Coming from rain soaked Julys in Belfast, summer in the Tricity is a revelation. Long sunny evenings matched by long golden beaches can’t help but put a smile on our faces and make us wonder how we will cope with the scraps of sunshine that await next year when we have returned home.

A new hobby we’ve picked up in Poland is rollerblading – a popular pastime here thanks to the long stretches of cycle paths, including a brand new strip of smooth tarmac that hugs the coast from Brzeszno to Sopot. On one sunny morning we ‘bladed’ (is that what they call it?) the 7km from central Gdansk to Jelitkowo for the annual sand sculpture display and back again – even more impressive given we still lack the ability to stop without assistance from helpful lamp posts and friendly trees.

Another summer indulgence that can’t be missed in the Tricity is the ice cream – we’ll really miss wandering into the Old Town in the evening to grab a cone of the fantastic vanilla and chocolate mieszane (’mix’) cones. I’m not sure if these are a Tricity, Polish, or even Central/Eastern European blend of icecream, but the tight swirls of rich vanilla cream and nutty chocolate make the British ‘99′ seem a bland way to cool down.

I’m yet to capture an adequate shot of the beach on the Bay of Gdansk, but the 10 mile stretch of sand that borders Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia is the Tricity’s best asset. Town planners have been smart enough to preserve a 500m strip of green belt between the sea and the city to make a trip to the beach feel like a real escape from city life – while only a few Zloty away on the tram.

The areas nearest the tram stops become crowded throngs of of bronzed young people and families, the sheer length of the beach means there is always somewhere quiet to relax and watch the boats in the bay. Take your pick as to which view you would prefer!

A random blessing in our stay in Gdansk has been our new found friends (and fellow far flung couple) K & G, who are currently living in Gdynia for a year. At least once a month we find ourselves heading up to the sea side for another evening of good food along with a smattering of beer, wine and the occasional spirit.

So it was that we ended up spending a long, warm August afternoon in paper party hats chowing down on a tray of lobster at a ‘crayfish party’ (or kräftskiva) from G’s native Sweden.

Traditionally marking the start of the Swedish crayfish harvesting season, kräftskiva are held in August – but it seems that whatever stocks they had in the southern Baltic were long gone, as despite searching the whole Tricity, not a single crayfish could be found… But fear not, a quick and tasty substitution for lobster from the far side of the Atlantic saved the day.

Aside from the small matter of no crayfish at a crayfish party, everything else was in place for the authentic Swedish experience – the garden was decked in suitably fishy decorations and the table laid with paper plates and napkins printed with the elusive shellfish.

To accompany the lobster, K served a sublime traditional cheese pie – lovingly adorned with a crayfish insignia etched in raspberry. The pie was pure cream, eggs and rich Vasterbotten cheese – stick that in a buttery homemade pastry case and you have pure pie perfection.

If that isn’t enough cheese for you, the rest of the huge Vasterbrotten wedge was served up with crackers on which to spread the moist mushy parts of the lobster – bits that I would never dared eat had our hosts not given me assurance they were safe. In fact these were the best bits – I just need more experience eating lobster…

Another essential element at a crayfish party is booze and Swedish party songs – although we were slow to pick up some of the more lyrically complicated chants, we did manage a brief Finnish shout of ‘nu!’ (’now’) before each shot of sweet schnapps.

Beer and wine followed and by the time we got the train back to Gdansk we were fuller, tipsier, happier and tired out – another memorable weekend thanks to K&G, thanks!

Last night we headed up to Gdynia to see what was billed as a fire and ice show. Expecting a few intricate ice sculptures and fire dancers weaving between them, instead we found ourselves observing little more than a wall of people with toddlers on their shoulders.

Perhaps Gdynia council (or whoever arranged the event) were expecting less people – I can’t imagine many of the visitors were impressed by the solitary ice sculpture of a… a… mermaid? a boat? It wasn’t quite clear, but whatever it was, it was far from impressive.

We could see the fire show in progress and joined the throng of people trying to get a view – eventually we found a spot where we could see the performers gearing up for the show. It wasn’t very exciting.

This is what we wanted to see – beautiful sculptures and a bit of drama…

Yes, we finally made it out to somewhere other than a restaurant! Last Thursday we headed out to the brand new basketball stadium in Gdynia to see Asseco Prokom Sopot and Armani Jeans Milan face off in the Euro League.

Having never been to a basketball game before (our last attempt to see the Knicks in New York failed when we turned up a day late for the match – oops) the spectacle of lights, music, chanting, bright colours and fast play was a revelation – it almost seemed that the cheerleaders and flamenco dancers (?) had as much on court time as the ‘ballers themselves.

The match built to a thrilling climax – scores tied with 30 seconds to go. A late basket from Armani Jeans put them ahead with only 5 seconds on the clock – could Prokom snatch a long basket and provide the fairy tale ending?

No. Instead the Prokom team literally threw their last chance away when an unobservant player missed a pass and they immediately threw the ball out of play. Better luck next time – it was so much fun we’ll probably head back in March.