Alexander the Great

When I learned Gdansk was on the itinerary, the only person I could think to ask about it was my friend Dan, he responded, “Gdansk, jewel of the Pomorze region of Poland. As with much of Eastern Europe, a crime of geography, putting such a beautiful people in such a precarious place…Further crime that such a people would be burdened by communism for so long.” I find this to be a perfect assessment, if not understated. So far, Poland beats England in every conceivable measure. There are large sections of town that are ugly, large concrete flats and offices built during Soviet occupation. The people who live in them are some of the nicest, most accommodating people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Otherwise, nearly 70% of the “Old Town” has been painstakingly restored based on photographs, prints, paintings, and even wood carvings. This is a city that was founded in AD 997, and was nearly wiped off the face of the map by no less than three different countries bombing it in World War II, not to mention those that came before. 
I was up late last night, typing a couple of back blogs, trying to get caught up, which should happen tonight! I was able to pull about four hours of sleep before having to get up for breakfast this morning. The four of us were taking a walking tour of Gdansk and meeting our tour guide, Alexander in the lobby of our hotel. An hour late, but worth the wait, he arrived with his walking stick to show and tell us everything he knew about Gdansk. We walked all over town with this fountain of knowledge, wrapped in the body of a 65 year old man. He had lived in Gdansk his whole life, and remembered the streets as a child, what happened during the war, the Soviet reconstruction, the political assassinations, and Solidarity. He lived through it, and has a background in regional history to tell you what happened before all the way back to the Teutonic Knights. 
This beautiful city has, time and time again, been delivered to the gates of Hell, only to be brought back to its former glory by the resilient people who inhabit it. When asked how they feel about the Russians or the Germans, I was told by one woman, “We don’t hate them, we don’t really like them, but they still hate us for some reason. They look down on us.” 
On the top of the Golden Gate, entering the city, there are eight statues, four facing out on each side, and each representing the virtues the city lives and is governed by. Walking into the city they are Peace, Freedom, Welfare, and Glory. On the other side, which is seen by people leaving and all of the merchants on “Long Street”, are Wisdom, Piety, Justice, and Unity. Written under these four, in German it says, “Through unity, small republics grow. Through discord, large republics fall.” 
Almost all of the information in this blog is from my notes, both mental and written, from Alexander. 
After a light lunch (thank God!), we went and ran around a bit, then back to the hotel to change and go to dinner at Agnieszka’s mother’s flat. There was an obscene amount of food, all of which was delicious. If we had eaten three times what we were capable of, there still would’ve been leftovers for most of the week. Her mother, grandmother, sister, and niece were amazing hostesses. They were so welcoming; they made it a very special time in this trip. I have come to expect that from the Polish. They seem to be an amazingly generous people, and would love to come back to visit any and every summer I could. I would gladly bypass time in England to spend it in Poland.