Don Curry's Homecoming

Don Curry knows that every journey eventually comes to an end. He is also aware that the desire for new impressions and experiences, even for him, becomes exhausted at a certain point. Suddenly, he longs for ordinary everyday life with all its established habits and predictable demands.

After his memorable glamping premiere on the northern Estonian island of Muhu, the four-day intense journey back began early in the morning, during which he had to cover over 2000 km. Don Curry had saved a few treats for this final part of his tour.

The goal of the first day was the wonderful city of Riga, the capital of Latvia. Here, Don Curry had checked into a small hotel in the middle of the Art Nouveau district, even got a room upgrade from the receptionist who tried her best to speak German, and soon set off for the well-known Old Town. Despite the huge selection of local restaurants, it was not easy to find a free table. There were plenty of them in the overpriced tourist establishments with rarely successful live music and uniform schnitzel/burger/pasta cuisine, but Don Curry was happy to avoid those. The pleasant terrace restaurant that he had liked two years ago was now run by Spaniards: nothing against tapas and paella, but please not in the Baltics.

Almost on the edge of the Old Town, between St. Peter's and St. John's Church, he discovered the restaurant 'Petergailis' - Peter Rooster. A table had just become available, which Don Curry occupied before the plates and glasses of the previous guests had been cleared. The waiter did point out to him that the wait for a meal would be at least 60 minutes, but Don Curry was prepared for that. Unfiltered beer from the small Mikela Brewery and a selection of bread and rolls with 3 different herb butters helped him pass the time.

A strongly seasoned farmhouse soup with cauliflower, mushrooms, and chicken, as well as catfish fillet on fried spinach with carrot puree, proved to be well worth the actually long wait.

A rich and satisfying breakfast buffet prepared him for the next day of travel. Since the Art Nouveau district was adorned with renovation work and the necessary scaffolding in many parts, Don Curry simply visited the Art Nouveau Museum, which had found its home in the basement and ground floor of an Art Nouveau house - a wonderful insight into upper-class residential culture at the beginning of the 20th century.

After an almost endless drive, he arrived in Gdansk at 8:00 PM CEST. Don Curry had followed an old tradition: his last accommodation should be something very special - in this case, a holiday apartment in the middle of the Old Town above the famous restaurant 'Goldwasser'. However, this location turned out to be a big problem: due to the St. Dominic's Fair, the entire Old Town had become a pedestrian zone on this weekend. Not only were there barriers at all possible access roads, but also enough policemen; and behind the barriers, locals and tourists strolled among countless stalls with arts and crafts and regional specialties.

All these people had also parked the area around the Old Town extensively, so it took Don Curry half an hour to finally find a parking space for his car, over 1 km away from the holiday apartment. Without hesitation, he packed only the essentials into his backpack and set off for his destination.

The 'Goldwasser' restaurant was buzzing, like everywhere else in Gdansk's Old Town on this Saturday evening. Since waiters were constantly rushing past him, Don Curry had to shout his data for the holiday apartments to the head waiter responsible for them from a distance of 3 meters. Then he received the key and the hint that the way to the holiday apartment would be good exercise: it is on the 5th floor! - And there is no elevator! Courageously, Don Curry climbed the narrow stairs and found a comfortably furnished two-story apartment; for his bedroom in the gable of the house, he even had to climb to the 6th floor within the apartment. But from this elevated position, he enjoyed incomparable views over the rooftops of Gdansk's Old Town. St. Mary's Church, the Town Hall, and other highlights were within reach; from the window on the opposite side of the bedroom, there were almost equally impressive views of the Motlawa River and the picturesque warehouse buildings on the other bank.

With so much homely ambiance, culinary enjoyment should not be neglected. In the 'Goldwasser' restaurant, the waiter also served as a sommelier and could recommend the perfect wine for each dish. So, Don Curry got a delicious Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand to accompany his emperor char marinated in a vinegar and goldwater infusion.

The absolutely brilliant duck breast on plum compote with mango puree and summer salad was accompanied by a delightful Petite Syrah. Afterwards, Don Curry let himself drift through Gdansk's enchanting Old Town once again before climbing back up to his bed on the 6th floor.

Don Curry deliberately did not make any firm plans for his day in Gdansk. He strolled extensively through the beautifully restored Old Town and took plenty of time for St. Mary's Church.

Then he stopped at the Mottlau Terrace of the 'Gdanski Bowke' restaurant, which brews its own beer under the restaurant's name. A tasty pale lager harmonized perfectly with his rustic appetizer: 3 different varieties of lard on homemade bread.

Afterwards, he enjoyed a golden shimmering cod prepared Kashubian style: breaded with potato flakes, served on a vegetable sauce with fried potatoes and salad, accompanied by a dark beer from the brewery and a small APA, the first craft beer produced by the brewery, for dessert.

Almost right in front of the restaurant is the pier for excursion boats. Don Curry booked a boat tour through Gdansk's Old Town, the Gdansk Harbor, and even to Westerplatte, where the Second World War began, and back.

Since the sky continued to darken steadily during the return journey, Don Curry safely retreated to his temporary home high up in the air and only ventured out to dinner in the surrounding Old Town after the downpour.

Once again, a brewery restaurant magically attracted him. At 'Browar Piwna', he tried the pale lager and the rather amber-colored dark beer and ordered 'Fish & Chips' from the very limited menu, which turned out to be an overwhelming portion.

Don Curry soaked up the special atmosphere of the old Hanseatic city one last time, enjoyed the double view from his noble attic chamber once again, and soon fell blissfully asleep, approaching the last day of his journey.

He easily found his car, which was far away, the next morning, and it was supposed to transport him home for another 900 km. But before that, he wanted to visit one last destination: Oliwa Cathedral.

This unusual building is already noticeable due to the two narrow towers that frame an equally narrow portal front; behind it, however, is a huge space - with over 100 m in length, it is the longest Cistercian church in the world.

The entire nave is equipped with 2 dozen Baroque altars, which divide the church in an impressive and pleasantly uniform way.

But Don Curry initially could not see the biggest surprise, but he could hear it very well. As soon as he entered the cathedral, a half-hour organ concert began, which had been pre-booked by a German tour group. A powerful organ, one of the largest Baroque organs of all - 111 stops including cymbals, bells, bird songs, and other effects. The organist skillfully used the special sounds of the instrument.

What a wonderful surprise at the end of a journey that was by no means short of surprises. After that, it was just driving...

Tired, exhausted, but at the same time filled with countless impressions and memories, Don Curry returns home. A journey to the White Sea. A journey into the astonishing present of Russia. A journey of understanding, across all language barriers...