It may well be that one of the more difficult to pronounce places could become our new home. It could have been worse, we could have picked Skrzeszewo, Dżwirzyno, Chrząszczewo or any one of a hundred others but in the end we were both very impressed with Szczecin. This is despite arriving in rush-hour traffic, having to negotiate a one-way system in an unfamiliar city, and arriving at the right place on the (tourist office issued) map to discover the map maker had confused Twardowskiego (where we wanted to be) and Tarczyńskiego (where we actually were). Luckily the receptionist at the hotel knew her stuff and could guide us to Hotel Marina, only a few minutes away and slightly off our map.
It's a very basic hotel, but the reception staff were lovely and helpful, and after dumping our things we headed out to see the town, opting to walk to get our bearings. The first thing we noticed was how busy it was, even on a Thursday, and the second thing was how many cukiernia (cake shops to you and me) there were. There was one on every corner and a couple in between. I've never seen anywhere with as many places offering cakes, sweet buns, pastries and the amazing thing was that, depsite the amount of business they seemed to get, we didn't notice any fat people. We did, however, notice a few drunks as, on the way back after pizza and a wander, we strayed a bit off our route and went along a couple of streets that seemed to have scuzzy-looking alcohlics outside every shop and doorway. This continued as we headed back to the hotel, with an arguing couple, her pissed off, him just pissed, and a staggering bloke trying, and not having great success, to make any progress up a fairly steep street.
It was dark when we got back to the room and, opening the door, we thought someone had come in while we were away and installed a huge television. Thankfully it turned out to be the view of the floodlit football pitches behind the hotel, but for a split second there was panic in the ranks.
Friday dawned bright and cheerful with an early morning sky tinged with yellow and orange but without a cloud to be seen. The mushrooms were drying nicely on the radiator and after a very welcome shower with hot water (as opposed to the lukewarm dribbles we'd experienced in Rekowo and Wilczkowo) we headed down the hill to explore and we jumped on a tram to take us into the centre where we had coffee and a pastry before heading down to the river.
Like Gdańsk but nowhere near as famous, Szczecin is a big ship-building centre and port. Although it is miles from the sea, it sits on the Odra / Oder river, accessible to the Baltic by a canal. You could see just by looking at the river how important ships and shipping are, there were boats everywhere, from small pleasure craft and larger passenger boats to the almost obligatory dockside restaurant and then, further in the distance, container ships and the cranes of the dockyards. With the sun out, sparkling on the top of the water, it was more than pleasant to wander along, watching the fishermen and taking photos. We stopped to make a sandwich on a bench overlooking the river and absorbed some rays before wandering back down to the catherdral.
Sitting on a hill with a view of the river, the cathedral is an imposing structure and inside is just as impressive. We particularly liked the carvings of various scenes that appear along the walls and in chapels, mainly becuase they portrayed everyone with chubby faces and double chins. A welcome change from Adonis poses and sylph-like maidens. Perhaps the carpenters and wood-workers were more accurate in their portrayal, or maybe fat people aren't just a product of the modern age.
It was as we were inspecting this triptych, sniggering quietly about chins, that we were beckoned from a doorway. When we went over to see what the old guy wanted, he asked if we'd like to go up to the tower. We said yes, and then were promptly told how much it would be. Tops of towers are not my favourite but I overcome any fears because I love looking at places from on high and the 8zł we were charged was, in fact, money well spent. On three sides of the tower, huge panes of glass allowed views across the town and, the bloke said, we should even be able to see Germany. As the border is only about 10km away, we weren't as impressed as he thought we should have been so when we got back down to the ground, he wouldn't let us back in to the cathedral and made us walk around the outside and enter the front door again.
Looking towards the city centre, Germany just visible in the distance...
Although, like so many other towns and cities across Poland, the centre was badly damaged during the war, what remains or has been restored makes for interesting viewing. While some parts contain drab communist concrete blocks, the centre reminded me of east Berlin, with big rows of apartments and courtyards. Public buildings are impressive and grand and the whole city has an air of confidence. Maybe it was just the sun shining, but we definitely warmed to the place.
The naval academy, looking out onto the river and as impressive from the back as this view from the front.
The ratusz, or town hall, looking more like a hospital than a shiny bum's paradise...
One of the main streets and a city gate at Plac Brama Portowa...
A city water pump that still works, although neither of us was brave enough to test the water...
Some of the buildings off Mariacka, lovingly restored above, full of ways to get off your face below.
And finally, how a good fruit and vegetable stall should look. It was at one similar, earlier in the day, that we bought half a kilo of plums. They were only small but very sweet and juicy, the flesh falling off the stone. We hadn't walked more than a few paces when we decided we should get a few more so back we went for another kilo. Needless to say, they didn't last long.
I think it is safe to say we both really liked Szczecin. It was vibrant and modern, clean and proud, plus it has a cake shop every five yards. It would take a bit of time to get to know properly, to figure out where all the important government buildings are but we were gladdened by a survey in Gazeta Wyborcza that rated Szczecin fourth out of twenty towns in Poland. So perhaps the next time we're here will be to have a closer look at some property and see what there is for us both work-wise. The future looks bright.
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