[Steve]

Anyone going to Gdansk? I've just managed to get a ticket so am flying in from London on the morning of the show and back the morning after. Shame that I don't get to spend any time there as it looks like a fascinating city but by doing it this way I get a VERY special price - in fact I've paid more for the ticket than the flights!

Thanks to Olcia here for helping me get a ticket

Steve

[Olcia]

No problem.

[Steve]

What a great 24 hours in Gdansk

I arrived on a flight from England at lunchtime and jumped onto a bus to the city to drop my bags and do a bit of sightseeing with the few hours I had. To my great surprise, my hotel was only yards from the venue. Neither was quite where it appeared to be on the maps I'd downloaded before I arrived. I headed over to the docks area and to the "Roads to Freedom" museum. Perhaps not what some people would do if they only had a couple of hours there but it was the one thing I knew about Gdansk from many years ago so I couldn't miss the chance to be there. There was an English speaking guide with a group of students by the three crosses memorial so I stood near to them and listened to what he had to say about the dramatic recent history of the city.

After that, I went over to the old city centre. There was a beautifully decorated tree in the Long Market area. There was a street market with almost half the stalls selling nothing but Christmas decorations! It was dark by now so it looked amazing (Photos on my Facebook gallery )

After this a short rest in the hotel before the show. I'd been up early and was determined to make sure that I wasn't too worn out to enjoy the evening. I met Olcia (and her mother) outside the venue, as she had my ticket. Lots of people had arrived early and seats were not reserved so after a quick dash around up and downstairs looking for the best spot we ended up towards the back of the downstairs area, but still with a decent view as it was only a small venue. Before the show I FINALLY got to meet Tomek, who I've exchanged emails with several times over the years but somehow had never met in person.

And so to the show... The stage was really cramped with so many people on it. Unfortunately I couldn't see the drum kit or keyboards but the sound was great so that wasn't too much of a problem. Marcin did a long introduction with I surprised myself by being able to follow in parts (not just the brief English bits!) as I don't speak a word of Polish The music was almost all new to me, with just two tunes I recognised (but couldn't name.) My favourite was a piece which had a weird beat that was a 5/4 time signature but didn't sound like it unless you counted along. The crowd soon warmed to the Lisbon mood and by the end were on their feet dancing. Anna seemed happy to let the other musicians take the lead much of the time, which was great because I love her improvised harmony singing. Yami is a HUGE personality on stage and deserves to be a star. Beto played a delicate sequence of the evening on his percussion kit, which was a quiet and beautifully contrasting moment in the middle of a mainly very lively set. Marek and Robert played acoustic instruments all evening, which was quite different from the other shows I've seen them do.

All too soon it was over. We managed to drag them back for a couple of encores and I think most of the crowd would happily have listened to it all over again but had to be content with just one song repeated from earlier in the set.

After the show I hung around with quite a few people who wanted to say hello to the band. It's always a pleasure to see them and chat. I'm amazed that they always remember me (the mad keen English fan ) All too soon it was time to say goodbye to my friends and head back to the hotel, then back to England early the next morning.

Thanks Olcia and Tomek for helping me with the ticket; Anna, Marek, Robert, Pawel and Marcin for always making me feel so welcome; Beto and his wife for a long and interesting conversation after the show; Yami, Henryk, Ernesto and Marito for amazing music and to all the friendly people of Gdansk who made visiting Poland such a pleasure (again!)

See you all again I hope