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Then it was on to our hotel, which is actually a convent! The House of St. Brigida in Danzica. Modern, large rooms, very jolly, welcoming nuns and only £20 bed and breakfast. Except when it failed one night, the heating was on the whole time with no way of turning it off, not a thermostat or radiator valve! That evening we ate in an excellent local restaurant which Rafal had found, the Restaurancja w Palacu Opatow, situated in a grand old house set in a park! It was so nice that we chose it for our final evening in Poland as well

On Friday, we visited a local church for a recital from a famous organ with 7,800 pipes and bits whirling round! I would swear it was even colder in this church than it was outside, and that was bitter! Roger suffered in silence as befitted the atmosphere! Much to the embarrassment of the others, I insisted on wearing my high vis jacket. Better to look daft than freeze! Here we met our very knowledgeable guide Gabriela Kosicka, whose son is an ATC at Gdansk airport.

We visited the famous shipyards where Lech Walensa had helped orchestrate the Solidarity campaign, learning so much about the Polish history and invasions through the ages. We finished the day in the old centre (actually rebuilt after the 2nd World War destruction) and Rafal had again come up trumps with another excellent restaurant, where I think we will be remembered for quite a while, as this was the evening we sampled the local vodka, as one has to while visiting Poland! I think a sober (he was driving) Rafal was a bit embarrassed by us Grumpy Old Men!

I remember we got on very well with the piano player and a visiting British couple. The night finished with Brian going off with André's jacket, causing a lot of confusion!