I’m just back from a fabulous trip to Gdansk in Poland. It’s such a beautiful place to go, I’m going to sound a bit like the Polish tourist board but if you’ve never been, get yourself over there it’s incredible. It’s beautiful to look at, the people are friendly and helpful and it’s very very cheap.
For the flight over I went with my skinny jeans, they wouldn’t be something I’d consider for long haul flights but for a 2 hour flight to Poland they’re perfectly fine, I always undo my flies any way when I sit down so I just do that to make them more user friendly.
As much as I love the shirt under jumpers look, I can’t abide the restrictiveness of the shirt and jumper combined. It makes my grumpy and claustrophobic, so the little mock shirts are my absolute faves!
Jumper Ralph Lauren, Shirt from Cos, Jeans - Joni’s from Topshop, Boots from Ugg.
These mock shirts are available in a lot of shops in every price range these days but I loved the plainess and simplicity of this one, it feels lovely on and fits nicely too.
Our flight to Poland was meant to be 6.55 am, which meant a very early start, they are do-able but with a massive effort on my part, like I said last week, the combination of not sleeping well and the faff of colostomies is a rotten pairing.
But it is a small price to pay for a wonderful trip away. So like everyone else on the planet I just got on with it (I don’t think I’m unique in not relishing early starts, bagged or unbagged no ones idea of fun is to get up at 4am!).
Off we go to the airport, check in our bag, do a bit of shopping, have a bite to eat....get to the bottom of the steps of the plane only to be told it’s just broken and they’ll have to find a replacement from somewhere...arggghhh!! Early start for nothing so far. Miraculously Ryanair were able to summon up a new plane, credit where it’s due, I was stunned and pleasantly surprised they did it. I thought they’d just cancel the flight, but no, a new plane was found and we finally took off, and only just over an hour late. Yey, Poland here we come!
We go for sightseeing, relaxing and family visiting, a friend who used to live with us many moons ago is from just outside Gdansk, in a town called Tczew, I wouldn’t bother trying to pronounce it, Some people that live there say it wrong, well it is a tricky language hahahahaha.
Dora is like family, she was 19 when she came to live with us, so for my boys who were 8 and 10 at the time it was like having a big sister, and still is...she told my Ben off for getting a tattoo...he’s 20! Hahahahaha.
Anyway Dora is married with children of her own now, it’s so lovely to go and visit them. I checked in a suitcase at the airport only because it was full of presents for the boys. :)
Her boys are an absolute delight and so clever, they can speak and count in English, they’re only 2 and 4! :0
And Ben had a wonderful time playing Lego with them too.
Top from The White Company, Jeans from Topshop, Boots from Levi.
Finding the right clothes for any trip away is always an interesting voyage of discovery. I hedged my bets this trip and didn’t pack any dresses or skirts, bit of a risk, because sometimes travel changes my output, so I can go either way with what my insides are going to do. But I’ve been so well lately that I didn’t feel any need to pack an emergency dress. Dresses are more comfortable if you have either constipation or diarrhoea. My gamble paid off though and my bowels behaved perfectly. :)
I’m still struggling to comprehend the situation in this photo, it was taken at the very top of the tower of St. Mary’s Basilica, 409 steps up, I don’t do exercise if I can help it and even more so I don’t do heights!! Hahahahaha
But this weird thing happened, I lit a candle for my cousin, I always do in churches where ever I go. Then Ben and his girlfriend Kaitlyn decided to go up the tower, it was only £2 to go up. As I hate heights it didn’t occur to me to go, but as I walked away I felt a draw back to the tower so I said to Chris shall we go up too? He looked completely and utterly shocked and confused, he’s known me over 25 years now, heights are not my thing. But off we went, paid our money and started climbing the stairs.
This is where it got a bit weird as there was a man just ahead of us on the stairs who kept stopping and encouraging me to go further and further up the spiral staircase and then continued to encourage me on and on as the stairs got wider and steeper, he kept stopping to beckon me on, he didn’t acknowledge Chris at all. He was on his own which seems odd anyway as not many people if any were sightseeing alone.
Chris and I were laughing because I was very unlike me, and I mean VERY unlike me, I was calm the whole way up, I was however half dead out of breath and unfit but I wasn’t freaking out or swearing or screaming like a banshee like we both would have expected from my previous attempts to be bold.
I made it to the top!! Without tears, without swearing once, (admittedly I was very aware it was in a church) but I’m not sure if that would have prevented an adverse fear reaction, much as I’m pained to say it.
I’m just so confused how I managed it. Anyway whether the man was some sort of earth angel sent to guide me to the top or just a very overly enthusiastic motivational kind of guy - literally only god knows but I did make use of him and got him to take a photo of us 4 after my epic journey. Hahahahaha. I still keep looking at the photo and find it surreal, Ben was super surprised to see me up there when I arrived too. He’s known me all his life, it must have been a bit odd.
The way down way also a challenge but we made it.
After the excitement of the tower we relaxed with a lovely horse ride hahahahaha
There’s plenty of places to eat in Gdansk, we chose a traditional....Thai restaurant for a night out. It was some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. :)
Top from Oliver Bonas, Leather look leggings in ox blood from Next, Boots from Russell and Bromley.
I love this top, I bought it last week, I loved the little fringing detail on the sleeves, if you are attempting to disguise the fact you wear a colostomy bag it’s always a benefit to have some sort of interesting detail to your clothing.
(In no way do I use the phrase ‘disguise my bag’ due to shame or embarrassment, I simply do not want it to show when I’m dressed, I wear a bikini on the beach unbothered by people’s opinion of it, I simply prefer to look my best when dressed...indeed who doesn’t?)
I loved the sleeves.
I do not however recommend one dresses to match the furniture! :)
No trip to Gdansk would be complete without a trip to Malbork Castle. The largest brick built castle in the world don’t you know.
It was here in the castle restaurant that we dined on carrots and nuts...I thought it must be some sort of traditional polish fare so I sent a photo to Dora hoping to impress her with our partaking in polish cuisine...to which I got a reply “what on earth are you eating, I’ve never seen anything like that before?!?!?”
I give up! Hahahahaha maybe it was a medieval dish rather than a polish dish? Who knows.
Day turns to night and I just changed my shoes for a quick turn around.
Top from Tory Burch, Leggings from Next, Boots from Russell and Bromley.
Another must see place near Gdansk is the seaside town of Sopot, it’s so pretty, seriously pretty, it looks very Disney-like and The Grand Hotel is a must even if it’s only for cocktails like this visit. One day I will stay here, one day...
Who doesn’t love a bracing stroll along the pier?
Coat from Belstaff, Scarf from Gucci, Hat from Moncler, Jeans from Topshop, Boots from Levi.
I love a cosy jumper, but I prefer a thinner knit, anything chunky when you are chunky isn’t going to flatter ones figure. And as I spent every morning binging at the hotel breakfast buffet I need all the help I can get.
Jumper from Topshop Maternity (there are two reasons I ended up with a maternity top. 1, I thought it looked cosy and 2, I couldn’t be bothered to go down stairs in the shop to find out if they do it in non maternity...and too be honest I could do with a loose fitting waist band at the best of times. Hahahahaha) Jeans from Topshop (non maternity, although never say never...hahahahaha).
We’re back home and life is busily ramping up for the festive season. More to come on that in next weeks instalment of the life and times of a bagged lady. Hahahahaha