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128 SHOPPING
Poland has had a hell of a job in recent years in trying to
combat the negative effect of television pictures from the
70s and 80s beamed around the world as the Polish people
battled with and eventually demolished Communism. Among
the gray, grainy, wintery images which portrayed the country
as a miserable place permanently in the grip of revolution
and icy winters, the other image which seems to have stuck
is that of the Polish queue. Nowhere were the failings of the
Communist system more evident and the lot of the Polish
people so poor than in those pictures of long lines of people
queuing outside shops with little or nothing inside of them.
And yet despite the regular mention of Poland being the only
EU nation not to have fallen into recession during the current
economic downturn, the image of its shopping and those
blasted queues is one that is proving particularly hard to shift.
So while the images of a grey populace living in grey buildings
under grey skies (with the odd Polar bear in the background)
have been addressed with building programs and marketing
campaigns showing Poland in colour, we thought we’d
highlight the shopping options now available as well as give
you some local gift ideas and where you can pick them up.
The shopping options in the Tri-city have changed beyond
recognition since the days in the late 1990s that Gdansk In
Your Pocket first rode into town. International branded stores
had only just appeared and while there was a western style
mall in Gdynia (a much expanded and remodelled Kilf is still
there), Poles would more often visit to view than to buy - a
reflection of the general lack of disposable income available
at the time and the novelty value of huge shopping malls or
superstores like IKEA or Carrefour.
That was then though. The early years of the 21st century saw
huge development in the retail sector with state of the art malls
appearing all along the coast and most noticeably at pretty
much every major exit on the Tri-city ring road (Obwodnica). Now
it is easier to count the international brand names who are not
present than those that are. Where once we would list lots of
individual shops providing particular goods and services things
have now reached the stage where most places can be found
under one roof. So if your ambition is to shop until you drop
while you are here we suggest the first place you look is at the
list of hypermarkets and malls listed in our shopping section.
While this is not a list of all, it is a selection of what we view as
the best ones from each of the 3 cities. With Madison the most
central in Gdansk old town, Klif the most upmarket in the whole
city and Galeria Baltycka the most convenient and biggest in the
3 cities you can sate most shopping desires there.
A tour around the Obwodnica (Tri-city Ring Road) will bring in
the huge discount park which is Fashion House Outlet Centre
as well as the huge hypermarkets of Carrefour, Auchan and
Real. While you can find more information on them and how
to get to them in our shopping section we have put together
a list of gift and souvenir suggestions which might take a
little more searching in order to find.
24-hour shops
KOS C-4, ul. Piwna 7-12, Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 309 15
20, www.calodobowygdansk.pl.
Mila N-2, ul. Świętojańska 18, Gdynia.
Non Stop L-4, ul. Bohaterów Monte Cassino 60, Sopot,
tel. (+48) 58 551 57 62.
Sklep całodobowy N-1, ul. Dworcowa 11a, Gdynia,
tel. (+48) 58 620 92 21.
Alcohol
There are a number
of local drinks which
will make for excellent
presents and souvenirs
none more so than
the Gdansk signature
drink - Goldwasser.
Distilled in the city
since the 17th century
it is a sweet juniper
based drink containing
pieces of gold leave
making for a visually
impressive gift. The
original recipe was taken to Germany at the end of
WWII and this ‘Original Der Lachs’ version can still be
bought in the Pod Lososiem restaurant while a German
resident of the city has created excellent boxed sets of
Goldwasser which can be bought through his restaurant
on the waterfront.
Poland is also home to some of the world’s best vodkas and
while Chopin and Belvedere are regarded as the best Polish
brands it is also worth keeping an eye for something called
Zubrowka, a vodka flavoured with a type of grass from the
primeval Bialowieza Forest in eastern Poland. Remarkably
cheap in comparison to the other drinks mentioned here,
it is usually drunk with apple juice in what is known locally
as a tatanka.
Finally you will also find in selected places bottles of
Nalewka which are vodka or spirit based alcohols which
have been mixed with various fruits and left to age. They
are often tastier and easier to drink than simple vodka
and often come in attractive bottles which make for an
attractive gift.
Centrum Wina F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria
Bałtycka), Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 552 43 30. QOpen
09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Goldwasser restaurant D-4, ul. Długie Pobrzeże 22,
tel. (+48) 58 301 88 78, www.goldwasser.pl. QOpen
10:00 - 23:00.
Pod Łososiem restaurant C-4, ul. Szeroka 52-54,
tel. (+48) 58 301 76 52, www.podlososiem.com.pl.
QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
Sklep Cyrano Wina i Sery ul. Wielkopolska 31,
Gdynia (Orłowo), tel. (+48) 668 93 82 49, www.
cyrano-roxane.com. Fine wines from the south of France,
and over 20 types of gourmet cheese including goat
and sheep. QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Sat 10:00 - 19:00.
Closed Sun.
Wine Express ul. Światowida 52, Gdynia
(Orłowo), tel. (+48) 58 620 08 17, www.wineexpress.pl.
Now you don’t have to travel down to
Kashubia to the beautiful Kania Lodge to pick out your
wine. You don’t even have to go online and order to your
front door. Now it is possible to enjoy the act of choosing
and purchasing a wine by popping into their new
(‘ish) store opposite Klif on the main Sopot - Gdynia
road. On offer a great selection of world wines, hand
chosen by John Borrell and his team, and available
retail at wholesale prices. QOpen 10:00 - 19:00, Sat
10:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun.
Gdańsk In Your Pocket gdansk.inyourpocket.com
Welcome to the store with the largest selection
of shoes in the Tri-City, with many new collections
and over 1000 models at great prices. 40.000 pairs
in warehouse, retail and wholesale.
In Eastend.pl fi nd athletic footwear manufacturers such as:
We offer professional service and a friendly atmosphere.
You can also pay by credit card.
10% discount with this coupon.
* Coupon cannot be combined with other promotions
Open: 10:00 - 20:00 all week
Contact:
ul. Galaktyczna 37, 80-298 Gdansk
tel. 660 000 222
sklep.galaktyczna@eastend.pl
www.eastend.pl