There was a monument next to where our ship docked in Gdansk the next morning. Gordon and I had time before our afternoon tour, so we wandered over to look at it. It was a monument to those who lost their lives in World War II. And there was a bombed-out building down the road from it. We learned that this is where the Nazis first attacked Poland (the Germans called the city Danzig, not Gdansk). We were on the spot where World War II officially started. We watched a group of young people practice marching around for some program or other–we never found out what. And we never found out if they were young soldiers, high school kids, or what. We just saw that they were young and in uniform. They marched solemnly to music on a portable record-player (hadn’t seen one of those in years) to the monument and back to a bunch of chairs. Maybe they were preparing for Poland’s version of Memorial Day. We eventually got bored and went back to the ship for milk and a cookie. Then we took our tour of Old Town Gdansk. Gdansk was leveled during the war, but it was re-built in the 50s to look like it had in the late 1700s. There were fountains in the cobblestoned streets only two blocks from the river. The church was dedicated to Saint Barbara so I approved of that, of course. Amber jewelry is a big seller there. I found some beautiful pieces but I’d already gotten an amber bracelet earlier at a sale on the ship. Maybe I’ll get more some other time. Anyway, I thought the street was charming. And the residents got the feel of an historic city but with new plumbing. The best of both worlds! We were shown the dock where the Solidarity Movement started. Who knew Gdansk was the beginning of so much–World War II, Solidarity…The people were worried about the war in Ukraine. Poland is right next door and they’ve lived under the Russians before. No one I talked to was eager to do it again. Our guide was very proud that Poland had taken in over 4 million refugees. I hope the best for all of them and thank God I don’t live in that part of the world.
We had a short stop the next day at a tiny island called Bornholm, or Ronne, still in Denmark. There wasn’t much to see except for an old castle where apparently terrible things happened. None of the stores were open so there wasn’t much to do. Even the bathroom down by the dock was closed. And when you’ve got a bunch of ageing tourists with iffy bladders, that can be a problem. The guide pointed out the Russian embassy which was fenced off. Lots of Ukrainian flags were flying opposite so I suspect the Russians stayed to themselves. They’re not real popular in that part of the world.
Our trip to Berlin started the next morning at 7:30. We had a 2-hour train trip before catching a bus to downtown Berlin. I was glad we got to ride so much. I’d tripped over Gordon’s feet (not his fault, it was a small cabin, and I wasn’t watching where I was going) and messed up my little toe. I thought I’d just bruised it badly but it’s still painful weeks later so it’s possible I broke it. Fortunately, our traveling buddies handled it. Bill is a surgeon and Dawn is a nurse, so they acted as my medical team. Bill stabilized the toe, but walking was painful. And when we left the bus there was a lot of walking. We went to the Brandenburg Gate and learned about the history of Berlin. We saw the Reichstag, some concert halls, churches, other official buildings, and Checkpoint Charlie. We had sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, and beer at a local restaurant. The one-man band played German folk tunes. Gordon knew the lyrics to some of the songs, but I chimed in with the “Ja, Ja, Ja, Ja” chorus and waved my stein around. That was my kind of place. I had enough euros for the toilet frau, who happened to be a Herr in this case, and we left for a short cruise down the Spree. There were a lot of pro-Ukraine signs and flags in Berlin, too. Nobody who’s lived under the Russians wants them back. But it was a lovely day except for the broken toe (how can something that small cause so much trouble?). The one thing that sticks in my head was how clean Berlin is. It’s the Disneyland of European cities. I was literally shocked when I saw a small piece of graffiti on the way back to the ship. I’ll have to go back to Berlin and check it out more carefully.
We had another long day of walking in Copenhagen the next day. I was swearing at my toe. Why couldn’t I have messed it up when we had short tours? But I gimped around. This was my chance to see Copenhagen and no toe was going to stop me. We saw the Little Mermaid statue. The guide said she kept getting vandalized and I can see why; she’s easy to get to. The statue is on a rock that’s only about 8 feet from shore. On the way to the Citadel we passed another statue of a local goddess who legend says carved out Denmark by turning her four sons into bulls and plowing as much land as they could in one day. We toured an Episcopal church, the first I’d seen in Europe outside the UK. We walked past the official residences of the royal family that surround a public square. After lunch we toured the official palace. It’s impressive. I’m glad it wasn’t flattened in the war. All the guides in the cities we visited really stressed the war. It’s like history started then. I guess what’s happened in the various countries stemmed from that time. Anyway, the guide stated that the Danes loved their royal family and believe that the royals earn their money. Really nice palace. I recommend visiting it. They put us on the bus and took us to Tivoli Gardens where they say Walt Disney got the idea for Disneyland. It had rides, attractions, and lovely gardens all on a two-block area. We thought about taking some of the rides but it was a holiday in Copenhagen and the lines were long–just like Disneyland! We enjoyed the gardens and had a cup of coffee so we could rest our feet (and my blasted toe). Nice amusement park.
We went back to the ship for another fabulous dinner and evening of entertainment. I was glad we didn’t have a big day of walking planned for the next day. My toe needed a break.
