Sopot

Today we hopped on a train and went 15 minutes north to a resort town called Sopot. Sopot, Gdansk and Gdynia make up the Tri-city area (Trojmaisto) where we live. It was a pretty day today, though chilly--around 40 degrees. This town is extremely busy and crowded in the summer months because of it's location on the beach of the Baltic Sea. Ships on Baltic Sea cruises dock there and passengers spend a day in Sopot. Sopot was built by the Germans in the early 20th century and it's purpose was to bring in the tourists and as a spa for German aristocrats. There are lots of shops and restaurants. It is a very cute little town with 38,000 permanent residents.

This building is called The Crooked House

(for obvious reasons).

It was built about five years ago and inside are restaurants and a nightclub. We knew this was in Sopot, so we were looking for it. But for an instant when it comes into sight, it feels like your eyes are playing tricks on you.

We went to the beach and were surprised how many people were there walking around. There were people playing accordions on the pier and there were folks strolling the beach enjoying the day outdoors. There were lots of swans in the water looking for food (which we did not have). We'll remember for next time so we can feed the swans!

We walked out on the pier which is the longest wooden pier in Europe. It is a long way out into the Bay of Gdansk and the view is calm and relaxing. We spent quite a bit of time looking out over the water. We could see the cranes in Gdansk about four or five miles down the coast line.

We had lunch in Sopot and wandered around. We enjoyed the charm of this town. It definitely looks and feels like a vacation spot. We got back on the train and were home before sunset (3:20!). We are heading to Warsaw on Wednesday and will be there through Sunday. We are looking forward to that.