Deutschkurs Blog Berlin

Last weekend I went to Poland by train. This was partly a work trip, but it was really interesting and exciting, so I want to write about it. I went to a city called Gdansk, which is on the Baltic Sea, and connects by ship to Helsinki and Stockholm. In fact, I believe it’s possible to purchase a ticket to travel by boat to those locations. That could be fun!

Anyways, I had a really great time there. The train ride took about six hours from Berlin Hauptbanhof, and having very little luggage, I rode my bike to the train station and parked it outside. The train wasn’t the most comfortable, and it’s usually almost sold out, so it was pretty crowded. Crossing into Poland takes only an hour out of Berlin, and once across the border, the difference between countries is quite drastic.

Poland really feels at first older – well, maybe Germany, and Berlin in particular, feels quite modern – but Poland still looks like I imagine Communism to look. Infrastructure is older, and construction materials are less durable, so things are crumbling, rusting, collapsing, and generally forming more organic – and to my eye more beautiful – shapes. There is something quite romantic that happens – as I previously mentioned – when one is immersed in a completely foreign language. It is bewildering, to be sure, but as the train rattled Eastward into the night, I felt nervous, but also so lucky to have this experience.

Gdansk itself is a very quaint city. It is modernizing quickly, but parts of it still feel caught in another time. I spent a glorious day biking along the beachfront, which stretches for kilometres, and occasionally jumping in the sea! It was a bit cold, but people were still lying on the beach, playing frisbee, and smoking (of course).

The historic part of the city is also quite picturesque, with large old churches and fantastic architecture. While I was there they had an annual outdoor market, and the historic city centre was thronging with people.

The food was also really good and filling. Lots of potatoes, beets, and cucumbers. And Poland still operates its own currency, which converts into about a quarter of the Euro, so it seemed so affordable to be there when prices were less expensive than Berlin.

At one point I went walking up a fairly large road, to find that along one side there were fruit trees and berry bushes! I picked some blackberries and some ripe black plums, and both were sparkling with flavour.

All in all, I had a fantastic trip, and learned so much about the visual details of Eastern Europe. I would love to travel more in Poland, and even someday to go to Russia!