M6 Travel Boston Sunday Globe MARCH 31, 2019

Town, offers boundless possibilities for family fun. Young buccaneers and their parents can climb aboard a pirate ship for a swashbuckling cruise to Westerplatte and back. Families also can rent kayaks and mini motorboats decked out as pint­size convertibles and taxicabs. Large tour boats run reg­ ularly to the Hel Peninsula, famous for its sugar­sand beaches, and to Sopot, a high­end spa­resort town. The 164­ foot­high Amber Sky panoramic wheel on nearby Granary Island provides nonstop thrills for kids of all ages. Doug and I are curious to explore Sopot, part of the Tri­city metropolitan area that includes Gdansk and Gdynia, and we depart on a mid­morning cruise aboard the Smiltyne. En route to Gdansk Bay, we see the three crosses marking the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers, who were killed by army troops in 1970, and the place where the outlawed Solidarity reform movement held demonstrations that led to the fall of communism. We also pass the Monument to the Coast De­ fenders at Westerplatte commemorat­ ing the spot where the German battle­ ship Schleswig­Holstein fired the first shots of World War II on Sept. 1, 1939. At Sopot, the Smiltyne docks at the Baltic’s longest wooden pier, stretch­ ing an amazing 1,676 feet in length. We wend our way across the seaside plaza to Monte Cassino Street, a shad­ ed pedestrian walkway lined with health spas, lively bar­restaurants, and all­too­tempting ice­cream parlors. We stop to take pictures of Sopot’s most fa­ mous attraction: the Crooked House, a fairytale­inspired building with a fun­ house­mirror facade. At the palatial Sofitel Grand Sopot Hotel — whose notable guests have in­ PHOTOS BY CLAUDIA CAPOS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE cluded world leaders, Hollywood star­ lets, and prominent sports figures — we sip cappuccino on the garden terrace overlooking the beach. Afterward, we kick off our shoes and walk along the The gem of the Amber Road shore where families are enjoying a weekend outing. With help from friend­ ly residents, we find the SKM Sopot Gdansk enchants railway station, buy two one­way tickets for 6 Polish zlotys ($1.50 US) and take with its vibrant the train back to the Old Town. Food is a big draw in Gdansk, and Old Town and eating is a daylong pastime. The morn­ ing begins with a sumptuous breakfast pristine beaches buffet of cold cuts, kielbasa, pickles, marinated herring, waffles with By Claudia Capos whipped cream, home­baked bread, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT and delectable pastries. DANSK, Poland — For lunch and dinner, families can Something magical hap­ find kid­friendly hamburgers, chicken pens as we walk beneath tenders, and sandwiches at Gdansk’s the massive brick arch­ Hard Rock Café on the Long Market. way of the Green Gate When traveling abroad, however, we G(Zielona Brama) leading into Gdansk’s like to sample the local cuisine. So we Old Town and emerge onto the Long saunter along the riverfront prome­ Market (Dlugi Targ), a broad, cobble­ nade, checking out the menus of res­ stone­paved square in the historic taurants specializing in fish, wild quarter. game, and Polish dishes with unpro­ Instantly, we are transported back nounceable names. to a time when the city was the gem of One evening we dine on meat pier­ the Amber Road trade route, and its ogis with mushroom sauce, wild boar wealthy merchants were the envy of with prunes, dumplings, and red cab­ the Baltic’s upper crust. bage at the Goldwasser restaurant. An­ Above us, mythical stone gods and other night finds us at the Barylka res­ gnarly gargoyles peer down from fancy taurant enjoying halibut in leak­and­ brick townhouses, which were re­ caper sauce with potatoes and stored after World War II to their origi­ vegetables. nal elegance. Standing side by side, the A highlight of our trip is a three­ pastel buildings resemble giant glazed hour visit to the Museum of the Sec­ gingerbread cookies trimmed with ond World War, which offers adults white icing and licorice lace. and schoolchildren historical insights Tony shop windows sparkle with From top: Colorful buildings add into the wartime experience of the Pol­ displays of ornate amber jewelry and fairy­tale magic to Gdansk’s Old ish people. Multimedia exhibits trace hand­engraved lead crystal crafted by Town, where there are tour boats the events leading up to the war, its local artisans. Waiters at trendy out­ on the Motlawa River, a carnival­ devastating impact on Gdansk, and door cafes and restaurants beckon us like atmosphere on the riverfront, the aftermath of the conflict. to seats at umbrella­shaded tables. The and amber jewelry to admire on On our last day in town, we spend aroma of cinnamon pastries wafts Mariacka Street. In nearby Sopot, the morning at the National Maritime through the air, reminding us it’s near­ the Crooked House is a delight. Museum, where we climb up inside a ly lunchtime. towering medieval wooden port crane Street musicians serenade us at ev­ and explore the crew quarters and en­ ery step along the so­called Royal kudos as one of Europe’s up­and­com­ The city’s Amber Museum, housed The best view of the Old Town is gine room of the Soldek, the first Route (Dlugi Targ and Dluga Street), ing, family­friendly vacation destina­ in the medieval Dluga Street gate­ from atop the 269­foot­high bell tower steamship built post­World War II in once the processional promenade for tions. In 2019, the city is observing the house complex, traces amber’s history of St. Mary’s Basilica, purportedly the the Gdansk shipyard. the king of Poland. A brass quintet 80th year since the outbreak of World from the Stone Age to modern times. largest brick church in Europe. Climb­ When we return to the Qubus Ho­ pumps out polka music, and a string War II in nearby Westerplatte, so it’s Animated displays illustrate how am­ ing 409 steps up to the viewing plat­ tel, a distraught desk clerk informs us quartet plays Vivaldi’s “The Four Sea­ an opportune time to plan a visit. ber was formed from the resin of pine form is a bit challenging, but we are re­ we were scheduled to check out early sons.” In front of the main town hall, Gdansk’s early claim to fame is Bal­ trees 40 million years ago. Kids can warded by a sweeping vista of the Mot­ that morning. Apologetically, we ex­ notable for its spire with a gold statue tic Gold, the richly hued amber that peer through microscopes to see in­ lawa River, the new Gdansk shipyards, plain there is so much to see and do in at the pinnacle, Doug and I watch two primitive tribes and contemporary sects, and even a lizard, embedded in and the Baltic Sea. Afterward, we stroll Gdansk’s Old Town that we simply lost guys drumming on overturned white craftsmen have been transforming in­ pieces of amber. The museum’s upper down Mariacka Street, just behind the track of the day and time. He nods un­ buckets. Their energetic performance to ornamentation and art for 6,000 floors display traditional and contem­ basilica, to admire the amber galleries derstandingly. delights the crowd of onlookers. years. During the city’s Golden Age in porary amber jewelry, sculpture, and tucked inside elegant houses once For more information, go to In recent years, Gdansk’s enchant­ the 16th and 17th centuries, Gdansk decorative objects. Our favorites are a owned by goldsmiths and merchants. www.inyourpocket.com/Gdansk. ing Old Town, vibrant riverfront, inter­ workshops fashioned precious works scale­model schooner, a Fabergé Mil­ The riverfront promenade (Dlugie active history and science museums, of amber for monarchs, sultans, no­ lennium egg and a full­size electric gui­ Pobrzeze), extending along the Motla­ Claudia Capos can be reached at and pristine Baltic beaches have won it bles, and popes around the world. tar, all crafted from amber. wa River on the east side of the Old [email protected].

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER | CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT I canceled my Expedia hotel room — where’s my refund?

On a recent visit to Porto, I would like Expedia or the hotel to trary — evidence that you shared with word? That’s why I recommend al­ cancellation. Portugal, I had an upper refund $174, the charge for two nights Expedia. ways putting a request like this or any I think if you’d presented your e­ Q. respiratory infection and that I didn’t use. Can you help me? I’m not surprised that an online grievance in writing. It starts a paper mail to one of the Expedia executive canceled a planned stay CAROL MCLAUGHLIN, travel agency like Expedia would be­ trail, which is critical to getting a case contacts listed on my consumer­advo­ in Segovia, Spain. Fortunately, I was San Francisco lieve the hotel. After all, it’s getting far resolved. You can forward your e­mail cacy site, it might have changed its within the 48­hour cancellation win­ more money from the hotel than it is correspondence to an online agency, a tune. A brief, polite e­mail might have dow, so when I contacted the Hotel In­ Expedia should refund from you. But I am a little troubled supervisor — or a consumer advocate. done the trick. fanta Isabel, I was sure I would get my your hotel stay. I’m looking that it continued to believe the Hotel If you ever need to cancel a hotel I contacted Expedia on your behalf. money back from Expedia. A. at an e­mail from you to Infanta Isabel even after you showed it room again, make sure you get a re­ It reviewed the correspondence be­ Now the hotel is claiming that it the Hotel Infanta Isabel that asked for your e­mail. sponse from the hotel or online travel tween you and the Hotel Infanta Isabel. didn’t receive my e­mail and has re­ a refund, sent within the 48­hour can­ Good thing you e­mailed the hotel agency. Most important, get a cancel­ Expedia has issued you a full refund. fused to refund my stay. Expedia says cellation window. It appears the hotel rather than calling. Can you imagine lation number. That’s the evidence of it’s unable to help me. Apparently, Ex­ claimed it never heard from you, even what would happen if Expedia or the your cancellation. If you don’t have a Christopher Elliott can be reached at pedia believes the hotel over me. though you had evidence to the con­ Hotel Infanta Isabel only had your cancellation number, you don’t have a [email protected].