On last month's Viking Sun ocean ship voyage of Scandinavia and the Baltics, we were surprised to see Gdansk on the itinerary. Poland has a cruise port? It does, and for centuries it was one of the most bustling ports in the Mediterranean. 

While other guests took shore excursions farther afield, we stuck with the included tour of historic Old Gdansk and were wowed by the gorgeous architecture.

This was my second trip to Poland — I spoke at a conference in Krakow a few years ago and did some digging into my family history, since my ancestors are Polish — but I was frankly surprised that Gdansk turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. 

Our guide steered us down centuries-old cobblestone streets, a charming canal harbor, and down Long Market Street (Dlugi Targ) into the heart of Old Gdansk past buildings that have been restored after much of the city was leveled during World War II. It was all quite touristy, but we enjoyed our morning on the walks and in the shops, ending with a coffee and salad at a streetside cafe. All in all, piękny!