Visited the Solidarity museum today, which I successfully found thanks to a German couple at the hostel where I'm staying. Ha! It was actually very moving. I didn't really know very much about Lech Welsa and the fact that they actually won the right to have self-governed trade unions in 1981, but had it revoked and martial law imposed by the Soviet government 16 months later. And then it wasn't until 1989 when communism collapsed that they actually had the kind of democracy they wanted.

Even with the basic assumption that most museums are propganda (that is, they make value judgements about what is and isn't important enough to discuss and display), it was still very informative and moving.

I actually spent the morning before the museum visit WORKING, which is to say, writing. Wrote my first few poems of the trip, terrible, of course, but you have to start somewhere. That was kind of my plan for staying so long in Gdansk (and St Petes)...giving myself time to write. So I felt good about that...we'll see if it actually results in anything useful. Wheat from the chaff, silver from dross, you know.

After the Solidarity musuem, I celebrated the worker's freedom by splurging at a nice restaurant on the river that goes through town. (Bad capitalist, bad capitalist!) It was great. Had some kind of pork chop cutlet thing done 'the polish way' according to the waitress who spoke German. It was actually really, really good. The meat was really fall-off-the-bone tender and seasoned with this kind of tart, kind of sweet, kind of lemony broth. Unique taste...hard to explain...but good. Meal also included boiled potatoes garnished with dill and some kind of light broth sauce, a big portion of cooked veggies, and some cold veggie garnish - grated carrotts and (I think) turnip, plus slices of radish, cucumber, and tomato. It was a really nice summery-light kind of meal. Beer was good, too. So there's my authentic Polish meal (well, as close as I get in a tourist-y place - I don't want to risk a true local dive because I want to stay healthy).

The restaurant is a terrific little place too, that I admired on my first pass through that part of town. The mill nearby makes a nice rushing sound, and there are weeping willow trees by the river. It has these cute wooden benches and chairs. In the center of the little courtyard - patio area it has a fountain surrounded by boxes of geraniums. There were some German tourists there too, eating. So it was a splurge (50 zloty or $13), but worth it, and I've decided that Amy's advice is totally right-on (as if there were any doubt). A little splurge now and then just makes a trip. It felt good to eat vegetables, too. (They are pretty much in short supply in the normal boardwalk fare.)

It is raining, now, so I bought some more groceries and retreated to the hostel a bit early. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll take the boat to Hel with Abi...depending on the weather. And, depending on my energy (been feeling a bit lazy lately) I may take a day trip to Sopot on the coast in the next couple days. Can't believe my time here is already half over!