8 JUNE
Our journey began at Cracow main station, where we got on our 8 hour night train to Gdynia.
After arriving in gdynia we had some time before our second train that took us straight to Hel where we spent the next 6 days.
First thing after getting to our destination we were greeted by our new friendly dog – Boss. We unpacked our bags and went on a little grocery shopping. The weather hadn’t had it that day. We all tried going on a walk to get to know the neighborhood better but after just 5 minutes we got caught in an extreme rain. We returned to our houses and had some free time to spare, where many of us decided to integrate and play some boardgames.
9 JUNE
Second day was a bit more intense. We had to gather up at 9am to visit the local seal sanctuary and learn more about the functioning of this institution. We got to see the real seals that were under the sanctuary’s wing. We had presentation about dunes and plants that we could see on the beach. After that we went on and had an amazing activity which was – fishing! Most of us were dressed up in typical fishermen outfits which are those goofy overalls. That evening we had planned the visit to city a next to us – Władysławowo. There we went on local educational trail and admired the beauty of beach. After the long day we returned home and talked with roommates before going to bed.
10 JUNE
We once again woke up early and went to institute to learn more about local sea life. We had lesson about examples of occursnce of rare species of whales and dolphins in Baltic Sea. We then went on to have necropsy of fish for those who volunteered, which was super interesting because we were able to see for ourselves how fish organs look close up. Then we hopped on a 1hour long cruise to have last practice lessons of the day. We measured water’s quality temperature and pressure. It was foggy but we managed to see the sea from above and took some greater pictures. In the evening after going grocery shopping we had campfire where we integrate with other classmates.We made sausages, marshmallows and other snacks. We sang along to our favorite hits and that’s how our day 3 ended.
11 JUNE
That day started later than the rest. we went on a walk on a trail where we appreciated the sea form one side and forest form the other. We also got to enjoy each other’s company by playing games together and exploring the seaside. We got some rest before going on a long walk to Gora Szwedów. We hiked on a small sandy hill where the old observation tower was. After going down to the other side we saw the beach and beautiful dunes and also presented some chosen scenes from the book “Potop”. We then got the task to find as much types of lichens as we can. We had to watch closely under the Uv lamp to recognize its names and collect as many as we could.
12 JUNE
Our fifth day was all really about cultural education and exploring Gdańsk. Early in the morning we hopped on a train to Gdansk, where we visited two most recognizable museums. On our way to first of them we saw some of the Gdańsk old town. We saw that Gdańsk is truly a beautiful city that connects both modern and historical architecture. We went to World War II museum and to center of Solidarność, they were really fascinating and educational. Exhibitions taught us more about the brutal past of our country.
13 JUNE