I am from a country that has tended to view poland in a less than flattering way. And yes, the past tense is intentional. I had the pleasure of spending a large part of 2008 in the Gdansk and Gdynia area, and I absolutely loved it. Beautiful place and friendly people.

I remember a coworker saying something along the lines of "I now understand why we have the stereotype about poor quality craftsmen coming over to us - because the best ones never left home" while we were walking through the town.