On my final day in Poland, I had neither a dental appointment or work commitment. I rose early – a man on a mission. My plan was to visit the Centrum Sztuki Wspolczesnej, Laznia (the Centre of Modern Art). This is an art gallery located in an old city bathhouse. It was recommended by my host as it would give me an opportunity to see a less touristic part of the Old Town. The neighbourhood seems to be gentrifying slightly, but used to be rather a poor part of town. This history is visible on the streets. It is a district generally ignored by tourists which made it sound very appealing. Continue reading Gdansk, Gdansk where-ever you may be, I am the lord of Gdansk said he.
Tag Archives: Poland
Music by Son Lux and SK Kakraba, in the Shipyard of Gdansk
My teeth are complete. My final appointment for the installation of my bionic teeth was at 5.45pm this evening. The time concerned me. In the planning of this dental holiday I had assumed I would be free by Friday evening, so I had bought a ticket to see the experimental US rock band Son Lux, in Klub B90 which is located in an old warehouse in the Gdansk shipyard (the largest shipyard of the communist empire, and where the Polish democratic movement Solidarnosc , under Lech Walesa, kicked off in the 1970s and 1980s.) I was slightly concerned that dentistry would delay me. Continue reading Music by Son Lux and SK Kakraba, in the Shipyard of Gdansk
The train to Lidl
Today I worked. Having been allowed to ‘work from home’ this week I decided that a day’s labour would be good for me. I don’t want to use up too much holiday time in my quest for a lovely smile. At about 4pm, I looked bleakly at my computer screen and logged off. Seven hours of toil is enough for anyone when in a beautiful foreign city. Continue reading The train to Lidl
Passing the time, Baltic style
A little summary of my activities since I left you. Continue reading Passing the time, Baltic style
Metal mouth
Last Christmas I cooked a delicious ham for the family feast, into which I inserted cloves for flavour. Upon biting into it, I felt a stabbing pain to the roof of my mouth. I already had a dental holiday to Poland booked for root canal surgery three weeks later. So when the dentist saw this new tooth disaster he extracted said tooth. It had split in half. He inserted a root implant and told me to return in six months – this time lapse was required to allow the bone to grow around the implant. After this he could install a shiny brand new tooth. Continue reading Metal mouth
The root-canal of all evil
The trip did not start well. Getting to Dublin Airport was fine – I was in plenty of time. Upon arrival however, the airport resembled the seventh circle of hell. There were so many people. All security gates and check in areas were open. I guess it just means that Dublin Airport is too small for purpose. I took a deep breath and decided to remain calm. No point in getting stressed. Going through security my 125 ml tube of toothpaste was confiscated for being oversize. Naturally I was randomly selected for a search by a security guard. This is almost inevitable for me at this point. I never carry contraband, but for some reason I always inwardly panic at this point. Out with anger, in with love. Continue reading The root-canal of all evil
Pomeranian Poland
I arose early. I was a man on a mission. I was going to the seaside today. Continue reading Pomeranian Poland
Solidarność (Solidarity)
So at midday my dental adventure finished. I was a free man.
What to do?
Gdansk is a very appealing city visually – at least in the old town where I am residing. It resembles Amsterdam in fact, with the narrow buildings and streets, very reminiscent of the canal streets of the Dutch capital. Perhaps this is because of the German influence (Gdansk was a large German speaking enclave, called Danzig until the War).
It’s Baltic here however – the sea is only a few miles away – so I wanted to stay indoors.
Seeing as this city is the birthplace of post-communist Polish democracy, I decided that a visit to the Solidarity (Solidarność) Museum was a wise idea. Continue reading Solidarność (Solidarity)
The pain in Poland
I have a new tooth. Quite the journey it was today to obtain this molar too. Continue reading The pain in Poland
Good evening Dublin, this is Gdansk calling. Here is the vote of the dental jury.
I have just arrived in my apartment in the old centre of Gdansk. My hosts are an elderly couple who live in the apartment next door, and they run my flat as a holiday home. Very pleasant it is too. Continue reading Good evening Dublin, this is Gdansk calling. Here is the vote of the dental jury.
