Seeing mostly old Danzig with the lovely Agnes

Today, we took the tri-city tour (in and around Danzig/Gdansk) with the lovely Agnes, a thirty-year-old Polish girl who has lived in the area her entire life. She remembers the "Communist time," when she was a little girl. She remembers, too, all the celebrations as the Soviets left, by degrees. They were finally gone by about 1991.

She joked about how, unlike Californians, she doesn't have to worry about earthquakes, fires, etc. I said, "Yeah, just Germans and Russians." We laughed.

The weather was fine: I do believe it hit about 80 degrees F. As it turns out, the original Mr. Fahrenheit hailed from the city of Gdansk, and we came across a tribute to him.

The end of the Soviet Empire really started with the successes of Solidarity, a non-Communist-controlled trade union, which managed to gain concessions from the ugly and oppressive Soviet puppets that controlled Poland. But quite a few protesters died along the way (first in 1970), and this is a monument to them.

This, said Agnes, is the longest "and ugliest" building in Poland, built by the communists. She was careful—ever the professional—but it was plain that she had nothing but contempt for that lot.

We drove north, from Gdansk, to a magnificent church that housed an enormous pipe organ. Poland is one seriously green country. There are forests everywhere, and they are amazing. We probably picked the best time of the year to visit.

The front of the church

It's enormous inside; very impressive.

We heard a twenty-minute organ concert. My folks were enthralled. It rocked.

Yes, though the Gdansk area is near the Baltic, the beaches are beautiful, and, owing to a protective peninsula, the water is calm and relatively warm (by three degrees Celsius). At the height of the summer—several weeks away—bathers must arrive early to claim their patch of sand.

One finds old-fashioned striped cabanas at this particular beach, which is associated with the famous Grand Hotel.

And here is that hotel. DeGaulle, among others, stayed here. And movie stars: Marlene Dietrich, et al.

The architecture varies considerably from town to town. This apartment complex was mesmerizing. Poland has experienced a construction boom in recent years, which has kept its economy relatively healthy.

Yes, Poland has a Navy. And they're proud of it, too.

Eventually, we made our way back to Gdansk, and walked down King's Road in Old Town.

It's really quite spectacular. I was surprised by it all. The architecture is magnificent—and large. Originally, each narrow building was owned by a single family. Today, each floor is an apartment.

This region is the amber capitol of the world. My dad spent several hundred bucks here buying jewelry for mom.

The tower in the background is undergoing renovation.

Generally, the architecture in this part of the world is colorful.

An old building along the canal that leads to the bay.

Agnes and my folks, making their way through the many spectacular streets.

Another impressive church.

Gateway to the King's Road.

The atmosphere in these streets is fun. Lots of restaurants, bars, novelty shops, etc. Lots of tourists.

Much of this—though not the tower—was destroyed during the war and then later rebuilt.

I was mighty impressed.