Friday Bench (14): Gdynia

Today's bench post is a follow-up to my ABC Wednesday: G is for Gdynia.

These benches were situated on the walk down from the fountain towards the beach and the war museum.

My favourite benches discovered last week include Yellerbelly's riverside bench in Toruń, Phoenix C's flower-encrusted ones in the University of Durham Botanic Garden, Rune's on Torgalmenningen, Ben's at Melrose House, Barbara's in Victoria, BC, Leatherdyke's in Mablethorpe, Marie's marble & granite bench in Rio, Catherine's in Tequisquiapan and Mediterranean Kiwi's by the seafront at Koum Kapi.

ABC Wednesday - G is for Gdynia

I've shown you a bit of Gydnia before in my post B is for Baltic Point, and also I showed you the destroyer Błyskawica preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia.


My first photograph today is of a fountain on the edge of the town.


My second one shows a yacht in the marina. Behind the marina is a sandy beach which stretches for several miles.


As for my third shot. What can I say?

The guns are part of a military museum located on the other side of the road from the beach and the portable toilets are actually for the use of the bathers.

I have more photos of Gdynia but I'll save them for a later date. Meanwhile, if I've whetted your appetite for more check out the Polish photoblog Gdynia.

For more G posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Sky Watch: Flowers & Foreign Flags

Monday was a very warm day in Hyde, with hardly a cloud in the sky.

Normally the Union Flag flies from the Town Hall.

So why on Monday were the flags of France and Poland flying?

I emailed the council and was told

We are currently hosting the Learning Disability European Championship 2008. Football is coming home this summer as Tameside plays host to a number of matches in the European Learning Disability Championship 2008, including England, Portugal, Sweden etc which are held at local grounds eg. Curzon, Ashton. Yesterday Hyde United's ground was being used for the teams from France and Portugal, hence the flying of the flags. The Union flag is back flying today.

which kind of explains the French flag but begs the question, why the Polish, not the Portuguese flag?

According to the Tameside MBC website however, France played Portugal at Ashton on Saturday, whilst on Sunday at Hyde, Holland played Poland.

There is more about the competition on the Football Association website.

You can visit some of the around 300 worldwide skywatchers at Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday - B is for Baltic Point, Gdynia

The Polish port of Gdynia was one of the stops on our 2006 Baltic cruise.

Whilst many people went off to the city of Gdansk, I decided to explore more locally and wandered through what I saw as a very pleasant seaside town.


At the end of the promenade is Baltic Point. An old German lookout station from WWII now serves as an information kiosk.

Beyond is the southern breakwater at the entrance to the port.


Whilst the southern breakwater is home to the seagulls and a quiet place for courting couples to meet, the northern breakwater seems to have been taken over by shags.


For more B posts today, visit ABC Wednesday.