Since Monday I have been traversing and enjoying the Baltic Coast of Poland. It is such a blessing that I can return to the country that my grandmother's parents came from. I had not really thought of it before I came but I feel it such a privelege to at least be able to get some idea of what life was like for them so many years ago. The Polish people are very focused on family and on community based on the numbers that are out in the streets at night and how often families are out together talking and exploring. I love to visit places where people congregate at all hours of the day and in those places they connect with friends and family members. It is a wonderful alternative to sitting at home viewing the same crap tv shows or having the news tell me who to be afraid of now. This time of year in this area people from all over the country come to enjoy the weather and the beaches.

I am currently in Sopot which is just north of Gdansk. I arrived yesterday and previously had been traveling in small towns including Hel that are along the northwest coast. The weather is warm and the beaches are marvelous so it is definitely a nice time to be here. Also a refreshing change from Western Europe is that the price of everything is considerably lower. The exchange rate makes it so the dollar is actually worth more for once. It is a nice change from the high prices especially in the tourist areas of Germany. I am hopefully going to be able to visit a Church here that does their service in both English and Polish. It has been difficult trying to communicate in Poland because it is mostly younger people that can speak English and they are not always so friendly. I think now that I am in a larger city I will have more opportunities to meet people. Today I have been exploring the center of Gdansk and enjoying seeing so many people out and about. I should be able to post again before I leave here and I'm sure some of you have wondered where I was the last few days. Finding places to use the internet is definitely more of a challenge especially in a country like this which is only now catching up with the technology in the west.