Song and Gdansk

I arrived in Gdansk exhausted from a long and cramped overnight bus ride. My room wasn't ready at the hostel, so I sat in a chair in the middle of the common room and slept, while fellow travelers ate breakfast and chattered around me.

After a nap, I was excited to check out this town I had heard so much about. The architecture

is so typically European. It is well preserved and makes for a quaint town. Unfortunately, there is a festival in town, so "quaint" is not the word of the day; "Madhouse" is. There are hordes of people packing the squares, carnival rides and food stalls lining the streets, little kids screaming from exhaustion coupled with too much sugar, and parents looking frustrated from dealing with said kids. So, sadly, I am not seeing this city as it typically is, but I tried to get a few views for you.

This is the interior of St. Mary's Church, which is the largest brick church in the world. But, of course, I am not showing you the exterior so you can see the brick work. It has a lot of buildings crowded around it, so getting photos outside is not easy. But you can get an idea of the size from the inside. And that's just the central nave.

For those that are into religious art, here are a few interesting pieces. A very cool pulpit.

This is the detail of the painting on it.

And a similar altar piece with painting on the outside and reliefs on the inside of the doors.

And this, like Prague, is a city with cool doors.

This is the town hall clock tower, a quintessential part of all European towns.

Some of the buildings have a more medieval feel to them.

And some are more modern with their intricate details.This is one of the main gates into the city. (Imagine a wall heading off to each side.)

And a view from inside the gate.For those that are into sgraffito, this is a nice example. For those that aren't sure what that is, it is a technique where the artist layers a coat of paint over another color (usually white; either dry paint or plaster) and then scratches patterns into the top layer of paint to reveal the undercoat. This is very common in Bavaria, but is seen throughout Europe.

See what I mean about the crowds? Mobs of people wandering aimlessly and cluttering up my photos. I guess they didn't know I was coming and would want the city to myself.

Another cool door.

And more rows of buildings with beautiful facades.

And the best paddle boat I have ever seen.
It was a really pretty city, but after a while, I got tired of fighting the festival crowds, so I headed home, where I met a fun group of people (2 Irish, 1 American, 1 Swiss, and 2 Aussie).

At night, we went out to listen to a local band play at the festival and ate local food that involved a lot of sausage, kraut, potatoes, and unidentifiable meat. And, of course, beer.