Gdansk, Poland

On Thursday, we visited Gdansk, Poland. The ship arrived in Gdynia - and all tours were held in Gdansk, over an hour away. So on this day, we opted for one of the longer tours, figuring this would be our last long tour of the trip. While it did turn out to be a long day, it was well worth it - the tour was called "On the Roads of Freedom," and showcased all of the major sights where Poland won its freedom.

We started with the point where World War II began (above), and then moved onto the Gdansk shipyards (below), where the Solidarity movement was born.

The tour was incredibly insightful - and very moving. It was really incredible to believe how hard the Polish people had fought for their freedom - and how much of this history had occurred only recently. After visiting several historical sights and a museum, we visited the town of Gdansk for lunch and exploring.

The town was absolutely beautiful - and we really enjoyed our afternoon there, exploring the sights and enjoying a lunch together. The only disappointment of the day was when we attempted to buy Kate and Jack souvenirs for the day - a Captain hat for Jack, and a pinwheel for Kate. The kids had selected their gifts and I was walking off with them - when Jay came running after us, telling us we had to return them - unfortunately, we only had Euros, dollars, Swiss Francs and a credit card... none of which would work. A very important lesson for us all - and for the rest of the trip, every time we wanted to buy something, Jack & Kate would ask, "Does Daddy have the right kind of money? Will they take our money this time?"

We got back to the ship just in time for sailing - and after an early dinner, we all opted for bed. It had been a very long day, and although it was tough on the kids to make it through the entire tour, we felt it was really worth it.