The annual Gdańsk Christmas Market opened yesterday with a costume parade and free giveaways of freshly baked gingerbread for attendees.
A crowd of locals and tourists packed Targ Węglowy to sample regional goods and wares, including tasty delicacies from over 50 food stalls and some 40 kiosks featuring crafts, winter clothes, and Christmas decorations.
This year’s market will also feature a new tradition in the form of a large-scale Advent calendar located in the Advent Gate at the edge of the market. Beginning December 1st, attendees will get to sample different sweets hidden in the calendar during the daily opening of each Advent window.
While the Advent sweets will end December 24th, the Christmas market itself will remain open until January 1st, with additional themed parades scheduled each week.
Poczta Polska is expecting a record number of parcels to be mailed this Christmas season, and is urging customers to send packages by December 15th to guarantee an on-time delivery.
The company announced that since the beginning of November, the number of parcels has increased by nearly 23% compared to the same period last year. To deal with the additional demand, Poczta Polska has hired an additional 1,300 seasonal workers, with delivery times expanded to include Saturdays in specific areas such as Warsaw, Katowice, Wrocław and Poznań.
As noted by Poczta Polska representatives, customers can also use the “click and collect” option to have their parcels delivered to some 12,000 locations across Poland, including PKN Orlen petrol stations, Żabka / Freshmarket stores, Ruch kiosks, and postal machines at Biedronka supermarkets.
Parcels will be delivered all the way up to Christmas Eve.
Famed traveler, pilot, pianist, writer, and Guinness record-holder Romuald Koperski passed away yesterday at the age of 65.
The Sopot native accomplished several notable feats throughout his life, including a 78-day solo voyage across the Atlantic in his rowboat “The Pianist”, and a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the world’s longest piano concert at 103 hours and 8 seconds.
Koperski was the author of numerous books based on his travels across and around Siberia, including Duel with Siberia, Across Siberia as a Stowaway, 1001 Pictures of Siberia, and Siberian Winter Odyssey.
He used his passion for travel in Siberia as the basis for his charitable work, including a recent campaign to collect eyeglasses and school supplies for children in the Polish village of Wierszyna near Irkutsk, and the establishment of the Romuald Koperski Foundation, which sought to improve relations between Russia and Poland.
Koperski was frequently a guest of Radio Gdańsk and a program (in Polish) about his „Glasses for Siberia” campaign can be heard online at: https://m.radiogdansk.pl/wiadomosci/item/102675-podroznik-pisarz-pianista-i-rekordzista-guinnessa-nie-zyje-romuald-koperski
In what was undoubtedly one of the best matches of the season, Lechia Gdańsk won at home last night for the first time in two months, defeating Łódź 3:1.
Despite aggressive gameplay and an early goal by Łódź defender Jan Sobociński, midfielder Lukáš Haraslín was able to find an opening with a technical shot at the 24’ mark, followed shortly by the first of two goals by team captain Flavio Paixao.
The match marked a return to form for the Portuguese striker, who scored his 67th goal in Ekstraklasa, making him the top-scoring foreign player in the history of the Polish league.
The 7th-ranked White and Green will face their next challenge against the 15th-ranked Wisła Kraków next Sunday at 5:30pm in Kraków.
Weather
Today will be a welcome break from yesterday’s overcast skies and rain, with clouds and occasional sunshine forecast for today and tomorrow. Temperatures will be on the cold side with a high of only 4 degrees Celsius or 39 degrees Fahrenheit and a strong breeze coming in from the southeast.
RGEN
