Day 86: Ferry to Sweden

September 25, 2024

Back to the Beginning

“I spent the last of our Zlotys on beer and ice cream,” Patrick says as we just finished sharing a Halibut & Chips order and a beer and then ice cream. We are waiting for the time we can board the ferry.

Our ferry leaves this afternoon at six. We have to be out of our apartment by 11:00 so we take it easy in the morning. Rachel fixes up a nice breakfast with eggs, potato, onion and peppers. Then we pack-up our bikes, roll them into the elevator and back onto the street. Just around the corner is a coffee shop where we have another huge cappuccino and nice pastry. So passes another half hour.

We get on a bike trail, make a quick stop at Lidl for some snacks for on the boat and make our way to the ferry port. There are bikepaths all the way to the dock. We get there at 12:30, just after our boat has arrived from its overnight trip. At the check-in desk we are given our boarding passes and room key.

They will start loading at 4:30 so we have some time to kill. There is a lobby with uncomfortable steel benches, but that’s still better than sitting outside. The weather has changed today, a strong wind is blowing and it feels like fall. We walk over to a nearby beer garden / eatery and share a fish & chips and spent our last Polish Zlotys on beer and ice cream.

Right at 4:30 the gates open. Since we skipped the line of cars and went straight to where the motorbikes are lining up we get in quickly. Another short wait at the stern of the boat, and we are waived on to be the first ones onboard.

Our bikes are tied to some steel fencing in the front of the boat, then the elevator to our 8th deck cabin. We chose the cheap one, inside - no window, but we figured it will be dark most of the way anyway.

As we leave port we stand on a deck at the stern and watch the port of Gdansk glide away. The water is pretty smooth so far, Patrick has a seasickness patch behind his ear and is hoping for the best.

Rachel makes do with a beer. We eat a light dinner at the cafeteria and settle in for the night.

Bjorn will meet us at the train station and ride back with us to his house.