Bartimaeus

We had one full day left in Gdansk and a little list of things not yet done, added to by suggestions from the tour guide. She had told us about the Amber Church and a display in the cathedral at noon. We went there and found it was more crowded than normal, which was no surprise.

We found a seat to get a good view of the astrological clock. We had seen Adam and Eve's chiming before and noon would be the longest example of it but also an organ played today. Doors opened and the apostles came out. 

After they started to return another figure appeared. It was death. Death also features at the top of the clock amid the tree between Adam and Eve. Death follows the apostles but as they get through the door, it closes behind them and the grim reaper is left outside. 

I didn't know how long we would have to wait to see when the Grim Reaper was let through ready for the next performance. We didn't wait as we had a different grim prospect ahead of us.. There was a war museum that was highly rated. It could be a long visit, with some bleak realities, but still came recommended and would be a good educational way of filling a damp or dull day. We walked along towards there and saw one of the buildings that we had seen in the before and after bombing pictures.

It is a sad fact that they are still rebuilding after great destruction in the war. This was on my mind as we headed for the war museum. But soon we had a happy memory passing the restaurant we had been in the night before.

We made our way to the distinctive modern building, like a box on its side, we had seen from a distance a few times. But when we got there it had an enormous queue outside. We decided that since it was not raining and the queue was not moving, there were other things we could see in stead. We found out later that it was free to get in that day, which probably explained the queue. 

We headed for the Amber Church. The Church is not actually amber, but the altar is. It is still a work in progress like the rebuilding of Gdansk. 

A closer look showed the Madonna and Child over full sized in many shades of amber, huge yet dwarfed by the amber all around.

At the back of the church was a crypt with a gruesome hoard. Centuries of dead nuns had been unearthed and the skulls were on display behind a grill in the crypt, at least most were behind a grid but some spilled on the floor in a cage outside the gate.

We headed on to late lunch and found a very trendy modern menu. Marion and I tried the lemonade and Mugs went for a gooseberry shrub drink, a brave choice with fermented gooseberry, and some as decor. As I was opposite a mirror I tried a variation on the three in a mirror photo.

I knew I had ordered a dish with cabbage in it but was surprised at how big it was. Mind you Marion was surprised by the size of her schnitzel and the presentation of her beans. Mugs had a dumpling and chanterelles concoction. She often picks chanterelles back in Scotland but it was a poor crop this year so she fancied them.

It was a novel experience and set us up for the next bit of tourism at the town hall. This time we were surprised by a special World War II exhibition. Gdansk had been heavily populated by Germans before the war and many were drafted in to fight for the German side, but were ashamed to have done so and altered family photos to remove the uniform. Gdansk was in a key position and one of the earliest places attacked  and the most heavily bombed at the end. We needn't feel we had missed out on the Gdansk war info experience. It was a moving exhibition.

The rest of the museum was of an earlier era. Our guide had mentioned the red room, the town hall was the seat of decision making and also a court. Many items around in the decor were designed to remind the decision makers of their responsibilities and of justice. 

Again this had all been destroyed by the bomb, as shown in the outdoor photo exhibition but has been painstakingly and lavishly restored. One room showed silver exhibits, another exquisite wooden furniture and flooring. Another room was all about animals given from other countries after the war to help Gdansk recover. Horses for work and other animals for food; cows, pigs, poultry.

We headed back to base in the drizzle, having packed a lot into the day. We met some weird creatures and hadn't started drinking yet.

We relaxed with snacks and a pre-chilled bottle of prosecco we had bought earlier. We cracked open the crisps and I handed the bottle to Mugs for safe handling.