Day 5 - Onto Gdansk - Stops at a Lovely Lavender Farm and Malbork Castle

Day 5 of our itinerary states that after departing Ryn, we will visit a Lavender farm and a Teutonic castle before we arrive in Gdansk. What is different about this tour is that the focus is not on rushing from one location to another to see as much as possible. Our tour is a mix of sightseeing, outdoor activities, musical events, and relaxation. Even the Church visits are different; besides enjoying the serenity of a Church, we learn about its origin, its role in the Poland’s history, and meet with local people who talked about how the Church supported their efforts to expel the Russians.

Lavender Farm 

The lavender farm was started by a Ukrainian/Polish couple that I would classify as hippies. Eighteen years ago, they had an idea; they gave up working in the city and moved to the country to raise a specific flower; the lavender bush. This flower is used to manufacturers of soaps, lotions, and even as a spice for making breads/cookies.

As we walked through “arch of birdhouses” and enter the expansive gardens, we learned about the different plants and their use in medicine and cooking. We learned about Mason bees who are solitary, don’t make honey, live in tubular like straws but pollinate flowers.

We drank lavender wine made by the proprietor, had an absolutely enjoyable vegetarian lunch of products grown on their farm.....delicious.

We stayed at this oasis of peace for three hours...learning about a different Polish life style...learning, seeing enjoying...the essence of why to travel the world!

Malbork Castle

Our next is a visit to Malbork Castle, the world’s largest castle in terms of land area. The castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights; a Catholic military order who attempted to protect Christians in the Holy Land and extend Christianity into what today is known as Lithuania.

The Castle was severely damaged during World War II as the Russians advanced through Poland to attack Germany. As you can see from the following pictures, the World community through UNESCO sponsorship repaired much of the damage.

History was an anathema to me when I was younger. Listening to our guide, Kashia, expound on the Teutonic Knights brought forth visions of medieval living, conflicts past, victory and defeat.

As we walk back across a bridge spanning the Hogat River, one looks back at this colossal Castle and contemplate the history that we learned about today. Malbork Castle is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The day is nearly over and we have about an hour’s drive to reach Gdansk; Poland’s largest seaport located on the Baltic Sea and home to the Solidarity movement. We arrive around 7:30 PM, have dinner in the hotel and retire for the evening. The next two days will involve much walking and exploration. .