"Drops of amber - the tears of mysterious Indian birds, Lamenting over the death of the hero Meleager..." - Sophocles, excerpt from "Antigone"







The final stop on our tour of Europe was Gdansk, my home town. It's a very charming little city, with a very nice old town lined with colourful stone houses. It's a port city, which means the connection to the sea is very much emphasized. The central meeting point is the fountain of Neptune.



Being on the coast of the Baltic Sea, it also boasts some beautiful beaches in the area. Though it was just a little bit too cold for swimming, the weather was great for lounging on the beach or taking a stroll down the pier.

Gdansk's most famous connection to the sea, though, is through its amber. Tonnes of the beautiful jewel wash ashore here each year, and for centuries the port was known as the starting point of the "Amber Road", the world's biggest amber trading route. We spent one morning looking for pieces of amber on the shore of one of the beaches, and Monika even found one! Granted, it was planted by me, and it was attached to a band of white gold, but when I handed it to her and asked her to marry me, she forgave me for tricking her.