14 Aug 2022
We had a full day planned out with Eliza. Long story short our cruise ship arrived late and Eliza picked us up at 1pm, as we stepped off the ship in Gdynia. The tour began the moment we got in the car, learning about it's roll as a NATO base.
We like to understand the history of a place and then bring it forward to how the people are living today. Next we drove through Sopot enroute to Gdansk. What a great place to enjoy a relaxing holiday by the sea and at an affordable price. We did the Pierogi class and learned how the owner of the hotel is refurbishing old buildings to make them into first class hotels. Our instructors were actually from Italy and Ukraine and each had their own techniques and tricks for making a Pierogi. Then we got the Retro car to take us to the shipyards and a unique visit to a wine/spirits import business owned by a fellow Canadian.
Eliza has a seemingly endless list of experiences and connections to help make you feel like your tour is the most important one she's ever given. Our shortened trip meant that we had to shuffle vehicles and she had arranged, on short notice to have friends help her deliver us to the Royal Road. We were experiencing the start of St. Dominic's Fair in Gdansk and the streets were packed with people. Eliza artfully navigated the throngs to get us to the key sights. We were on Mariacka St. talking about the narrow buildings and the architects redesigning them with the needs of the 20th century in mind. She sees an Armenian painter she knew who was selling his works in front of his home along the street. Next thing we know we are invited into his home to see what these redesigned buildings look like on the inside. No regular tour guide could provide that level of insight into Gdansk!
Thank you Eliza!