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Gdańsk, Poland: A Drummer's Damp Detour (and a LOT of Pierogi)

@Topiclo Admin4/2/2026blog

okay, so. gdańsk. i didn't plan to be in gdańsk. touring with the band fell through - something about a bassist’s sudden allergy to stage lights, apparently - and i needed somewhere cheap, somewhere with decent coffee, and somewhere that wasn’t my mom’s basement. gdańsk popped up. flights were cheap. done.


let me tell you, the weather here is… persistent. i just checked and it’s drizzling a sort of melancholy grey, like a forgotten jazz record. feels like about five degrees celsius, which is fine, i guess. i’ve played worse gigs. if you get bored, warsaw and poznań aren’t too far, though i’m not sure my bank account could handle another city right now.


my main goal was to find a decent drum shop. seriously, finding quality gear on the road is a nightmare. i stumbled across this place, “Perkusja Gdańsk,” tucked away on *Długi Targ. it was a tiny, cluttered haven of cymbals and snares. the guy running it, a wizened dude with a permanent cigarette stain on his fingers, barely spoke english, but we communicated through the universal language of drumsticks and frustrated nodding. he hooked me up with some surprisingly good used Zildjian hats for a steal. check them out if you're ever in the area: https://www.perkusji.pl/

food. oh god, the food. pierogi. everywhere. i’ve eaten more pierogi in the last three days than i have in my entire life. i’m pretty sure i’m 70% potato and cheese at this point. i found this little place, “Pierogarnia Mandu,” down a side street. it’s nothing fancy, just a few tables and a babushka making pierogi behind a counter. someone told me that the potato and cheese ones are the classic, but the meat ones are the real deal. they were right. seriously, go. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g274921-d1086888-Reviews-Pierogarnia_Mandu-Gdansk_Pomerania.html


and the architecture! it’s… intense. all these gorgeous, reconstructed buildings along the Motława River. it’s like stepping back in time, but with better coffee. i spent a good afternoon just wandering around, taking photos (i’m not a photographer, but i like pretending). i even managed to find a vintage shop, “Second Life Gdańsk,” with some seriously cool stuff. https://www.yelp.com/biz/second-life-gdansk i snagged a killer leather jacket for like, twenty bucks. score!

“Heard a drunk tourist complaining about the seagulls stealing his fries. Said they were ‘organized.’ I think he’d had a few too many.”


there’s this weird vibe here, too. like, a sense of… resilience? gdańsk’s been through a lot. world war ii, communism… you can feel it in the air. it’s not depressing, though. it’s more like… a quiet strength. i spent an hour at the European Solidarity Centre, which was pretty intense, but also really inspiring. https://www.ecs.org.pl/en/

“A local warned me about the amber. Said it’s all fake tourist junk now. Apparently, the real stuff is only found by experienced divers.”


okay, quick pro-tip for drummers: if you’re ever in gdańsk and need to practice, head to Park Oliwski*. it’s got these huge, empty lawns where you can lay down a beat without annoying anyone too much. just… maybe bring earplugs for the squirrels. they get pretty judgmental.

and one last thing: learn a few basic polish phrases. “Dziękuję” (thank you) goes a long way. trust me. i’m already planning my return trip. maybe i’ll even convince the band to come back with me. assuming the bassist can handle the pierogi.

check out some other things to do in gdańsk: https://www.visitgdansk.com/en/

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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