Idioms made in Gdansk
by matcrazy1
Events of 1980 - 1990 which took place in Gdansk added some new phrases, idioms to Polish language. Let me explain the two of them.
"To jump over the wall" means to change things (in a positive way) or to overcome, to win since Lech Walesa had jumped over the wall fencing the Gdansk shipyard and became the succesful strike leader.
"Friends from the foam" means very close, reliable friends since many Solidarity leaders and supporters who hadn't known each other in the beginning, slept packed one by one on a polystyrene foam during the strike in Gdansk shipyard in August 1980. I've seen this famous sleeping area on the exhibition "Roads to Freedom" in Gdansk shipyard. During the strike, after long hours of daily struggle, expectations and uncertainty, polystere foam was the warmest available material used to sleep on at the shipyard. Many later Polish presidents, prime ministers and other top politicians slept there.
The phrase has got some negative connotations recently. It means the friends who help each other in dishonest way, to set up business for example.
Sopot
by shrimp56
Near Gdansk is the beach resort town of Sopot. My mother was able to walk in the lobby of the hotel she had visited in the late 1920s. According to her not much had changed. These young sailors are getting ready for their sea adventures!
Amazing portal
by matcrazy1
There are two old, brick and renovated houses at southwestern corner of the Coal Market (Plac Weglowy), between Okopowa and Boguslawskiego street. They house the two banks: Bank Gospodarki Zywnosciowej (BGZ, Bank of Food Economy) and Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP, National Bank of Poland). There are ATMs there but they didn't attract me.
Instead, I paid attention to amazing portal of NBP with two stone semi-nude statues: of a bit fat (Rubens style :-) woman on the left and muscular devil. Another beautiful architectural details include huge semi-circular windows on the ground floor with golden and stone ornaments.