Instead I saw colourful renovated buildings, western brands including Tesco (which I never could imagine seeing outside the British Isles), restaurants and shops living up to the standard of any (east) European country. I was told that northern Poland where I visited is more prosperous than the south. In the south one can still sometimes wonder what century it really is as horses and carriages are for example still common.
My post-Soviet era hotel was very nice. Newly renovated with clean and spacious rooms, very fluffy duvets, comfortable beds and a nice bathroom. The only thing that made me think was that the toilet was separated from the rest of the bathroom. Two doors next to each other. But on the other hand if there is two people staying in the room I guess that is quite convenient. The breakfast the next morning was also very nice. I who usually only have coffee and cereal ended up having egg, beacon and toast.
In the evening we took a walk in the Old Town of Gdansk which was wonderful with very beautiful old houses. And being an history buff I also found Gdansk very fainted as the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which played part of bringing the communist era to an end.
My view of Poland has totally changed after this trip and I would very much like to go back to the Tricity area and also down to Warsaw to see more of the sights and sounds of a country that just like Cinderella have transformed from old and worn out to sparkling gem.
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