Prenzlau, Angermünde, Chorin & Eberswalde (15/09/2020)

On a nice sunny Tuesday, I decided to take a day trip from Berlin and visit a few towns north of the capital. I took an early train and reached the first town of the day: Prenzlau. After reaching the town's train station I then headed out on foot and in the direction of the city center. As I approached it, I passed by the nice Stettiner Tor, one of the surviving medieval city gates, named so because facing the direction of the city of Szczecin. Next to it, encircling the northern part of the city center is the old town wall, which in this case has been well preserved and still featuring the watchtowers every few meters. In fact, Prenzlau had been heavily damaged during WWII and had lost most of its old buildings. Nowadays many had been restored or fully reconstructed while for others new typical communist-style blockhouses had been built creating a sharp, and sometimes ugly contrast in the city center between old and modern. From the northern town walls I then continued along some modern buildings until I passed by the Dreifaltigkeitskirche, or Holy Trinity Church, built between the 13th and 14th centuries but which was unfortunately closed. Just a few meters further I then reached the town's main church, the Marienkirche, or St Mary's church. Started during the 13th century it was then expanded the following century in a typical Brick Gothic style, creating a wondrous building which can be still seen today, as it had been repaired and restored after the damages of the war. It features a tall stark eastern facade with two slender bell towers to the side, and a much more ornate and beautiful eastern facade considered one of the best and most beautiful examples of Brick Gothic. The interior features a large and tall nave full of light but quite empty and austere; as I walked in it was being used for a choir rehearsal. Through a small door, I was then able to walk to the top of the southern tower, with about 234 steps leading up the 68m high structure. From there I had then a commanding view of the whole city and of the nearby Unterucker Lake. After taking a few photos I then headed back down, this time descending through the northern tower, as it was connected to the southern one by a small passageway. Once outside the church and at street level I then walked a little bit further and reached the Heiliggeistkapelle, or Holy Ghost Chapel, a nice small 14th-century church. Next to it was the Mitteltorturm, a unique Brick Gothic city gate which was also the model for the famous Oberbaumbrucke bridge towers in Berlin. From the medieval city gate, I then walked on and followed the nice promenade that runs next to the lake, which the sunny day made even more pleasant. From the lakeside, I then walked back towards the city center and through the beautiful city park that covers most of the southern part of the city. It was kept really well, with perfectly trimmed grass, nice flower arrangements, and a large diversity of plants. The edge of the park reached the southern medieval town walls and here they had decided to plant some vineyards. A plaque stated in fact that the sunny and steep slope of this side helped the growth of the vines, and apparently, they had been grown here since the 13th century by the friars of the nearby Dominican monastery. They were grown here until a severe winter which hit between 1739 and 1740 which eventually killed all the plants, marking an end to that type of industry here. However, in 2010 a revival of the vineyard was begun for the State Garden Show which then took place in 2013, and so today the vines can still be seen. From there, I then found an opening in the walls and walked back into the city, passing by the previously mentioned Dominican monastery. Its grounds and church are now used as a museum so I decided to skip visiting as I did not have the time to do so. Instead, I continued walking and passed by the nice Alte Nikolaikirche, the oldest church in town. Built in a Romanesque style during the 13th century it now just features the bell tower and part of the nave as the rest had been demolished already during the 17th century. From there I then went on and passed through the main square, which nowadays just featured modern buildings all around. Then I once again passed by the Stettiner Tor and exited the city from where I had come in the morning, heading back to the train station where I took the next train to the second town of the day: Angermünde. A few minutes train ride later, I reached the next town and headed towards the city center on foot. I passed by the southern end of the old town where a nice section of the medieval town walls has been preserved with one of the watchtowers, the Pulverturm, still standing as well. After the town walls, I then reached the Franciscan Monastery Church of St Peter and Paul, a nice single nave gothic church from the 14th century. The interior, now mostly empty, is used as an exhibition ground for modern art installations. From the church, I then continued my walk and passed through the nice central square, the Markt. At its center stands the town hall, a baroque building from the 17th century built over a pre-existing gothic one. Not much further I then reached and visited the town's main church, St Mary's church. Originally built during the 13th century it took its current form during the refurbishments that took place in the 15th and 16th centuries in a late brick Gothic style. Its interior, mostly remade in a neogothic style during the 19th century still holds some of its old furnishing and fittings. One of such is the beautiful baptismal font from the 14th century featuring 16 saints standing under arches. Another nice feature is the large baroque organ from 1744 by Joachim Wagner. After the visit to the church, i then headed back through the main square and in the direction of the city center, walking then along the Klosterstraße, one of the most beautiful in town as it sided by some picturesque timber-framed houses. Once I had reached the station it was then time to get the next train and reach the nearby village of Chorin. As I got off the train I then walked through the small village, made up of single low houses set along the main street. If it weren't for the cars parked I could have sworn I was back in time a couple of centuries. At the center of town, I also passed by the nice church, built in stone masonry during the late 13th century and featuring a wooden steeple. From there I then followed a nice trail that winded its way through the forest and eventually took me to the main attraction of the area, the Chorin Abbey. This large monastery, built during the 13th century far from any settlement, was once very powerful and control a large part of land around it. In fact, it belonged directly to the House of Ascania, the rulers of Brandenburg who had sponsored its construction and had great influence over it. However, when in 1542 those rulers of Brandenburg converted to Protestantism the monastery was then dissolved and put to various uses including serving as a livestock barn over the ensuing decades until it finally fell into disrepair. An architect from the romantic period, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, found the ruins fascinating and decided to work on restoring and rebuilding them. Nowadays the monastery holds a museum and is a popular place for cultural events and exhibitions. Once I arrived at the entrance, I paid the entry fee and went in from the southern side. I was then faced with the beautiful structure of the Brick Gothic complex, one of the most exemplative and beautiful of that style in the region. I entered the courtyard, which is closed on three sides, except the southern which was never restored and is thus open, and admired the nice arched galleries around. From the cloister, I then entered the main basilica church, which featured a large single nave structure, tall and full of light. I then continued on around the complex and entered several rooms, such as the chapter house, the cellars, and a beautiful kitchen with a main fireplace chimney at its center. Some of the rooms had some exhibited objects which were found or related to the monastery's history, such as utensils, manuscripts, or inscribed bricks. Before leaving the monastery I decided to walk around it and admire it from the exterior. Its beautiful Gothic style could be most admired when seeing the western facade, with its tall and elegant structure thought to be one of the best representatives of that style in the whole country. Right next to the monastery was a small lake called the Amtssee and before heading back to the train station I decided to walk around it following a marked trail. Once I had completed the walk around the perimeter I then finally headed back through the forest and reached the train station of Chorin where I took the next train to the nearby town of Eberswalde. The walk from the train station to the city center took a bit, passing through the modern neighborhoods of this once industrial town. The town was damaged during WWII, and that was noticeable as I reached the old town and noticed old and new architecture standing side by side. Here I walked around the small but nice city center, passing by the main church, that of Saint Madeleine, built in a typical gothic style but unfortunately closed at that time. Then I headed through the Markt, the main square, and along some nice streets with still some timber-framed houses here and there. Finally, it was time for me to head back to the train station where I maned to get the next train taking me back to Berlin just before sunset. 

Prenzlau's medieval walls

The Mitteltorturm and the Marienkirche

The Unterucker Lake

The apse of the St Nikolai Church

The flamboyant Gothic details of the Marienkirche

The walls of Angermünde

Angermünde's main square

The 14th-century baptismal font of the Marienkirche in Angermünde

The main square and town hall of Angermünde

A nice street in Angermünde's old town

The Chorin Abbey

The church of the Abbey

The kitchens

View of the church from the outside

The apse of the church and part of the monastery

The main street of the village of Chorin

Eberswalde's main church, St Madeleine

Hiddensee & Jasmund National Park (12-13/09/2020)

On a September weekend, my girlfriend and I decided to head to the Baltic Sea coast of Germany, the Ostsee as it is called here, and spend a couple of days visiting the area. We decided to ask two friends of ours, Margo and her boyfriend Denis, to join us and they gladly accepted. So on a Friday night, we took a regional train from Berlin and arrived in Stralsund where we met up with our friends coming from Hamburg and then headed to the accommodation we had booked for those two nights. After reaching the accommodation, the Hostel Stralsund, located to the south of the old town, we self-checked in and found out we were the only ones there. We had to bring our own bedsheets and towels as that was the policy of the place, and the booking had not been that cheap especially if adding up the four of us together. However, it was still the cheapest best option so we were just glad of having found something either way. After a goodnight's sleep, we woke up early the next morning and headed into town to grab some breakfast before catching the boat to the nearby island of Hiddensee which we had come specifically here to visit. We stopped at the Back-Factory, in front of the Cathedral, where we grabbed breakfast and also bought some lunch to take with us on the way. Then, we walked through the picturesque main square and reached the small port from where we would then take the boat. We had luckily bought the ticket online a few days before, though the line to get on was still very long and we had to wait several minutes before being able to board. Once inside, we had wished to go up on the deck but it was already full so we just headed below deck struggling to find four seats close to each other. As we left, I then decided to go outside and take some pictures of Stralsund's skyline slowly disappearing in the distance behind us. I figured out that it had been better for us to stay below deck because it was very windy and quite cold. The boat was in fact packed most probably due to the nice weather and sunny day, probably the last nice weekend for the year to do such a trip; and in fact, we had planned it exactly because of it. A little over an hour later we reached our destination in the small village of Neuendorf, exactly halfway up the island of Hiddensee. Here we disembarked and quickly looked for a place to rent bicycles before any of the other passengers would think of doing the same as us and create another long line. We found a rental place just next to the pier and managed to rent four bicycles for six euros each. On the island, there are no cars allowed so the only means of transportation are bicycles, horse carriages, or on foot. The whole length of the island is about 16km and as we were about halfway up already, we would just need about 8 kilometers to reach the northern tip which is what we intended to do next. So we left Neuendorf and continued northwards following the main path, As expected, despite the sunshine, it was rather windy, a typical feature all year round on the island, which made the cycling a little bit more challenging than usual. In half an hour we then reached the next village, Vitte, the largest on the island. We cycled past some nice typical thatched roofed houses and stopped at the only supermarket on the island where we bought some extra stuff to take with us for lunch. Then we cycled on and passed a nice open grassy area, overlooking the Vitter Bodden, a type of lagoon separating Hiddensee from the larger island of Rugen. Here we also saw some cute sheep grazing peacefully and happily next to the path. Not long after we then passed through the northernmost of the three villages of the island, Kloster. We then cycled up a hill and ended up at a point in the path where we couldn't continue on with our bicycles. We then parked our bikes in the small parking space to the side of the path and continued on foot. We were now on the northern part of the island, in an area called the Dornbusch, characterized by low rolling hills which end up with cliffs over the sea. After following the path for a bit we then reached the main attraction of the area, the Dornbusch Lighthouse, a tall 28m high red and white striped lighthouse. It stands on the highest spot of the island at about 72m above sea level and has a commanding view all around. From the lighthouse, we then continued on following the path and reached a nice spot right above the cliffs from where we had a great view of the coast and sea below. We decided to stop here and have our lunch, sitting behind some bushes to repair us from the wind but with the sun on our face shining from the other way. After eating we then continued on along the path but soon ended up realizing that the way was rather hard as it seemed like it hadn't been maintained in a long while and we were pushing through thick bushes and areas with a lot of thorns. We often thought of stopping and heading back from where we came but each time thought to push on instead. After a long struggle, we finally managed to come out from the bushes and reached the small beach at the end of the path. We were now at the northeastern tip of the island and we celebrated by dipping our feet in the ice-cold waters of the Baltic sea. After a bit of walking around and collecting some interesting rocks on the shore, we then decided it was time to head back to pick up our bicycles. This time we followed the path straight in front of us and walked along the lower part of this side of the island keeping the hilly area with the lighthouse in the distance to our right. We passed by a tiny hamlet made up of a few houses where we also managed to find a tree with some tasty apples to pick from, and then eventually after a bit more walking reached our bicycles once again. We got on and figured out it was time to head back to Neueundorf and to the boat if we wished to catch it in time and not be left on the island until the next day. In fact, unfortunately, the last boat off the island leaves only at four p.m. even though there is still plenty of daylight left and that was obviously our only option. So we cycled quickly back to Neuendorf and after giving back the bicycles, managed to get on the boat in time. One hour later we were then back in Stralsund and decided to take a stroll before heading for dinner. We walked through the pretty old town, which I had visited already during my time living in Hamburg, two years before, and passed by the city's main monuments. As I was with a Russian, an Ukrainian, and a Polish, this meant that all but me were already starting to get hungry. We eventually compromised and ended up having dinner at 6:30pm, quite an early record for me. We eventually chose a place called Dolden Mädel Braugasthaus, and taking a seat on the patio outside had a nice dinner, three of us with a burger and one with a soup. Just as we were done it started raining so we hastily paid and decided to head back to our hostel. After changing into warmer clothes we then decided to take a last stroll around town and find a place to have a warm drink. After that, it was time to head back once again and get ready to sleep for the next day.

In the morning, after another early rise, we headed to the nearby train station in order to get the next train to the town of Sassnitz, located not far away, on the northeastern end of the nearby island of Rugen. After reaching Sassnitz, we then decided to look for a place to leave our luggage but unfortunately, the station did not have any kind of storage facilities. We even asked a bakery where we had breakfast in but they told us they would close early so they wouldn't be able to keep the luggage. We tried a few other places, including a hotel but had no success. Eventually, after walking along the pier we happily found the tourist office which was open and allowed us to store the bags for just 1 euro each. We were happy and now ready to continued our walk, bag-free. Despite the cloudy weather which was sadly unexpected, we continued our walk along the seaside and soon after started heading uphill past the last houses of the town. Then we finally reached the place we had intended to visit, the Jasmund National Park. The smallest national park in Germany, it consists of a beautiful beech forest, inscribed in the Unesco list along with others around Europe, ending up on the edge of huge chalk cliffs overlooking the sea and reaching heights of up to 161m. Once at the entrance of the park several paths headed in different directions covering the entirety of the area. We chose the main one, intending to walk up through the whole park to reach its northern tip. As we walked through the beautiful beech forest, following the path up and down the hilly wooded area, we often found the path would lead to the edge of the forest and grant views over the impressive chalk cliffs below. We passed some incredible scenic spots which oftentimes were also famous as they had been painted by known artists back in the 19th century such as Caspar David Friedrich. We then passed by one of the most famous cliffs, the Wissower Klinken, known because back in 2004 a whole section of it had fallen down to the sea caused by a spring thaw that can be common in the area. After a bit of walking and beautiful views, we then reached a particularly nice viewpoint, the Victoriasicht, which featured a tiny wooden bridge with rails jutting out over the cliff and granting a great sight. To see it though there was quite a long line as it could only hold two people at a time. We took turns, with one of us standing in line and the others sitting down on a bench and recovering from the hike up and down the hilly forested area. After we had experienced the viewpoint and having taken a few pictures we headed on and finally reached the main sight of the national park, the Königsstuhl, or king's chair. This cliff is one of the largest and most known of the park, and a visitor center has been built here in 2004 in order to provide information on the unique characteristics of the park while instructing visitors how to avoid damaging the ecology of the park. Inside were also an interactive exhibition and a multi-vision theatre. The entrance was though nine euros, and we were only wishing to see the view, so opted not to go in. Instead, we decided to check for the timetable of the next bus that would take us back to Sassnitz. We had to wait quite a bit though, and after about half-hour managed to take our bus back. After reaching Sassnitz we were happy to see the sun had decided to shine once again and as we walked along the seaside we looked for a place to have lunch. We found the Restaurant Fährblick and managed to take one of the outside tables in order to enjoy the sun while eating. Then we ordered our food and had a nice meal with finally some nice weather. After lunch, it was then time for us to head back to the tourist info point to collect our bags, then from there eventually head to the train station. After taking the next train we reached Stralsund once more and from here bid farewell as Margo and Denis left for Hamburg and Ania and I for Berlin, after a nice weekend in the nature.

A street in the old town of Stralsund

View of Stralsund from the ferry

Sheep grazing on a field in Hiddensee

The bycicle path across the island

The Dornbusch Lighthouse

The beach on the northern end of the island

Typical thatched-roof houses

The church of the Holy Ghost in Stralsund

The monastery of the church now turned into private housing

The main square of Stralsund by night

The white cliff of the Jasmund National Park

A typical forest path through the park

Another view of the cliffs

A clear example of the erosion the cliffs suffer

The waterfront in Sassnitz

Trip around Gdansk (29-31/08/2020)

 After taking a flight from Italy to Poland to attend the wedding of Philip, Ania's cousin, I reached Gdansk the night of the 28th of August and met up with my girlfriend who was already there for a few hours with her flight from Berlin. We checked in our accommodation, Holiday Rooms Old Town, and then went out through the city center to look for a place to have dinner. We opted for a place called Pierogarnia Mandu, where you guessed it, we had some really tasty pierogi. Then after dinner, we decided to stroll around through the city center and admire the city by night. I had been here the last time a few years before; it was November, rainy, and cold, but now, end of August, it was nice and pleasant and many people were out enjoying it as well. We walked along the main canal which cuts through the city and is sided by beautiful old buildings. I notice here they had built a completely new pedestrian bridge, and on the other side, where once the panoramic wheel used to be, new buildings had been constructed. After the nice stroll, we headed back to our room to sleep ready for the next day's trip. 

In the morning we woke up quite early and headed to the train station where we had arranged the pickup of our rental car for the next two days. After a bit of confusion as to where exactly we were supposed to meet we figured it out and a friendly guy came to us to leave us our car. From there we then drove southwards along the Vistula river and reached then the town of Chelmno a couple of hours later. We found a parking spot in the city center and then decided to explore on foot. We first entered the nice church of Saints James and Nicholas, built during the 14th century in a typical brick Gothic, as the city was once part of the Hanseatic League and of under Teutonic rule. Its interior though was mostly remade during the 19th century in a Neogothic style, with some traces of its ancient past still visible such as some frescos here and there. Next up was another Gothic church, that of Saints Peter and Paul. Built also in a typical brick Gothic during the 14th, like basically all the churches in town, it too was refurbished but in this case during the 18th century. Its interior features some nice Baroque additions from that period. From the church, we then reached the nice and large main square, the Rynek. At its center stands the beautiful town hall, which competes as one of the most beautiful in Poland. It was built between 1567 and 1572 in place of the earlier Gothic city hall that had been built around 1298. The tower was then added between 1584 and 1596 with the clock dating to the year 1590 by a certain Georg Wilhelm from Toruń. It is one of the most valuable examples of Renaissance and Mannerist municipal architecture in the whole country, and a rarity in Northern Poland as most of that type of architecture is found to the south or west. Not far from the town hall we then visited the main church, that dedicated to St Mary. Built during the 13th century in a brick Gothic it still holds its original look from the exterior and features a beautiful bell tower with a height of 60m and the highest point in town. The architecture inside is also Gothic though several additions were made during the 17th and 18th centuries when some Baroque and Rococò altars were added. The church is also known for holding a relic of Saint Valentine, and that is why I then realized I had seen some benches around town promoting Chelmno as the city of lovers. From the main church, we then walked along the town's main street and exited the medieval walls through the Grudziądz Gate, a nice Baroque city gate. Chełmno is one of the few Polish cities which can boast an almost fully preserved circumference of the medieval defensive walls. It is currently 80% of its original length with 23 towers preserved. Just outside town we then found a nice place to have lunch called Chlebem I Solą where we had a pleasant meal. After eating we headed back into town and in the car, heading to our next destination: Radzyn Chełmiński. The drive there took about 40 minutes over some really terrible roads; some had huge holes and another was only half lane constructed meaning that whenever another came from the opposite direction we were supposed to drive offroad. Nevertheless, we managed to arrive without any problems and decided to park just next to the town's main attraction, the Radzyń Chełmiński Castle. Originally built during the 13th century as the seat of the Teutonic Knights' Commandry, it was then transformed into a fully functional brick Gothic fortress the following century. During the Swedish Deluge, in 1628, the castle was heavily damaged by the invading Swedish forces and slowly left to ruin thereinafter. When the Prussian authorities took over control, during the 18th century, further demolishing took place when the bricks were used to build buildings in the nearby town. Only in 1838 were the ruins secured and preserved for posterity, eventually being partially reconstructed during the 1960s. Nowadays, the castle, despite partly in ruin, features beautiful architecture, typical of the Gothic found in Northern Poland. Once we parked we then headed in and paid the small ticket price to visit its interior. We went through what was once the castle church, then underground where the kitchens, cellars, and prisons were located. And then finally to the top of the two remaining towers of the once four that marked the corners of the square-shaped castle. From there we enjoyed the beautiful view of the surrounding countryside and the sun which had decided to finally shine through the clouds. Once our visit to the castle was over we headed then back to the car and drove towards the next town, Grudziądz. Before reaching the city proper we decided to cross the Vistula river and from a small beach along the riverside admire the beautiful old town of Grudziądz. It is here in fact, that one has the best sight of the old architecture of the city, consisting of the impressive granaries, built right at the edge of the city, sloping down towards the river and several meters high. These 14th-century granaries had both a storage function as well as a fortification function, creating a walled feature to cover the city from the riverside; they were really an impressive sight. From there we then drove towards the city center and after finding a parking spot continued on foot. As we walked through the old town we admired the nice architecture, most of which reconstructed after the damaged of World War 2. It was interesting to see that from this perspective, up at the top of the sloping hill, the city is built on, the granaries from this side looked like plain one or two-story houses, compared to the several stories high we saw from the other side of the river. We then quickly visited the church of St Nicholas, built during the 14th century in a brick Gothic with a nice Baroque altar. Then as we passed through the Rynek Glowny, the main square, we walked downhill to the nice promenade set between the old town and the river. From here we could see the impressive height of the granaries from up close. Then as we walked further, we headed back up the hill and reached the northern end of town where once the castle used to stand. Built around the 14th century over a previous Slavic fort, the castle withstood time and war until it was mostly demolished under Prussian rule in the 18th century. Only the keep's tower survived, but that was also unfortunately destroyed during WWII. As is common in Poland, the tower was recently reconstructed and nowadays visitors can see the ruins of the rest of the castle and climb the top of the tower. That's what we did and from there had a beautiful view over the old town and the Vistula river flowing by. After enjoying the view for a while we headed back down into town and to our car, driving then to the next town, Gniew. The drive took little less than an hour, and as we approached the town, we had a beautiful view of the old town and the large castle beside it. Once there, we parked and continued on foot. The town is very small but rather picturesque. We walked through its medieval streets, passing by the main church, St Nicholas, which was already closed, and then through the main square with the nice gothic town hall. All around are simple yet picturesque burgher houses which make the place very quaint. We then reached the town's main attraction, the castle, considered as one of the nicest in the region. The building is in fact huge and consists of a rectangular structure with four towers at its corners. The castle was originally built during the 13th and 14th centuries but, as in many other cases, fell into ruin and was almost completely demolished during the 18th and 19th centuries. Only at the end of the 20th century was it restored to full glory with a near full reconstruction which can be seen today; only the main keep and outer bailey were not rebuilt. We walked around the castle grounds but found out it was not possible to enter the building proper as a wedding was taking place. Usually, though it can be visited as it is open to the public, and contains a four-star hotel and a restaurant. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the view from the outside and the sight of the Vistula river, just a few hundred meters away. Then, it was time to head back to the car and drive to our final destination for the day, the town of Kwidzyn. We arrived just as the sun was setting and then found a parking spot just in front of our accommodation, Hotel Maxim. We checked in and left our stuff, heading then out again to look for a place to have dinner. We came upon the Staromiejska Restaurant where we had some really tasty food, and as usual in Poland, for a bargain of a price. Then we were off to bed, ready for the next day,

In the morning, after breakfast in the hotel, we decided to explore Kwidzyn, as we had arrived late the day before. We first headed to see the town's main attraction, the beautiful castle located on the edge of the old town, overlooking the Vistula river far in the distance. Built during the 14th century as one of the large strongholds of the Teutonic order along the river, it now holds a museum inside. After buying the ticket we explored the interior which held several objects, from paintings to archaeological remains, as well as 18th and 19th-century work tools. One interesting feature of the castle is the north tower which is connected to the main part through a five arched bridge and contains a Dansker, an overhanging toilet facility for the inhabitants of the castle. Right next to the castle, and connected to it, is the beautiful Cathedral dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Built shortly after the castle in the same century, it features a clear Gothic style and measures about 63m in length. There was a mass going on inside so we just managed to have a quick look so as not to disturb too much. Once back outside we then headed around the castle and to the northern side from where we had a beautiful view of the castle and cathedral joined together as an impressive fortress. From there we then headed back to the car and decided to drive on towards the next town. We reached the small town of Pelplin about half an hour later and parked the car right in front of the town's main attraction, the Pelplin Abbey. Built during the 13th century as a daughter house of the Doberan Abbey, it grew in importance, wealth, and power and became a self-sustaining monastery. The Abbey was dissolved by the Prussian authorities during the 19th century, as it happened with most religious buildings in the area, but was later reinstated once in Polish hands. Nowadays, part of the complex is occupied by a religious school, and part by the museum which holds one of the finest collections of medieval art in the country. The Cathedral church though is still used and that was what we visited next. A large flock of people was entering just as we were, and it seemed like a mass was going to take place soon. So we decided to walk around exploring the huge 83m long Gothic Basilica, one of the largest in the country, before the mass would start. The interior features a nice typical Gothic vaulted structure with baroque additions added a few centuries after its construction. Particularly impressive are the baroque pipe organ and the Mannerist early 17th-century main altar,  Poland’s largest and the largest timber altar in Central Europe. Once our visit was over we headed out to get in the car but to our dismay found that it had been blocked by cars on all sides from those who had come to mass. Luckily the owners of the car to the side had just gotten out so we managed to ask if they could move it and let us exit. They didn't seem very happy to oblige, probably annoyed they would miss their favorites seats inside, but nonetheless accepted and moved it. As the car was to the side it took incredible skill and luck on my part, which I thought not to have either, to manage to pull the car out of that narrow space. Finally, after a few maneuvers, we got out and drove to the nearby town of Starogard Gdański. Here we parked our car, this time in an actual parking spot next to the street, and then continued on foot to explore the city center. We walked through the pretty main square, the Rynek, and passed by the church of St Catherine which was closed. The other main church in town, the church of St Matthew, was instead open and inside featured a nice Gothic structure with baroque fittings and altars and a nice 15th-century fresco depicting the Last Judgment on the main nave arch. After the visit to the church we then headed back to the main square where we looked for a place to have lunch, we eventually chose the Bar Mleczny Junior, the typical polish milk bar where you can have a quick meal for very cheap prices. We had soup and pierogi and a side salad and then were off to our car to drive to the next town. Less than half-hour later we reached the town of Tczew, built right by the Vistula river. We parked the car and continued on foot visiting its pretty old town. We walked through the Rynek, the main square, and past the Gothic church of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, which was closed at the time. Nearby the main church, that of the Holy Cross, was open and so we headed inside to visit it. Featuring a typical Gothic structure and appearance dating from the 14th century, its interior has some beautiful baroque fittings including the nice main altar. After walking around the rest of the town we went back to the car and took it to drive to the next and last city for the day, Elbląg. We crossed the Vistula river and drove past the famous town of Malbork, with its impressive castle, and then reached Elbląg a while later. Here we parked the car and headed through the city center on foot. Like many other Polish cities. Elbląg was heavily bombed during WWII and nearly completely destroyed. In recent years, extensive renovations and constructions have been carried out to try to restore some parts of the old town with the original foundations of the buildings. The look of the city is then a complete mix of new and old buildings. As we walked through the city center we first approached the large church of St Nicholas, the city's main religious building. Built between the 13th and 14th centuries in a brick Gotic style it features a three-nave main building and a tall thick bell tower in front of the facade. The interior, mostly modern-looking, had some nice gothic wooden altars which were either saved during the war or coming from other churches in the area. In front of the church, a nice square opens up reaching the Elbląg river, which gave the name to the city. From the river, we then walked back through the old town admiring the nice reconstruction effort carried out in the main street where the burgher houses were remade to look how they once were. At the end of the street the nice medieval gate, the Brama Targowa, was rebuilt as a tower with the old clock that it once had. It was then time for us to head back to the car and drive back to Gdansk. In just less than an hour we reached the train station where we gave in the rental car and from there headed on foot to our accommodation for the night, the Willa Litarion, on the eastern end of the old town. Once there we left our luggage and then decided to take a stroll around town before dinner. After a bit of walking, we then reached the restaurant, Manna 68, where we had a really tasty vegetarian dinner. Then we were off back to our accommodation tired after the nice trip.

The following morning we woke up rather early and decided to explore Gdansk one last time before leaving in the late afternoon. We touched the main attractions, walking first through the Długi Targ, the city's main square, surrounded by beautiful buildings including the Gothic-Renaissance town hall with its slender tower. At the center of the square is the beautiful Neptune's fountain, an early 17th-century Mannerist creation, which gives the square an even more elegant look. We then walked along the main canal, with its pretty canalside made up of some of the most beautiful buildings in the city, including the interesting and picturesque 15th medieval crane which also functioned as a city gate. It is the city's most known landmarks and rightly so due to its rarity and beauty. From the old town, we then headed north and reached the European Solidarity Centre, a modern building from 2014 which serves as a museum and library of Solidarnosc, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. The place was packed with people, and several news media outlets and important figured were there present as well. I seemed to understand because the building was opened on that specific day six years before and there was now a large conference planned. We headed inside and visited its very interesting exhibitions relating to the Solidarnosc movement and I definitely learned a lot of stuff that I had not known before about it. After the visit to the building, we headed back into town and looked for a place to have lunch. We found the closed market, which was newly built on the other side of the canal from the medieval Crane, and here were able to pick from a few small restaurants. I had a burger while Ania had ramen, all very tasty. After lunch, we had one last stroll and then headed back to our accommodation to pick up our stuff and then head to the train station. From here we bought a ticket to reach the beach town of Łeba where we would spend the night. After arriving there, we went to check in the small accommodation, Oaza Łeba. We left our stuff and then headed back into town just in time to admire the sunset. We then looked for a place for dinner, and after a bit of searching, we eventually picked the restaurant, Koga. Here I had a tasty dinner consisting of fish and a nice red sauce. After dinner, we headed back through the town but noticed how it felt and looked quite dead. Being it at the end of August the place was void of nearly all the tourists that usually come here between July and August for the summer holidays. So we then decided to just head back to the accommodation and sleep early. 

The next day, Ania's sister, Monika, and her boyfriend came to pick us up with their car and together head to the nearby Słowiński National Park. We reached the parking lot in front of the park's entrance, and after paying an entry ticket, followed the nice trail winding its way through the typical coastal forest found in northern Poland. After a bit of walking, we finally reached the main part of the National Park, where the beautiful sand dunes are located. This large stretch of the coast, being a national park, is protected and surrounded by pure wilderness. The dunes themselves are quite tall, reaching up to 30m in height, reaching the highest spot at about 115m above sea level. From here we could see the sea not far below us and enjoyed the nice soft feeling under our feet and the nice sunny weather. Due to the wind from the Baltic sea, the dunes move about 3 to 10 meters per year, so many people coming here after some time have always a different view. From the dunes, we then decided to walk down and reach the sea and from there walk along the beach back to our car. Despite the sunshine, the wind was quite strong and made the temperature relatively cold. However, I still wished to test the water and thus decided to quickly dive inside the cold waters of the Baltic Sea. At first impact, the water was quite cold, but eventually, I got used to it, and it actually felt quite nice. The problem arose when I came out and felt the cold wind on me, making me shiver. I dried up as we walked back along the beach thanks to the still warm rays of sunshine on my back. Along the way, we even picked up some really nice-looking colorful stones which we decided to take back home with us after a careful selection of the best ones to keep. Once we reached the car a couple of hours later we got in and finally drove all together back to Kościerzyna, to attend the wedding of Ania's cousin the following day. 

Gdansk's waterfront with the medieval crane

Another view of the waterfront

The main square and town hall of Chełmno

The castle of Radzyń Chełmiński

View of Grudziądz's old town with the medieval granaries

A street in Grudziądz's old town

Another street in the old town

View of Grudziądz's walls

View of the Vistula river from the top of the castle in Grudziądz

View of the castle and old town of Gniew

The castle in Gniew

The castle of Kwidzyn

The interior of the Pelplin Cathedral

The old town of Tczew

View of the old town of Elbląg

One of the streets of Elbląg

View of Gdansk's waterfront by day

Gdansk's town hall

The Neptune Fountain in Gdansk's main square

View of Łeba by night

The Słowiński National Park

The dunes in the national park

The beach of the national park