In Gdansk, this monument to the slain shipyard workers of the 1970 riots was erected by Solidarity workers in 1980 during the Communist regime. It was the first monument in an Iron Curtain country to commemorate the killings by Communists while that government was still in power.

An art bar in an 19th century building in Gdansk.

From inside the largest Gothic castle in Europe, Marlbork, home of the Teutonic knights, and a favorite of Hitler's.

Here in Wroclaw, the former German city of Breslau, which was given to Poland after WWII to compensate for the lands the Soviet took from Poland on its eastern border.

Here we are with Mateusz, our 27-year-old guide to Wroclaw. BTW, Mateusz has beautiful hazel/green eyes, is charming, and knows the names of many young Polish women in town. He's a player, in addition to being a wonderful guide.:) Good for him.

We are in front of a gnome from the 1980's which was the symbol of an performance art movement started in Wroclaw to protest the absurdity of the Communism and the Soviet-backed regime. The gnome is perched on the tip of a middle finger. You get the idea! (Maybe we should borrow the symbol to protest the anti-gay policies of the GOP.)