The Genesis of Solidarity in Gdansk

We had an easy start to the day, boy was it a fairly hectic end to the day. We left our very nice accommodations at Hotel “Villa Angela”. The older kids bunked together and Pearse and the P’s held up on a different floor. It was kid’s night on Floor 2. Who knows what time sleep arrived in that room! I suspect that the gods had a joke to play on Team Glavin for Friday. Every time we headed outside the clouds opened and the rain drops seemed as big as quarters; yet, when we recovered on a bus or inside a breezeway it simply stopped and the sun came out. It became rather comical and I wondered to myself did the luggage tag say “Water resistant or waterproof?” I’ll get back to you on that one!
Gdansk had its share of bombed out buildings during WWII. The reconstruction of “Old Town” looks more like a “Hollywood Studio” built for medieval movies. It is clear that tourism is important to the economy. St. Bridget’s Church, which provided sanctuary for the Solidarity leaders, is on the list for a visit but it didn’t happen due to the rain and the fact that we were “shifting” for “bag watching” so we didn’t have to trek the luggage all over Gdansk.
My only “must see” is the Gdansk shipyard which is the home to the Solidarity movement and the catalyst to Democracy in Poland. I remember seeing Lech Walesa while in college. We engage 2 taxi’s from Old Town to take us to the shipyard and then to the port for the ferry ride to Stockholm. I get to the memorial at the famous Shipyard and am looking looking looking for Ann. Her taxi left before us with Eamon and Seamus. I called her on the phone and she is already at the port waiting for the ferry. What Happened? The driver didn’t REALLY understand English like he said so he drove her right by the shipyard and the memorial. No pictures of Ann, Eamon or Seamus at the Gdansk Memorial! Our taxi driver spoke even less English but managed to sense my desire or maybe it was “channeling” or some such mental telepathy. Colleen and Pearse have nice photos in front of the Solidarity Banner and at the Memorial.
The Ship to Sweden is enormous and holds a 1000+ people. It is rare that you can surprise the kids but this was one of those “WOW” moments for them. We had a hiccup in ticketing. We have passage but we don’t have beds. Ann filled out all the info via the Ferry website and her Polish is a bit sketchy so we wound up with 2 beds and 6 of us looking for a place to sleep. Hey no big deal the trip is 19 hours port to port and as I told the kids “It’s an adventure, right?”
All worked out because folks always miss the ferry for one reason or another and we wound up with a cabin for 4 and with our original tickets for sleeping berth’s for 2, we all had beds. Lessons are coming at us so fast it would make your American head spin. So it’s true travel opens the eyes or at least 1 eye if you don’t know your 3 roommates!

Carpe’ Diem