I FINALLY SET FOOT IN THE BALTIC SEA

(... And I promised my cousins I'd write about it in my blog:)
Okay, so, where to begin? 

We continued to stay in Gdynia throughout the weekend. Fun (educational) fact of the day: Gdynia is a port city in the northern part of Poland. It used to be a small fishing village but now it's a pretty developed city, and it's one of three major cities in the area (the other two being Sopot and Gdansk). Bottom line: It's such a pretty area - city and beach all in one. 

AND after having been there for a few days, I finally set foot in the Baltic last night. Mission accomplished.

Here's my update from the past few days: 

We've been staying at one of the houses Babciu's brother, my Wujek Piotr and his wife Ciocia Marzenia Rajnik. The house is straight out of "Under the Tuscan Sun" - so big, old, and beautiful. And only a few minutes away from the main pier/beach. Here's a pic:

They both have been super hospitable. Ciocia Marzena has a kitchen full of teapots too, so I (being a big fan of tea) felt at home from the start:)

The day after we arrived, Babcia and Dziadziu went off to Gdansk (the largest of the three cities) with Babcia's cousin's daughter, my Ciocia Iwona and her husband Marek.
Here's one of Wujek Marek's pic of them by what I assume was the sea (side note: not the ocean. They're very distinct things in Poland):

I later found out (but wasn't surprised) that Babciu spent some time shopping when I looked through Ciocia Iwona's photos:)

Meanwhile, Ciocia Iwona's sons, Marcel and Rafal, and later Marcel's girlfriend Olga, were all commissioned to baby-sit me and show me around the city. I was so glad to have people my age to hang out with for a few days. We hung out at the main pier in Gdynia...

... went to Sopot for lunch...

... and then went out back in Gdynia later that night.

The next day, we went to dinner with everyone. Here's a pic of my Ciocia Marzena, Babciu, Ciocia Iwona, and me at the restaurant. (Obviously, I'm a giant):

... And then later that night (yesterday), I hung out with Rafal, Marcel, and Olga again. And that was when I finally STEPPED IN THE BALTIC. They laughed at me for wanting to run in so badly (especially since Marcel told me its polluted after I went in), but I told them I'd be sure to laugh at them when they beg me to step in the Atlantic Ocean when they come visit me in the U.S:) Thanks to them for being great baby-sitters and friends!

And this morning, we stopped by a higher point of Gdynia for a quick photo-op. Here's a pic of me and my lovely grandparents:

And here's one of them with Wujek Piotr and Ciocia Marzena: 

And that's it for now. For the next few days, we're at Wujek Benek's in Starogard Gdansk.

Goodbye, Gdynia, see you later for a brief stop in a few weeks!