A BLEAK AND DEPRESSING VISION OF WHEN COMMUNISM GOES AWRY

If you find yourself in Gdynia, it’s probably along a Baltic Sea cruise. Other than visiting someone you know, I don’t think the city offers anything to draw in non-local tourism.

Gdynia is a port city that largely built up during Poland’s communist period - and the city looks and feels like that’s the case. The buildings, public spaces, and art are uninspiring - the kinds of haphazard, half-assed block designs that I used to build in The Sims. Even the main square, Kosciuszko Square, lacks charm. Our main takeaway wandering around was that the city is a powerful example of the ways urban planning from a centralized government can go wrong.

If you do find yourself in Gdynia, I do recommend heading to the farmer’s market - Miesian Hala Targowa - which had the reddest tomatoes we’d ever seen. I also suggest grabbing a generous serving of pierogies from one of the city’s many pieroganarias and heading to the beach.

HEAD TO GDAŃSK

After walking through Gdnyia, we found the city so depressing that we decided to head back to the cruise ship instead of taking the 40 minute train trip into Gdańsk. I consider that one of the the larger mistakes I’ve made along my journey.

Gdansk is the fourth largest city in Poland and was once a member of the Hanseatic League. It boasts historical architecture and some stunning river views; from what I was told, the city is beautiful and can be a tourist destination in its own right. It’s certainly where I recommend going if you make a port call in Gdnyia and you’re not on a shore excursion that day.