My friend the Baltic Sea

My stay in Gdansk is drawing to an end but I won't leave this city behind before I've had the chance to write about my new friend, Baltic Sea. This is the first time in my life when I'm living anywhere near the sea. At first I didn't think much about it and I wasn't fascinated by Baltic Sea because it's not a warm, tropical and turquoise ocean I've been dreaming about. But I have slowly fallen in love with the sea and the beach here in Gdansk. The sea has a calming effect on me whenever I walk on the beach. My individual worries and problems seem very meaningless and small when I'm gazing at the waves and the ships carrying various merchandises. Because, dear reader, the sea is timeless, you see. Even one hundred years ago waves were hitting the shore and ships were carrying goods and people were sitting on the sand worrying themselves sick about things that are long forgotten and were probably not worth recording anyway.

A poor devil testing the temperature of the water

The sea is important to the good citizens of Gdansk. Come rain or shine, people go to the beach, in summer to spend time with family and friends and swim (though the water is always cold in my opinion) and in the winter just to be outdoors and enjoy the crispy winter air. In the summer the beach can be so crowded that it poses a challenge to find a buttocks-sized place for yourself.

The first days of the summer tempt people outdoors

In the history Gdansk has been one of the most important port cities in Europe and despite the fact that the city has seen serious hardships in the past decades, its old splendor can still be sensed especially in the Old Town. Travelers (and why not locals, too) can visit several museum exhibitions showing and describing the life and maritime culture of the bygone centuries.

Piratism is an obvious part of maritime culture. A modern day pirate ship ready for the mission