Trip to Oiwa

Oliwa, also Oliva is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. An interesting site is the old cathedral. Other sites to see are the kloster palace with a park and a botanical garden.


The weather was really nice and the spring finally came to Poland so Alexander decided to visit park.



After a long walk, Alexander was really tired and had some rest on a green grass and smelled beautiful daises.

Alexander visiting Ships in Gdynia

ORP Błyskawica was a Grom-class destroyer serving in the Polish Navy during World War II, currently preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia. It is the only ship of the Polish Navy awarded with the Virtuti Militari medal, as well as the oldest preserved destroyer in the world.



The Dar Pomorza is a Polish sailing frigate, currently preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship.
During the following years, she was used as the training ship, receiving a nick-name "White Frigate". In 1934-1935 she traveled around the world. During World War II she was interned in Stockholm, after the war she was brought to Poland and used as a training ship again.

Trip to Gdynia

Gdynia is a city in northern Poland, it is a relatively modern city, but the oldest building in Gdynia is nevertheless the 13th century St. Michael the Archangel's Church in Oksywie. There is also a 17th century neo Gothic manor house located on Folwarczna Street in Orłowo. However, what attracts most tourists in Gdynia deals with its recent past. In the harbour, there are two anchored museum ships, the ORP Blyskawica destroyer and the Dar Pomorza Tall ship Frigate.

Alexander decided to see this lovely town by bike:


He left his bike on a beach for a while and took a long walk along a sea shore of a Baltic Sea


Walking at the sea, Alexander came to the Sea Towers building. Gdynia is remarkable for this construction, since at 141 meters of height, it is the tallest residential building in Poland and the country's tallest skyscraper outside of Warsaw (the capital city of Poland).


Then, Alexander noticed that nearby are standing some interesting ships. He decided to visit them... (to be continued)

Alexander tries some Polish food

Today Alexander helped us to organize a wonderful party. He prepared a very delicious salad.



Suddenly, we discovered that Alexander is gone. We couldn't find him for a while. Then we found out that our flat friend slipped into the fridge to keep an eye on his dessert!



After a lazy weekend it's time to visit some new place...

The first trip

Today Flat Alexader visited Grodzisko Fort, where the viewpoints at the Gdansk Bay, shipyards and Old Town are very picturesque:



Grodzisko Fort is located in the very centre of Gdansk, in the closest distance to the Main Railway Station and Central Bus Depot. Grodzisko Fort is located on the Gradowa Hill which
is of more than 40 m height and dominate over the centre of Gdansk.

Alexander was really impressed by the view!



The place was being fortified from the 17th century and - together with Bishop's Hill - formed the western front of Gdansk fortifications. In the 1807 Fort was the place of the main attack at Gdansk of Napoleon's army. Besieged by Polish and French soldiers it was finally captured.
Historical buildings, also underground, can be explored by tourists (only with guide). The post-fortification park, biggest in the city centre, is a place of living of many species of animals and plants.

Here, Alexander discovered some interesting plant:



In the 1920s the area was redeveloped as a town park and became a popular place for relax. Without any military importance the whole area survived the time of the 2nd World War almost without any destruction. Here you can see Alexander sitting at the Napoleon (the great war hero) desk:



Today, Grodzisko is a very attractive place for inhabitants and tourists. It is a great place for sightseeing. In the end, our friend decided to climb on the tree to have even better view at the whole city!


Wonder, what is Alexander going to see next time??

Flat Alexander came to Poland !

The journey was very long and exhausting. Eventually, Alexander landed in the northern part of the country - in Gdansk! Then, he met some very friendly members of his family: Ania and Dorota - they are not flat as Alexander, but still they became his guides, while he stays in Poland.

After a short rest they decided to explore the city immediately.