happynewbie

Sorry Happynewbie, but I don't have a walking tour for Gdansk. The interesting parts of that city are generally located within a very small area and can be done within an hour or two.

Perhaps you were thinking of the walking tour for Tallinn. Here is the link to that

http://www.*****.com/tallinnwalk.html

Yes, we copied this! You have been so many places...I was in error then for Gdansk! We cannot thank you enough Lair Bear for the information you have generously provided for all of us. happynewbie

I might add that if you do visit Gdansk, you should go to see St. Mary's Cathedral. Here is what I said in my description from our visit last year. The reason I bring this up is that history has an interesting way of interweaving itself between Bruges, Amsterdam and the Baltic ports.

 

The tour guide took us to the St. Mary's Cathedral, the largest church in Poland. This is also the church where The Last Judgment, painted by Hans Memling is displayed. The three part wooden painting was created around 1485 and shows human figures as they ascended to heaven or went in despair to hell. The painting also has a unique history that started in Bruges. I covered its intended journey to Italy and how it came to Gdansk earlier when we visited Bruges.

 

Thank you again! You are so kind. Yes, we definitely desire to see St. Mary's Cathedral and the painting " The Last Judgement". We will just walk around in Gdansk and enjoy the surroundings.:)

happynewbie

Lair Bear's walk tour for Gdansk...I have his Bruges and Amsterdam walks which he kindly provided for many of us.

I thought this was a separate thread...just cannot find it anywhere.

If anyone has this link would you please post it when you have the opportunity? Thank you so much!

Happy Cruising to All! happynewbie

My suggestion is to stick to English and forget any German in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Shortly after WWII there were a lot of bad feelings and the German language was sneered upon by many. You might run into some old timers who still feel that way.

When we bought tickets for the boat cruise in Bruges, one person in our little group (whose father also was born in Germany) replied something in German to the elderly man in charge of tickets. The man was obviously not happy and replied in English not to try to talk German to him. He became very rude to our group.

Things have changed with the younger generations.

Okay! Since we cannot speak it...we will NOT even try with the little bit we do know (I said not a word, not entirely true) Glad you mentioned this!! We do not wish to cause aggravation for anyone:).

Again, thank you so much! happynewbie

Let me try to anwer.

The total distance of the walk all the way from the train station in Bruges to the Markt and back to the train station as a loop is less than three miles. But if you do the first part to the Markt only you will have seen the highlights of Bruges as far as I am concerned. Keep in mind I am talking the train station in Bruges, not the one in Zeebrugge or Blankenberge.

 

If I understand the second part of your question correctly, you are taking a shuttle from the ship to the train station which is probably the one at Blankenberge. If so, you take the train (about 10 minute ride) to the main station in Bruges. Be sure to buy your ticket before boarding the train in Blankenberge. Then I am sure you will see the first large train station from the train and cannot miss it. From the station in Bruges you can start the walk I described.

I have not been on that particular train (from Blankenberge) and don't know how many (if any) additional stops it makes before Bruges. If nothing else, aske anyone on the train. I bet you they will speak English and be glad to help.

Have a great trip.

The way the itinerary reads is: "Brussels/Bruges (Zeebrugge)Belgium. So I guess Blankenberge would be the station, yes, we would purchase the tickets before boarding the train, yes, with so many people exiting the cruise ship...someone on the train probably will speak English (maybe they do not know where to go LOL). I guess we should be prepared with Euros! My German Dad, deceased now, spoke both English and German at home when I was little, apparently nothing sunk in:(..I cannot (nor can my DH, also of the same heritage) speak a word!:o

Anyway, thank you so much for all your work and answering our questions. I also downloaded the Amsterdam walk as well. We appreciate your kind efforts so much. happynewbie

if you have the time! Whew! What a lot of work this is for you.

I have printed out the Bruges Walking Tour. Absolutely wonderful! We will be cruising April 24-May22 2010...16 ports!! What would you say the distance is for the Bruges walk in miles:confused:. Also, we probably will have to shuttle to the train station...is this a final stop for the walk or is there a number or name we need to be aware of (so we do not trek all over Belgium) to exit to go on this walk? The train we take marked for the town?:confused:

If you have the time ... this would be appreciated:D

happynewbie (Maxine) DH and I going on this cruise, our very first TA and second only cruise!!