methinks it's time i got started on blogging about my Poland trip, because the longer i delay it, the higher the chances are that i won't ever get around to doing it... D: i'm such an utter procrastinator! ;(
so i decided to start with a simple day trip we took on Day 2, to Gdansk, one of the cities on the Baltic Coast of Northern Poland, and capital of the Pomeranian province (i know right, that's the name of that cute fluffy dog breed!!!) it's a seaport city, and you can read up more on Gdansk on Wiki here.
i'm just gonna be putting up random pictures and elaborating on various bits when i think i have anything to say! :D i'm really not the most organised person when it comes to travel and this definitely won't serve as a good travel guide for anyone visiting Poland. it's just little snapshots and snippets of my experience in chronological order, and hopefully you might still enjoying looking at the beautiful pictures of the city and pictures of my fellow travellers (and myself as usual!)
because the sun rises so early in Poland, we're usually up by 6 ish, but it looks more like 8am outside! rather disorienting actually, and the sun sets very late as well during the long summer days, and it's normal for it to look like 5pm when it's already 8pm! obviously, my body clock got rather screwed up -_- we slept like 5-6 hours a day on average, but still managed to make do because when the sun is out, your body is tricked into thinking that it's still time to be awake and up! haha.
there was a quaint little wood right behind our living grounds, and we spent our morning exploring before breakfast, and taking pictures!
the weather was reasonably colder where we were (nearer to the coastline) so i could still get away with a faux leather jacket and scarf! towards the end of our trip when we were in the more centralized cities, it was practically Singaporean weather, without the humidity. so sad!
happy in leggings/stockings/scarves. we Singaporeans are so deprived ): though come to think of it, i wouldn't want winter to be a 3 month long affair. i'd be damn depressed!
the breakfast we were served in various permutations and combinations everyday: bread basket, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, ham & butter! i don't take cheese, so i made do with ham and tomatoes and cucumbers and it is awesomely yummy!!!
what my open-face sandwich looks like. the tomatoes there are so juicy and fresh!
YUMMEH
my happy partner-in-food-crime, W( . )( . )n hahaha :D
we communal dined for every meal at the seminary where we were hosted during the duration of the competition, and it's really very pleasant to sit at a long table, passing food up and down the table while chatting and eating at the same time heh. feels like a holiday camp!
reflection shot! brought my sturdy little Tods leather bag, and it served me well during the trip! i probably need to get it cleaned though, it's looking a little black here and there :(
train is our main mode of transport, and there's alot of walking to be done to-and-fro train stations! it's hard to get used to everywhere being so vast and far away, unlike Singapore where you can get to one end of the island to the other in 45 minutes. one of the things i appreciate about home :)
train station camwhoring!
the trains there have a schedule of like 20-30 minutes in between every train, so if you miss one train, it's an awfully long wait for the next!
our 3 day pass for all trains. it's strange cos there are hardly conductors checking on the trains, which would make it pretty easy to get by without a ticket? of course, we all had to buy a ticket each regardless.
there are many little shops at the underground passes at the train stations, and many of them are little bakeries like the above, chock full of delicious looking buns, bread and cookies! i notice that bread is one of the most staple foods in Europe. it's available at every meal and almost everywhere (road side stalls, restaurants, etc)
you also find stalls selling flowers, or shoes, or clothes and accessories and all that.
the buildings are much grander and prettier! however, most of Poland was rebuilt after WW2 and thus the buildings are historically not as old as other architecture you might find in Italy or neighbouring countries. nevertheless, there's still alot of history and culture to experience there :)
we had a tour guide for the day, who brought us around and introduced/explained alot of the city's sights to us! :)
off we go!
colorful buildings :D the skies were exceptionally blue that day, too!
an old lady selling her knits by the street side. they were really quaint and colorful!
so the shopping began :D
not so many pictures of the city,
but we were all extremely hungry after alot of walking around and sight seeing, and jumped at the first opportunity for lunch!
settled at a restaurant that looked really promising. and the food was excellent!!!
one of the specialties of Polish fare is mead! it's an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey, and best served warm. damn tasty and smooth! we all had a cup each while waiting for our main courses to arrive :D
cheers everyone! :D:D :D
duck carpaccio: starter dish! oh so delicious. where to find duck carpaccio in Singapore please tell me!!
my butter fish with white wine sauce and mussels! served with yummy wedges and salad for sides.
the seafood there is really fresh because it's a seaport! loved the mussels. the food in Poland is also amazingly cheap (compared to Italy anyway) and dining at a nice restaurant (some are even Michelin rated) with full courses and alcohol might only cost you 40-60SGD! can't get the same kind of quality locally at that price, really.
nom nom nom!! tried very hard to control myself with the carbs (the servings over there are HUMONGOUS) but it's an uphill battle :(
this mushrooms in cream sauce thing is just too good to be true. OH SO DECADENT. salivating looking at it now! :(
and we ended it off with uber satisfying dessert: ice cream with warm cherries!
ahhhhhh. i must find a way to re-make this in Singapore. the combination of warm sweet cherries and cold ice cream is SO good. goes straight to the happy tummy.
if you didn't know, Poland (and especially Gdansk) is famous for its Baltic Amber, and you can find streets of shops selling amber in various designs and crafted into jewellery. i bought some home too for friends and family! the unique orange shade of the amber (there's also yellow amber and etc) is so easy to fall in love with, and every single piece is different.
random street picture by the river.
aaaandddd. the dogs in Poland are really very furry and cute!!! i love them.
and here's an abrupt end to the 1st of my Polish Travelogues!
honestly.. i don't know how interested readers are, in my blog posts nowadays, about my travels, my experiences, and myself. i think much of the current readership are mostly customers interested in TVD apparel, and also of course some of my own friends who follow this space here because they know me personally! :) most comments i get or questions on FS are usually in regards to TVD (which is awesome for TVD of course) but now i'm wondering if i should keep on updating this space solely for TVD alone, or still input my personal life here.
well.. if you have any opinions.. like you think that you still enjoy reading all my random nonsense, or if you just wanna get 1st-hand updates on new clothes and previews only, let me know! :) but i do enjoy sharing myself here very much. even if no one is interested. HAHAHAHA :P
meanwhile, i'll keep being random.
i went down to support YZ today at his Giant Stars 2011 filming! ended up buying 2 boxes of birds nest, a cleanser, a facial scrub and a toothbrush. heh!
3am now! off to beddy bed so that i can get an early head-start on the week in a few hours time. sometimes i feel a little guilty for taking time out to blog when i know there are emails and parcels to be sent and work to be done. but i can't possibly be working 24/7, and weekends ought to be off-days right?
g'night! :D
