Chateau Soussans, 2018, Margaux. Grand Vin de Bordeaux.
Santé
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Our ferry. Ferry was packed. Good Friday (not official) holiday in a very Catholic country. Most schools seemed closed. Map for reference. From the ferry. Again, from the ferry. We’re here. Rented bikes. Mike rented the real thing; I opted for this e-bike. Much easier! And we’re off. Irish cows. More Irish cows and beautiful landscape pictures. Land, sea, land, sky More thatched roofs. Stone walls. Everywhere! The Worm Hole. Poll na bPeist. Dun Aonghase. The highest cliffs on the Aran Islands. The most dramatic and beautiful setting for the oldest stone fort in Western Europe with its awe-inspiring cliffs and monument. On our way down. More Irish cows. They are sooo cute. Mama cow and her baby calf. Friendly cow. Irish horse. Last picture on Inishmore. On my way to return the bike. Mike getting our evening fire ready. Mike bought me a birthday wine.
Chateau Soussans, 2018, Margaux. Grand Vin de Bordeaux.
SantéI know it looks like it is daytime, this picture was taken at 9PM. A really great day. -
Our digs for the next four days. 
Take a left here to get to the apartment. This morning, fifty feet out our front door.
Do you really think that slight log can stabilize this rock wall?? Our walk into the small village of Spiddal.
Thatched roofs everywhere. 
St. Enda’s. 
Mike plotting our strategy. 
Coláiste Chonnacht. The Irish language school. Bussed into Galway.
Breakfast. 
Men at the bar while we had breakfast. 
Eyre Square.
Eyre Square is a city public park in Galway, Ireland. The park adjoins the nearby shopping area of William Street and Shop Street. Galway railway station, where we arrived, is adjacent to Eyre Square.
Spanish Arch. 
Spanish Arch, a bulwark constructed as an extension to the medieval town walls. Completed in 1584. It was built to protect and defend the quays from which Galwegians traded extensively with Britain, Europe and beyond. 
Galway Cathedral. Building started in 1958, Galway Cathedral was officially open on August 15, 1965. Looks hundreds of years old! -
Last lunch in Sopot this trip. Tuna steak with chickpeas, zucchini, tomatoes and sea asparagus.
Leaving for Galway, Ireland.
The view. 
Couldn’t be better. Easter bunny is getting ready. 
One More cultural difference. Within these walkways, cars ALWAYS stop for you. Geez, in Philadelphia and Cape May cars almost never stop. I’m usually saying, “run for your life!” Travel day today. Galway/Spiddal, we made it. Skies were friendly again. Flights: Gdansk to Amsterdam; Amsterdam to Dublin–easy. Train, Dublin to Galway.
Art. This time in the Heuston Train Station, Dublin. 
Our train is the 19:35. 
From the train. 
Irish cows from the train. 
Irish sheep from the train. 
Full moon in Spiddal. Hard to tell from my picture though. -
Took today off . . . your lucky day. Had to post these three pictures though. Flash back to October and November. Toured Malbork Castle in October, took pictures from the train on our way to Toruń (similar to below) in November and passed Malbork again today. : )
UNESCO designated the “Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork” and the Malbork Castle Museum a World Heritage Site in December 1997. It is one of two World Heritage Sites in the region (north-central Poland), together with the “Medieval Town of Toruń “, which was founded in 1231
Malbork Castle is located in the north of Poland, on the east bank of the River Nogat. It is the most complete and elaborate example of a Gothic brick-built castle complex in the characteristic and unique style of the Teutonic Order. The style exemplified here evolved independently from those which prevailed in contemporary castles in western Europe and the Near East. This spectacular fortress bears witness to the phenomenon of the Teutonic Order state in Prussia. The state was founded in the 13th century by German communities of military monks who carried out crusades against the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians living on the south Baltic coast, as well as against the Christian Kingdom of Poland. It reached its greatest influence in the 14th century. The castle-convent embodies the drama of late medieval Christianity, straining between extremes of sanctity and violence. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservator.
Tomorrow we get ready to go Ireland. See you in Ireland.
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It poured rain this morning, but that didn’t stop Mike and me.
PS my quadriceps and calf muscles are sore today. ; )
Breakfast. To dry off before the castle tour. Spinach and pesto omelette and two eggs over easy with mushrooms. 
Entrance gate on the way up to the castle. 
Arch entrance to Wawel Castle. 
Inside the castle walls. 
Castle and cathedral city model. 
View of Krakow from the castle. 
Mike studying a tapestry. 
Szczerbiec was the ceremonial sword used in the coronations of most Polish monarchs from 1320 – 1764. The only preserved part of the medieval Polish crown jewels. 
I’m ready for battle. 
I want the armor with angel wings though. 
Madonna and Child. Vittore Crivelli, 1440 – 1501. 
Jupiter, Mercury and Virtue by Dosso Dossi, 1524. One of the most valuable paintings in the collection. 
Head ceiling chamber. Kinda creepy. 
Walking back to our hotel. Palm Sunday. Poland stands with Ukraine. 🇺🇦 
Solidarity. Plus some miscellaneous cultural differences.
- Europe, including Poland, is much more environmentally conscious than us. Even the hotel room pen casing is made of cardboard. All lights in the hotel room are controlled by the room key—no leaving the lights or heat or air on here!
- Poland is also very rain oriented. Rain, no problem! Umbrellas everywhere. Umbrellas, rain coverings for strollers and hardy raincoats. They don’t seem to be saying — rain, a good day to stay in and read a book.
- They also seem to incorporate children into the daily routine, not have the children’s routine control the daily schedule.
- No decaffeinated coffee or tea! Don’t even think about it.
- I still see so many with their luggage!
Pen casing is cardboard/paper. Walked around the Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz District, this evening. Indonesian food for dinner.
Temple Synagogue in Kazimierz district. 
Amazing availability of food here. 
We had Indonesian at Batik. Mike gave them a B-/C+.
Gado—Gado. 
Malaysian-style Rendang. Tofu Satay. -
The Salt Mine near Krakow is a world-class, Unesco-listed underground landmark. Small amounts of salt are still occasionally extracted. This makes it one of the oldest mines in Europe and in the world. Traces of sodium chloride are from the Neolithic period about 6,000 years ago. At the beginning of the 13th century, salt production began at the Wieliczka mine and continued until the 2000s. During WWII, Germans used the mine as an underground facility for war related manufacturing.
Mike and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, but I’m tired! Wieliczka Salt Mine tour starts with a descent of about 50 flight of stairs with a total of just under 400 steps for the entire tour. I felt like Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo! Nine levels in all and the tour lasted two hours. I was the oldest person on the tour. I did ok but it wasn’t easy. Underground gallery and corridors form this amazing labyrinth, 245km /152 miles in length.
The mine reaches a depth of 327 meters. It is so deep that it would easily fit the Eiffel Tower. We went to the third level of the mine 135 meters deep. Our route was 2(ish) miles long.
We arrived by train. Wieliczka is literally the end of the line. Next few pictures are of our walk from the train station to the mine.
Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope in history, was born near Wieliczka. They are so proud. 
The mine entrance. As most miners spent a lot of time working in the mine, they began constructing numerous chapels and carved and decorated chambers, from the floor to the ceiling. So, when you step into the salt mine, there is an unusual world in front of you. There is a labyrinth of corridors with wooden timbers, the salt walls, the chambers and sculptures most made of salt. They say you can lick any wall to be sure that you are in a real salt mine—I didn’t try it though. ; )
The chandeliers are made of salt too. 
The world’s first 12 heritage sites. We have two. And Poland has two. 
Taken while waiting for the train back to Krakow. Directly across the tracks. Sorry this was so long. I promise to be brief for the next few days until Galway. : )
Dinner this evening at the Old Town Market in Krakow. We shared kielbasa and zurek soup. Zurek soup is Mike’s go-to Polish soup – fermented rye flour, a meaty white kielbasa, potatoes, a boiled egg, halved and spices. 
Last photo, as we were heading back to our hotel. -
And our train ride to get there.
Art. At the Sopot train station. 
Our train. Pictures along the way.
Lots of windmill farms. 
Village along the way. 
Clock tower. 
Arriving Warsaw. 
Warsaw. 
Station Narodowy in Warsaw. Home stadium of Poland’s national football team. 
Vistula River in Warsaw. 
Birch tree grove. Lots of them along the way. The birch is one of Poland’s most prevailing trees. 
Police at station Wloszczowa. Don’t know why. 
Arriving Krakow. 
Krakow. We made it. 
Puro Hotel. Our spot for the three nights. 
The whole room operates off of the tablet. 
Walking around before dinner. 
Mike and I decided that if the sign was in English, it couldn’t possibly be the best polish food. What do you think? 
Art in the park. 
Art on the street. 
Dinner selfie. Mike took using the mirror. We thought we were pretty funny. 
Dinner was amazing! Farina Restaurant. Salmon tartare and crab bisque (not pictured). Dorado and spinach ravioli with Gorgonzola sauce. And, I accidentally ordered a very expensive bottle of wine – I was hungry and a little tired, we had been on the go since 8AM this morning, Puligny-Montrache, 1er CRU LA GARENNE, 2019, Grand Vin De Bourgogne. I think the wine was 80% of our bill. ; ) 
Walking around after dinner. Rynek Glowny, Main Market Square, was lovely and big. Maybe getting ready for Easter? We are going to eat at the market tomorrow evening. 
Bread and kielbasa. 
The Town Hall Tower, Krakow. Again, Rynek Glowny, Main Market Square. 
Church of St. Francis. 
Dr. Josef Dietl. Not really sure who he is, sorry. Liked the photo op. 
The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle. 
Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Krakow. 
Wawel Dragon. Also known as the Dragon of Wawel Hill, a famous dragon in Polish legend. He spews fire, but Mike didn’t want to wait. 
The Vistula River and Wawel Castle from a rooftop deck. Stunning. 
Another view of the castle from the rooftop deck. Mike and I were having our after dinner cappuccino and latte. 
View from my hotel room. Hope there are blackout curtains. Great day. Tomorrow the salt mine. Good night.
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Neighborhood this visit—it’s nice. Yesterday the weather was good, high 40s, mostly sunny and almost no wind. Walking tour today. Weather was great today, low 50(s), partly sunny and again, no wind.
The apartment/AirBnB. 
Across the street, Zabka. It is like a Wawa or 7-Eleven. There is one on almost every corner. 
Across the street and over two blocks. A glass of wine after I closed all my (Apple Watch) rings. 
Around the corner, more apartments–newer. 
Cafe around the corner. The yellow bins are full of sand for melting the ice. 
Around the corner. Today’s pictures. Walked all over.
Preparing for summer. Installing new seating. 
A view of the pier from one story up. Fountain is covered for the winter. 
A rehabilitation center located in the very center of Sopot. State-of-the-art inside. 
Some pictures of beautiful Sopot homes by the sea. 
So. Many. Parks. 
All the parks and squares are preparing for summer. 
Manhole covers in Sopot. 
Fishing boat at the shore in Sopot. 
More fishing boats along the shore. 
Paul Puchmuller (1875 – 1942). Sopot’s most famous architect. The house is covered with a ceramic roof, with extensive scenic balconies and turrets. A characteristic feature of the home is that there are two three-story bay windows in the living rooms. 
Well-known Polish artist, Jacek Malczewski (1854 – 1929). Although I didn’t know of him. ; ) 
E. Wedel is a Polish confectionery company, which has been producing a variety of chocolates since 1851. Wedel is considered to be the Polish national chocolate brand. I think today, they might be owned by Cadbury. I sampled a few. DELICIOUS! 
These interesting looking stairs are for strollers and bikes. I tried to get an action shot, but wasn’t fast enough. Almost every stairway in Gdansk and Sopot has this section. 
Allotment gardens from the train on my way back from lunch with Mike in Gdansk. These allotment gardens are quite common in many European countries–I saw a lot during my travels last fall. In particular, they say that these gardens are an important part of the urban space in Central and Eastern Europe. They serve to improve the inhabitants’ physical and mental well-being and relieved the family budget thanks to being able to grow their own crops. My picture doesn’t do them justice. They are really often pretty and quite interesting. Train to Krakow tomorrow morning. Back to Sopot on Monday. Leave for Galway on Wednesday.
Sopot is in the north on the Baltic Sea in the Gdansk Bay. Sopot is in between Gdynia and Gdansk. Krakow is straight south near the Czech Republic and Slovakia borders. To give some perspective, Poland is slightly smaller than New Mexico.
Map of Poland All for today. Next stop Krakow.
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Short and sweet today.
The Forest Opera, an open-air amphitheatre in Sopot, with a capacity of 5000 seats. The orchestra pit holds up to 110 musicians. Bet it is a great place to see an opera. Walking distance from the rental. Nice walk through a nature park. 
Selfie. Hard to see how high up we were. We tried. 
Ordered-in this evening. Beet, carrot, cucumber and olive salad with pesto chicken, also with a slice of Mike’s salmon and dill crepe for me. Ratatouille wrap and a salmon crepe for Mike. Delicious. Now we are relaxing at the apartment. Looking forward to Galway with Mike. We bought our Dublín to Galway train tickets today. So, we thought it only appropriate to start watching Irish movies. So far, Banshees of Inisherin (last evening) and In Bruges (this evening) — dark comedies directed by British-Irish playwright and filmmaker, Martin McDonagh. We are still hoping to watch The Quiet Man, The Guard, The Field and maybe The Commitments to get us properly prepared. Mike definitely inherited Rich’s movie gene.
I even saw the Irish play, Hangmen, while in Dublín. Coincidentally, written by Martin McDonagh.
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Beautiful church as you enter the center square. Garrison Church of St. George. Originally Evangelist, the church has been Roman Catholic since Sopot’s re-incorporation into Poland in 1945. 
Square is under construction. Getting ready for spring. 90% of the stores and restaurants are still open though. 
Updated/spring photo of my favorite coffee spot. 
Blekitny Pudel (there is a line through the l and a tail under the e). Blue Poodle. 
Back for the near perfect pierogi. Spinach and onion. Delicious! With a glass of wine. Hendrick gin bottle is a table decoration. I think it is a Scottish gin–go figure. Had two pierogi because I wanted to save room for the dessert pierogi. Brought the rest back to the apartment for Mike. 
Dessert pierogi – strawberry and cream. YUM! Again, had two, the rest back to Mike. 
Later, tea at the Grand Hotel. Lovely view. It’s cold(ish), but was sunny and not too windy. Decent walking weather. 
It’s snowing. Can you see the flakes? 
Snow!
Dream to Travel from NCM 