Fish, fish, fish everywhere - street vendors sell fresh smoked fish at stands like this one we found along Motlawa river in Gdansk.

Delicious treats on display at a Sopot bakery & cafe.

We’ll begin our Pomeranian adventure in Gdansk Oliwa, a lavish small city and home to Oliwa Cathedral, Abbot’s Palace, well maintained parks and residence of Lech Walesa, Solidarity movement leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. From there, we’ll head north, to Kashubian country where we’ll stay for the next three days in beautiful Palace in Slawutowko. Kashubians are a West Slavic ethnic group living in north-central Pomerania. We’ll be cooking regional recipes with Kashubian women and learning about their folklore during our stay in Pomeranian countryside. Besides cooking and tasting regional and Polish cuisine, we’ll spend time at pristine beaches, get spectacular views from historic lighthouses and spend an entire day exploring Hel Peninsula lined with picturesque small towns and centuries-old fishing villages.  

Kashubian handicrafts are meaningful gifts - potential gifts to keep an eye out for include Kashubian floral table clothes, pottery, glassware and wood carvings.

On return from Kashubian countryside, we’ll make stops in Sopot and Gdynia and explore these charming seaside cities. Arriving back in Gdansk, we’ll check into luxurious four-star Hotel Gdansk located in old town. From here, we’ll take off to Malbork in the morning, on a half-day tour of the Teutonic Knights castle and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon return to Gdansk, we’ll tour the city’s most important historic sites, shop for amber and other souvenirs and dine at some of the best restaurants serving regional and Polish dishes prepared by top chefs. Our final day in Gdansk and Pomerania will include a Polish cooking class at the Pomerania Culinary Academy with chef Krzysztof Szulborski, additional sightseeing, cruising on the Black Pearl ship to Westerplatte, shopping and a farewell dinner at Pod Lososiem (Under the Salmon) restaurant serving Goldwasser. Pod Lososiem restaurant is one of the oldest and best restaurants in Gdansk and it’s here that Goldwasser Vodka was first distilled in 1598.   

Inside "Bar Przystan" in Sopot. Located right on the beach the restaurant is popular among locals and serves outstanding fish soup.

The famous Neptune Fountain in Gdansk - symbol of Gdansk in the center of the Long Market.

As we tour Pomerania, we’ll make sure to participate in cultural and culinary festivals happening in the region. There are too many to list here (we’ll make sure to include those events in our 2012 calendar) but some like The Cod Fish Harvest – Polish Seafood Championships in Gdynia at the end of August or the upcoming  VIII Picnic at the Goose Coop in Debogorze on Nov. 12, 2011 are definitely worthwhile to attend if you happen to be in the region.

What & Where: “Coastal Cooking in Pomerania and Gdansk” culinary vacation in Poland.

When: July 15 – 21, 2012 and September 16 – 22, 2012