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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 21, 2021 10:00 PM Winter Wonderland
Finally we have white winter in Gdansk! The sun is shining and we have the temperature just few degrees below zero. My Wojtkówka (see picture) sleeps under the snow.
And I am counting days till my covid vaccination date.
Why? I plan to escape just after ... :)
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Jan 28, 2021 10:00 PM View from the window
It is snowing today in Gdansk. I am watching the winter landscape through my window (see picture) thinking about the next voyages. They will be possible only after I will be vaccinated against covid. I already signed for, but the first available term was on the last day of February. So I must be patient... Let's be optimistic!
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Jan 24, 2021 10:00 PM Back in sweet home, but quarantined
When I landed in Warsaw it was obligatory to go through the immigration control. The young lady (she could be my granddaughter) who was in charge was arrogant and not ready for any discussion. - You have to stay 10 days at home on quarantine! - But I am already covid convalescent and the test confirm that I have antigens and as result I am covid - resistant! No discussion!
So I took the flight to the grey Gdansk. The temperature in my city was plus 1 deg. Celsius. Days are still short... Now I can only remember the palm trees of Egypt, the blue sea and the sunny desert. It is hight time to plan the new expedition. When and where to? Who knows? But I am optimistic!
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Jan 22, 2021 10:00 PM Flying to the snow...
Transfer from the hotel to the Hurghada airport is included, but they wanted to be ready at 4.30 am! It is one bus collecting passengers from many hotels one by one.
We reached the airport before the sunrise - at 5.30. I passed through the first screening just at the entrance, then check-in. They wanted the covid insurance document for Ukraine - even if I will be only in the Kiev airport! Fortunately I had one, valid just the last day.
Do not forget to take from check-in window the departure card. Once you'll fill it you can go to the passport control.
Second security screen is terrible - they wanted me to take the shoes off (no metal in the shoes at all). There were a lot of body touching - not a pleasure, then they collected all liquids from the packed breakfast I received in the hotel.
Finally I was able to enter new departure hall. The flight was on time and was full. It was the same 767 I arrived to Hurghada, but I had now a little better seat.
After 4 hours in the air we landed in snowy Kiev. Bye-bye African sunshine!! I am waiting for the connection to Warsaw.
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Jan 21, 2021 10:00 PM Dancing Friday
Sunny day with a blue sky. No wind.... And what a surprise! The management of our hotel invited a group of local Arab musicians. At a lunch time they performed traditional music and dances on the open terrace. Local foobd was also served and we had really good time.
Unfortunately it was my last day in Hurghada... Tomorrow I will be flying back to Europe.
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Jan 20, 2021 10:00 PM They take care...
The sun is bright but from the morning we experience strong wind... The guests in the hotel I stay do not wear the anti-covid masks, but for all staff it is obligatory to wear them. In addition three times per day, when we are entering the restaurant our temperature is checked, and registered in the big notebook (in Arabic!). Apart from the dozen of foreign tourists there are Egiptians in our hotel. For breakfast they eat fool - made of red beans and kofta - little meat cutlets. The rest of the buffet is European... The food they serve is fresh and tasty.
It is nice that they offer a lot of fruits and vegetables, brought from the fertile Nile Valley.
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Jan 19, 2021 10:00 PM Grand Aquarium Hurghada
They say that it is 7th aquarium in the world... In the past I admired most the one in Osaka, then those in Florida and California so maybe it is worth to see the one in Hurghada? It is located only 1,5 kms from my Mercure Hotel - 25 min walk... The institution was empty... The clerk in the ticket window asked for hefty 32 USD entry fee. More than in America! OK, I paid and passed through the security screening. The trail marked by arrows lead me through the artificial jungle with little waterfall, snakes and turtles the cages were alive. I didn't expected that this is zoo + aquarium with african ostriches, pelicans an flamingos. Of course the main attractions are the glass tunnels under big tanks (2) where you can see stingrays turtles and sharks sailing over you.
Worth to see but overpriced!
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Jan 17, 2021 10:00 PM Glass bottom boat
Red Sea is famous for its underwater attractions so when you are in Hurghada it is a must to snorkel and to take a ride on the glass bottom boat over the coral reef. I did. Travel agencies an hotels offer such a tour with hotel pick up for 30 USD. Now I know that going directly to the Hurghada Marina you can have the same tour for just 15 USD.
Right at the south entrance of marina you will see a fleet of the yellow Seascope boats. We departed at 11 am. The sail along the coast is spectacular - imagine that old ex-soviet cruise ship "Albatross" is waiting here for the better times... After 20 minutes of introduction on the deck they invited us to thd lower deck where we were sitting in front of huge windows. On the other side of the windows there were corals nnd color fish. Well, not too much... The swimmer attract them giving some food. Then there was snorkeling opportunity... Is it worth the money? It depends of what you saw before. For me, after snorkeling in Australia and Polynesia it is a tourist trap. But for the people who are snorkeling for the first time it coul be great experience....
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Jan 15, 2021 10:00 PM Hughada city
Hundred years ago here was only wide, empty desert. Then little village of the fishermen. Now it is a huge resort city... It was interesting to walk around - just to recognize that there is not much to see, except the 800-meters long coastal promenade in Marina of Hurghada. There are beaches in the town but all of them are private and you have to pay an entrance fee to get there.
Marina promenade became the front window of Hurgada. There are many colorful cafes and restaurants, souvenir shops and services. But it is hard to see any folklore - you will not see any arabic script... Only a year ago there was a crowd of tourists. Now the promenade is almost empty because of pandemic. North from the promenade you will see the minarets of central (Mina) mosque. The doors of the mosque are closed...
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Jan 13, 2021 10:00 PM In oriental style...
My hotel is different. It is not like most of the beach hotels here. They remind the concrete blocks with the rows of balconies... "Mercure" is a low-rise complex. The administration-shopping-restaurant part is designed in the oriental style - see picture. The hotel pavilions are spread out in the garden with palms and flowers. They are 3-storey white buildings. I like it! I slept very well until 8 am after a tiring previous night on the plane. Weather is changing today, but iit is still warm...
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