A friend told me he imagines it must be very romantic to spend Christmas in Poland; this year there were no snowflakes falling from the sky but indeed there is something slightly romantic to walk the streets of Gdansk (where I was born) during Christmas time. Until I was 25 years old I lived here, in a small sea-side town Sopot, 50 km from Gdansk. This city has a unique feel and a complex over 1,000 years old history. Centuries of rich maritime and commercial activities as the largest polish sea port; narrow cobbled streets lined with XVII wealthy merchants townhouses. Gdansk was conquered and owned back and forward either by Prussia (today Germany) or Slavic Poland. During the War World II the 90 percent of the city was destroyed and after the war Polish artisans restored much of the old's city's architecture.
A typical townhouse
Long Market, the city's main pedestrian street
St Mary street with St Mary church in the background, the largest brick church in the world.
The famous Baltic amber (bursztyn) jewelry. Amber is often washed up by the sea and found on the beach. As children together with my sister we used to go to the beach after storm and found many of these gems.
Neptun (in Roman times the King of the Sea) is the patron of the city of Gdansk
Homemade christmas cake (made by mum; I can't make such an amazing thing)
With sister
Homemade "pierogi" by mum again. This is a typical polish christmas dish I fantasize about sometime. Pierogi are dumplings first boiled and then fried in butter with onions, there are filled either with ground beef, cheese, cabbage and mushrooms. Here about the polish food during Easter.
My nephew with mum.
Another typical townhouse of Gdansk.
Christmas dinner falls on the 24 of December and it is a very special dinner shared with family.
Gdansk Town Hall
A stop for a hot wine
It was a very gentle almost warm week at home with family. Sweet company, beautiful city lights, warm, cosy interiors and good, homemade food. Next months so many projects and travels are coming to be realized I am so glad we had this time together.
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