Gdansk, Poland October 28-30

I went with an international student organization on a cruise to Gdansk, Poland. Because it was a cruise, we only spent a day in Poland, and the rest of the time was on the boat.
Gdansk is the city where the solidarity movement against Communism began in Poland. Our first stop was Solidarity Square, with a huge statue depicting the movement against Communism. The tall statue going up represents the shipyard workers, who went on strike and started the solidarity movement. Each of the three structures going up break out of the hard cement that represents Communism, and get more sturdy and solid as they get taller, showing the strength of the movement. There are carvings showing the workers themselves as well as dates of certain important events that took place. There are concentric circles that go out around the statue which represent the waves of Communism falling around the world.



























Our young tour guide told stories of seeing men with guns at every street corner while growing up, and how common it was for people to just disappear. Poland was very unstable in the transition from Communism, and there were many deaths and tragedies. It was a very interesting trip, and if I go back to Poland sometime, I would love to see a different part to compare. I am glad that I had the opportunity to visit there, even if it was only for a day.