After Krakow we caught the train to Gdańsk as planned. We reached the city at 4 pm. We made a stops and slowed down a bit but we still arrived on schedule. I am once again convinced that Polish railways work brilliantly. We watched a magnificent, long-lasting sunset along the way. The five hour journey cost us 120 euros for two. The cost of the train ticket was really high even more, than what we paid for our flight tickets. It was definitely worth the extra money because this train was so fast. We could have taken a train that took eight hours, it would have been cheaper but we chose the fast train instead. After we got to our destination we just wanted to go to the hotel check in and rest for a while. Then we wanted to go out and find a place to eat. The train ride made us pretty hungry.
We went to our hotel first and got settled in. The hotel cost 75 euros per night. Our room was really nice. It had a washing machine, a dishwasher and a microwave so we had everything we needed. There was water in the fridge, we were happy thinking it was beer. But it was sparkling water, which was a little disappointing. 😄 The view from our room was not so good it looked out over a construction site, which was not pretty. but if you leaned out from the balcony you could see the Ferris wheel and the steeples of the churches, which was really cool. Our hotel was an stylish place, we liked it. Then we went out to see what the city was like, at night and what it had to offer.
The weather was about -2 degrees. I can't say my nose was freezing like it was in Krakow. I was even walking without gloves. On our way here, we passed through a town 30 kilometers back. It was -8 degrees there, but felt like -15 degrees. After we walked for a while we got closer to the sea. Although the temperature seems a little better near the sea, the humidity makes you feel the cold much more.
This place is almost like a little Amsterdam, with those famous fachwerk buildings everywhere. I was sure these places would look very charming in daylight. The view of the river canal was wonderful, with towers rising in the background. It had much more of a New Year and Christmas atmosphere than Krakow. It was like a fairytale city.
We had two options for dinner: either the famous Polish dumplings Pierogi or a pizzeria. Our choice was, of course, the pierogi. But walking along the waterfront was so enjoyable that I was glad we didn't take a taxi. The buildings, the lighting, those authentic ships passing through the canal... Everything looked fantastic.
Finally we arrived at a restaurant. We ordered baked beef pierogi and classic boiled pork pierogi and paid about 42 Euros including drinks. It was a reasonable price for a touristy and traditional place.
After dinner, we walked a bit more through these fairytale streets and returned to our hotel. The next day, we went to the seaside. The adventure was continuing. I’ll tell you more in the next post. Thanks for reading.