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Wednesday 24th May – Gierloz, Poland (aka “The Wolfs Lair (Wolfschanze) or Hitlers Bunker”

Set off after breakfast on our bikes to further explore Suwalki.  The bikeways are shared by both pedestrians and bikers but unlike back home, bikers have one lane and pedestrians have the other.  Much more civilised as there is no competition for space.

There are several beautiful parks in the centre of town and as we rode through them, we came across some kindy aged kids marching through the park.  They had a long pink rope which they had to hold onto with one hand but they still managed to be able to wave to us with their other hand.  We tried to take a photo of this gorgeous sight but the teachers asked us not to.   Reminded us of Setinne and Eli (our grandkids) so stopped for a while to take this in.

Had a great ride around the man-made lake, parks and gardens, then town and back to Ziggy about two hours later.

Roads are getting busier now and we are seeing motor homes on the road – have only seen a handful over the last three months.  The warmer weather is bringing them out.  We have been wanting company along the way, but soon we are sure we will be complaining about competing with them for parking spots.

Arrived at Gierloz and were greeted by guards at a security gate.  There were already 8 or so giant Tourist buses parked in the grounds.  We were directed to a motorhome area which we shared with about 5 motor homes and 8 German motor-bikers who were erecting tents.  We were a little amused because when they took off their helmets and leathers, they were just like us, old folk out on a group get together.   Thought we might have a sleepless night but they were so quiet we didn’t even know they were there.

For a mere 40zl around $14 you got to camp under a canopy of beautiful rain forest trees, have electricity and water and a huge bathroom facility (to be shared with the large numbers of tourists here during the day but very quiet after dark. This price also includes admission for 2 to the Museum.

Groups of school children were everywhere.  History is very important to Polish people and it is drummed into their children from a very early age.

There were no brochures available and when we went into the information centre, we were advised they were closed (in the middle of the day?!!!). There was a very large map of the area so we took a photo of it and ventured out on our own.  We won’t go over everything here but if you want more info there are many websites under “wolf’s lair”, Poland” – one link is http://www.thirdreichruins.com/wolfschanze.htm

Bunker 13 is Hitler’s bunker where a failed assignation attempt was made on his life by one of his top advisors.

Hidden under a canopy of forest trees and over many acres, we found old buildings and bunkers in ruins.  Very well camouflaged under the trees, they would have been impossible to see from the air.  Truly amazing to see the depth of the walls, some concrete walls would be nearly 3 metres thick.

The gates are locked at 8pm so we had a very peaceful night amongst the trees.

Thursday 25th May- Elblag, Poland

What’s that noise?  Woke up with a start!  Just the phone ringing –  so in a dazed stupor climbed down from the dizzy heights of the second floor and greeted the caller in a sleepy voice.  Hi Sis said my little brother, what are you doing still asleep at 8am in the morning.  Only answer I could give is “benefits of being retired and loving it”.

Good to hear from home at any time so after a lengthy conversation and a relaxed breakfast headed out of the forest and the Wolf’s Lair to our next destination.

There was a U Boat museum only 19 Klms away so with the advice of the guard at the gates we headed in the direction he described.   Our first mistake for the day!  The road got narrower and narrower (down to one lane wide) and bumpier and lumpier, and the fuel tank was looking a little low so after about 10km we decided to head back to civilisation and a Fuel station as we had no idea where we were and what lay ahead in the direction we had been going.

Arrived in Ketrzyn about 20kms later, filled up with fuel and as time was getting on, headed for Elblag. 

The sat nav was obviously sabotaged in the forest (spies I think) and went haywire.  It did everything in its power to take us along the worst Polish roads we had been on – 70kms of potholes – some were so big you could take a holiday in there and in some places the road got down to not much more than one lane.   Really glad we filled up with fuel.

Got to say though, we went through some of the prettiest countryside.  Huge trees on both sides of the road created an arch of foliage over the road for 30kms or so.  Being spring time the leaves were young and so green.  Shame my driver couldn’t take the time to appreciate it.

By the time we arrived at Elblag, Rob was truly spent and sat and relaxed with a few beers for the rest of the day.  No exploring today.  Think we may give up sightseeing in the countryside for a few days and head for Gdansk along the motorway provided the sat nav behaves itself.

We stayed in Camping Elblag.  Great central camp spot and top class.  Very secure and safe and about 15 motor homes here – mostly German couples.  Brought out the BBQ and after a movie and a bottle of red wine – turned the phone off and slept soundly.

 

Tuesday 16th May – Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

Not a great looking day to begin with but in no time at all, the sun peeked through the heavy cloud cover and remained there for the rest of the day.

The 100 km trip was relatively easy with only a short part of it hair raising for the driver.  Seems that roadworks happen in the tightest of situations and when you are driving a bus (almost), can prove to be very difficult.

We travelled again through acres and acres of orchards, not sure what kind the trees were but expect they were predominantly Apple.  It was very sad to see so many old people in some very poor looking farming areas of the country.

We arrived at the old historic town of Kazimierz Dolny and soon found our camp for the night.  Strange my dad’s name was Kazimierz and so far we have found a couple of towns with that name.  Will check with my niece Barbara in a couple of days as I can’t find a translation for it.

Lovely little camp spot run by a husband and wife team (Grzegorz Pielak) who do not speak anything but Polish but we didn’t take long to settle in.  It is right across the road from the river with a great bike track running forever along the riverfront.  It only took about 15 minutes to get to the centre of town but again the town square was alive with tourists and bus loads of school kids – shouldn’t they be in school?

Again lots of dust collectors on sale – souvenirs I mean!   Restaurants everywhere.  Seems like every place that has an “old town” takes advantage of this and sets up mega restaurants everywhere.

Being on a river is an added attraction as there are several passenger carrying vessels (including one that could be in included in a “pirate movie”) sitting on the docks.

The village included an old castle and church and so many old but renovated buildings from the 14th century.

Back in our little bus, we settled down under the fruit trees and enjoyed the remainder of a warm spring day.

A tip – be sure to check the price of your campsite when you arrive (and pay when you arrive).  We took the rate in our “NKC Parkings” book to be gospel but found on checkout – a different story.  Couldn’t argue with the folks as they didn’t speak any English so left feeling a little unhappy at the cost.

Wednesday 17 May – Serniki, Poland

We travelled again through farms and orchards.  So beautiful here, so lush and green.  Canola was growing everywhere – there were fields of yellow canola flowers mixed with fields of green – looked like a patchwork quilt. 

We travelled over some very rough roads again, and reached our destination only to find the gates locked.  We are getting a little annoyed now because this has happened several times. 

Our proposed destination  was a resort in the middle of nowhere which was supposed to be open from 1 May but we found out from a local, they decided to delay their opening to 1 June – ….!!…ugh!!! – signage would have been good as we drove a long way over very rough roads and then had to turn around and go back out the same way.

We travelled another 20-30 Klms to the next destination along some woeful roads.  Everything shook, rattled and rolled but we were happy to find Ranczo Arka open and again we were the only ones there.

A ranch turned zoo of some kind which has some very interesting and exotic animals and is open to the public at a small cost.  Only takes 4 motor homes.  They have emus, peacocks, ostrich, moose, kangaroos, naserbar, birds and of course the regular types of farm animals.  They also have a small lake which is the home to some beaver and swans.

It is quite busy during the day but very peaceful at night.  Little animals run around at dusk including families of rabbits everywhere – very cute to watch.

Facilities not much to speak of but we didn’t need these anyhow.  No wi-fi.

Thursday 17th – Sunday 20th May – Biala Podlaska, Poland

We arrived back at Biala late Thursday evening and spent an enjoyable evening with my niece Barbara.

Friday we ventured back to Town Hall to collect my PESEL card (Polish ID Card).  With this card I can now travel freely within the Schengen Zone as a Polish Citizen, without having to leave every 90 days and have full rights as a European Union Citizen. 

By law, Australian citizens can only stay three months in the Schengen Zone and then have to exit for three months before being able to return.   Rob as my spouse can travel with me and remain in the Schengen Zone under the same terms and conditions (we believe – yet to be confirmed).

We then filed my application for a passport which should be ready for collection within 2-4 weeks).   We have now decided to continue our travels in the interim and then collect my passport at a later date.

This whole process has taken over 12 months beginning in Australia and then with the help of Barbara and Kornelia in Poland – another five weeks – after filing many documents in Poland, I have dual citizenship with my passport only a few weeks away.  This would not have been possible without Barbara and I can never thank her enough.  This also now makes it easier for either of my girls to get Polish Citizenship in the future, should they so desire – we believe having European Citizenship could be handy for Renee and Shannon in the future as it would allow them access to currently around 30 European countries and who knows how the geo-political situation may change in the future.

The next two days were spent celebrating and once again seeing some more local attractions including Stadnina Koni, an Arabian horse farm only 30 Klms from Biala.  These horses are magnificent and the auctions held in mid August draw buyers from all over the world. 

We topped off the day with a coffee at Zaborek a really special place in the countryside next door to the horse stud. 

This was followed by a thank you dinner for Barbara and Piotr and after many many vodkas and Black Russians, came home and laughed and talked until the wee hours (with the help of Mr Google, who has been our translator over the last few weeks).

Sadly we left on Monday morning, but we will be back again in the next few months,

Monday 22nd May – Bialowieza Bison Forest, Poland

With the help of Piotr and Barbara and their local knowledge, we set off on Monday morning and headed for Bialowieza Forest.   This forest is one of Poland’s most special primeval forests and has some of the largest and most beautiful trees in Europe. 

On Monday afternoon, we were lucky enough to be able to take a 4 hour tour with an English Speaking Guide, Jerome from Portugal leading the way and a Dutch couple.   It is very difficult to get on to a tour on the same day and sometimes you have to wait a couple of days before you can book one.  Very wise to book this on line before you come.  Normally the tour accommodates 12 in the group but as we agreed to share the total costs between just the four of us, we headed off as scheduled at 2pm. 

The forest extends from Poland to Belarus with the majority of the forest in Belarus.  We were so close to Belarus that my Iphone beeped a message which said “Welcome to Belarus”.

We were lucky enough to go through some very restricted parts of the forest.  Just an amazing place, so beautiful, so quiet, so green and lots of singing birds.  Mosquitos were rampant but with the help of our mossie cream we were left relatively untouched.

 We discovered a field of “bear garlic”or “wild garlic” – really pretty white flowers.   This herb is used locally in salads and cooking.  We tasted by eating the whole plant, stalk and flowers which tasted a little like horseradish with garlic.  We will definitely look at growing this when we get home.

There are about 3500 different species of mushrooms growing wild and our guide told us they can all be eaten – except about 3470 species can only be eaten once!!!

Tired after a really special and long day, we stayed in the Forest’s car park for the night with another couple who were waiting for a phone call the next day confirming if they could get on a tour.

At dusk, we went for a walk around the lake where fishermen were trying to catch fish and then watched people head off on twilight tours with night binoculars.

This area is “Polish Bison” country and many of the tours include 4-6 day safaris to try to find them.  Sadly we didn’t see any on our tour but we have seen many man made statues of these everywhere in this area.

About 140,000 people visited this Park last year whereas over 2,5000,000 people visited Auschwitz – so what does that say about us???

Tuesday 23rd May – Suwalki, Poland

Woke up after a great night’s sleep only to find that when my feet hit the ground Ouch!  We did walk for 4 hours plus the walk around the lake yesterday didn’t we?  We might take it a little easier today.

Quite a long drive to Suwalki today and found a great camp site called Eurocamping Osir.  Highly recommended close to town and a great camp spot.  Cost was only 40zl which is around $14.  Beautiful everything.  Level large grassed spots with hedges between each spot, each with water and power (at extra cost if you want it).    The amenities block are just beautifully new and clean.  Security lights everywhere and high fences surround the camping area.  Gates are locked at 10pm.  Wi-fi is excellent.

We set off to explore the town (by foot) and found a bikeway starting at the front gates which went for miles and miles – around a beautiful man made lake and right through town.   There is also a fantastic Aqua park here but for us a little too cold yet to consider.

Forget to mention that in the last 5-6 days – Spring has sprung- and we are now wearing those most missed shorts and short sleeve shirts we have brought with us.   Still cool at night though.

Hope the weather holds tomorrow as we are planning a long bike ride in the morning before we head off.

 

 

Friday 5th May, Zakopane, Poland

Woke up to a foggy morning with very little visibility so decided to stay until it lifted a little.  Sadly we left Kraków – such a beautiful city and so much to see. We only saw a little but what we saw will stay with us forever.

Heading south, the countryside and the houses took on more of an alpine look.  After only a half hour or so we turned a corner and there in front of us were the Tatras Mountains still covered with heaps of snow.  Skiing has been a passion of ours and our kids have grown up with the same love of snow and skiing.  The sight of the snow really was special and we look forward to the time when we can spend some time in the snow before heading back to Oz.

We stocked up with supplies and found our next camp spot.  Camping Ustup, about 4kms from the main ski village in Zakopane.  Though a little more expensive than other places we have stayed at in Poland, it has the best and newest shower and bathroom facilities.  Ideally located right next to a river, pizza restaurant, supermarket and service station, and for fast food junkies MacDonalds is right next door.  The bus stop to go uptown to the village is just across the road and costs about $1.00.  We have been told that transport is free if you are over 65.  Haven’t taken advantage of that yet !!!

Bit late to head to the village today, so decided to take a long walk instead.  The walk was just delightful.  So many beautiful ski lodges along the way.  We were told that it was only a couple of weeks ago that the snow was around 2 ft deep here in this village.

Saturday 6th May, Zakopane, Poland

A bit of sunshine today, so decided to hand wash some clothes and take advantage of the clothes lines provided here – rare to find these anywhere.  After we had hung out the clothes the manager advised us that we could have used the washing machine in his house – expect there would be a cost but would have taken advantage of this if we had known.

Packed all the winter woolies in the backpack and headed for the bus stop.  We had just missed a bus and it was another 45 minutes to the next one – ugh!!   Just as we were considering our options – along came a horse and carriage.  We had seen these the day before on our walk, so we hailed the driver.  He didn’t speak English but when we asked him what the cost was to take us up the 4kms to the village he showed us a 50 Zt note (about $17AUD).  Given that it was only 6 Zt for the two of us by bus – I said “no”.  He then pulled out a 20 Zt note – yep that was better so we climbed in and played Tommy tourist”.  It was just so cool riding in the horse and buggy – really enjoyed the whole ride.  Still can’t believe he reduced his price to less than half.

He dropped us in the centre of the village and pointed in the direction we should go.  Through Fashion Lane we went and at the end it opened onto Krupowki Street.  This street boasts as being one of the most famous streets in Poland.   A tourist Mecca of restaurants and shops that stretch for 1200 metres.  Lots of winter clothing sales were on with some going at up to 80% off.    Needed some winter clothes so found a bargain or two.

At the end of this street we found the markets.  Hundreds of stalls going in every direction.  Lots of souvenirs, shoes, clothes etc and of course food stalls.  We looked in amazement at all the food items we have never seen before and cannot even fathom a guess as to what they are.

Next we headed to the northern part of the street where the cable cars go to the top of Kasprowy Wierch Peak – at 1987 metres.   Not very expensive to take a return trip up in the cable car around 27 Zt ($9) but less for over 65’s.  We were just about to book our tickets when we heard the thunder.  We looked up the mountain and the sky was black and the rain was on its way.

A quick sprint back to the main square where we took cover in a restaurant and spent the next hour or so watching people getting absolutely drenched.  Time to head home and maybe, weather depending, come back tomorrow to venture up the mountain.

Bus trip back was not as exciting as the horse and buggy but a lot drier I think.

Arrived home and found that the manager had taken my clothes off the line – you little beauty- what a mighty mighty man. 

 

Monday 1st May – Auschwitz & Wieliczka – Poland

Woke up to a glorious sun filled day – not a single cloud in the sky.  We parked directly opposite the gates to Auschwitz.   Decided on a really early start because we were sure that given it was a long weekend it would be packed.  Arrived at the ticket office at 7:30 am and joined the long queue.  The gates opened at 7.30 and already there were a dozen coaches parked and people piling in from every direction.

We had tried to purchase tickets the evening before but were told we could only buy them on the day of visitation – so much for trying to avoid queues.

I would have thought Auschwitz could have handled ticket sales and crowd control better, given they have been running this Museum for around 65 years but they have no idea on this and the signage is appalling – still we are visitors to this country so just have to take it as it is.

We had been to Dachau near Munich Germany on a previous visit to Europe and thought we knew what to expect – wrong – again we walked around in silence from block to block and again were utterly shocked at the stories and vivid pictures displayed here.  Can really understand why my parents, my Dad in particular, having been in a Nazi prison work labour camp, would not talk about those years.

We only lasted a couple of hours before we both decided we just didn’t want to see anymore.  Didn’t take any pictures whilst inside – just didn’t have the heart and wanted to show a little respect.

Packed up Ziggy and headed for Wieliczka near Kraków only 90 minutes away.

Found a great spot only 100 metres from the entrance to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.  Again a spot with mixed parking so by the time we arrived late afternoon, there were very few spots left but we managed to just squeeze Ziggy in.

We went to the ticket office to buy tickets for the next day but once again were told we could only buy tickets on the day of visitation.

The tour through this amazing place which is one of Poland’s National Monuments (and a UNESCO listed site) takes three hours to complete and goes down, down, down with around 400 steps to the bottom.   A bit like a spiral staircase to begin with and then about two thirds of the way down it opens up to numerous miner’s passages and caves where statues are formed out of rock salt.

Four massive cathedrals with magnificent statues have been carved out of the rock salt and at special times of the year (Easter and Xmas) they hold mass down there.  You can even hire the main cathedral for your wedding – around AUD$2000.

Gratefully the way up is much easier via lift.  Definitely put this on your list to see.  They provide an English speaking guide and cost is around $AUD30.  When we returned to Ziggy it was going on dusk and we found the car park empty- all alone again with the whole place to ourselves.

Tuesday 2nd May – Kraków, Poland

Didn’t want to stay in the Wieliczka Salt Mine carapark another night and found another place closer to Kraków that sounded much safer and secure.   Caravanning Elcamp Is a motorhome dealership and service centre (closed today because of May Day holiday) with a high fence and fully locked security gates.  There is a security guard here who is absolutely delightful – doesn’t speak English but again with sign language and a little help from Mr Google he was able to give us enough information about bus timetables.  Buses leave directly from across the road every 20 minutes. 

We hailed the bus and showed him our piece of paper with Kraków Old Town written (in Polish of course) on it.  He nodded and then later told us when to get off as we needed to link up with a tram from there to the centre of Old Town. 

We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.   We were stunned as we stood in the square.  Words couldn’t describe it.  A fairytale square lined with beautiful old churches, buildings and towers.  Restaurant after restaurant set along the boundary, each with colourful flower boxes acting as borders and huge colourful umbrellas.  Heaters under the umbrellas to keep you warm.  Hundreds and hundreds of people enjoying a holiday day in the square which is 200 metres by 200 metres.

Entertainers in colourful costumes were trying to lure you into shops or to take guided tours of the square.  Beautiful horses adorned with plumes and braids and wearing colourful outfits of gold and silver took tourists around the square in fairytale white carriages.

There was so much more to see even in the streets outside the square that we decided we would come back in the morning.  We sat in one of the many restaurants in the square to enjoy a late lunch/early dinner and just watch the crowds go by.   Really looking forward to tomorrow as Kraków has so many things to see.

Took a taxi home as it was beginning to rain and then settled in for a quiet but safe night.  Three motor homes had come in while we were away so for a change we have some most welcome company tonight.

Wednesday 3rd May – Kraków, Poland

Today is Commemoration Day.  All Polish flags are flying and from the web we discover that all attractions are closed today.  We decided to catch up on some Web home work and then set off for a big walk.  Had read on the blog sites there was a great bar/restaurant called Czarci Grill nearby so tried to find it. 

A couple of hours later we came back with no Czarci Grill in sight.  We headed past our camping spot and in the opposite direction and only a hundred or so metres we found it.  The building looked like the witches house in Hansel & Gretel – a small wooden cottage with a doorway that only a dwarf could fit through.  It was past lunchtime so decided to treat ourselves to a lunch/dinner so ventured inside. 

All I can say is wow, wow!!!!  Inside it was just as impressive with a log fire burning, low ceilings, dim lights and the smell of delicious food cooking.   They have a parrot inside in a huge cage and it wolf whistles the girls when they come in and sings and talks all day – even makes sounds like coughing and a phone ringing.  We spent a couple of hours there and after the best family size pizza we have had in yonks and three beers (cost less than $20) we headed home with a doggy bag of leftovers for breakfast next morning.

Thursday 4th May – Kraków Poland

It rained quite heavily all night but woke up to an overcast day (no rain) so headed into Old Town by bus and then tram.   There was nowhere near the number of people in Old Town as Tuesday so the atmosphere was not as great.  We booked our tickets for the Kraków Underground and then headed up the hill to Wawel Castle.  The Underground can be booked in advance and usually requires booking several days in advance but we were lucky to get a cancellation on the day we were there.

The Krakow Underground (Rynek Underground) is not a rail network but is an underground museum covering 4000square metres with interactive displays of the history of Krakow dating back to the 14^th century. So the square is really 200 metres by 200 metres above ground plus the 4000 square metres underground.

Wawel Castle is an unbelievable castle set around its own huge square.  Tall cathedral spires, turrets and domes of gold were only a part of the structures within the castle walls.    From inside the walls, there were spectacular views of Kraków and the river it stands on.

Just as we were leaving the castle, the rain came bucketing down.  We took shelter in a little old pub and after a few vodka shots (vodka, raspberry juice and Tabasco) braved the rain and headed back to Old Town square for a 2 o’clock booking to see Kraków Underground. 

Really interesting tour showing that under Old Town Square, they discovered in 2006 an old city that was built underground.  They carefully excavated the whole square and turned it into a tourist attraction keeping the original walls and sculptures of the old city in tact.

We took a taxi home and then had another delightful dinner at Czaci Grill.

 

Friday – 28 April , Checiny, Poland

Sadly we left family and friends in Biala Podlaska.  We were sent on our way with a bag of Polish goodies including home made Polish sausage and honey from Uncle Mirek (he currently has a couple of hundred bee hives on his farm), Pierogi (Polish dumplings) fresh farm eggs and lots of other delicious items – too many to mention.

Thank you Barbara once again for spoiling us.  We will be back in a couple of weeks to pick up my Polish PESEL or ID card.  This is now the last step before I can apply for my passport. It truly has been an unbelievable exercise. 

We left Biala Podlaska on a wet, cold overcast day.  It is hard to believe we have had so many days where the temperature has not reached double figures.  There have been a couple of days during our stay where we have had sun, wind, ice and snow all in the one day.  We sadly look at our summer clothes in Ziggy and wonder if we will ever get to wear them.

With our internet problems well and truly sorted out, we are really enjoying being able to do research for our trip.  We have our internet dongle now so the only challenge will be to get a SIM card in each country we visit as in our haste to leave the UK we missed out on getting the “3 Multi Country Sim Card” which would have covered us for around 20 countries.  We can only re-iterate to everyone embarking on a trip like ours – make sure you get a dongle and Sim Card BEFORE you leave the UK.

We stocked up on fresh supplies and of course the mandatory wine for me and beer for Rob at Lidl and drove on to a town called Checiny.  We struck an unbelievable amount of new roadworks and moved at a snails pace for nearly an hour.  Finally we arrived around 6pm.  What a find. 

Checiny has provided a fantastic area just below the entrance to the Royal Castle.  Whilst our area is shared by cars and buses as well, we have views from our windows of the castle up on the hill and the green valley below.  Tomorrow we are looking forward to exploring further.  After a well deserved beer for the driver and a cold white wine for the passenger and a sumptuous dinner of Pierogi and other Polish goodies we hit the hay.

Saturday – 29 April – Checiny, Poland

We headed up the hill to explore the Royal Castle.  First real exercise we have had for a couple of weeks.  The castle was constructed in 13th and 14th century.  Re-construction of the castle was done in 2013-2015.  It only costs around $4.00 AUD entry fee.  It is a tourist attraction now but is really worth visiting.  During the day they have displays of Polish folk dancing and knights jousting – spent an hour or so exploring and then headed down to the village. 

It is the May long weekend here so many people have a five day holiday here – bit like Easter back home.  The village square is a buzz of activity so we are expecting today is the start of lots of festivities.  We bought some fresh bread rolls and headed back to Ziggy to make some lunch and rest and read before we hit the village later in the afternoon.

There is a new restaurant right on the boundary of the parking area called Poziom Smaku – it looks really interesting.  They put out deck chairs in the sunshine and provided a singer/guitarist (I forgot to mention today we had a little sunshine).  The restaurant guests sat basking in the sunshine while being entertained – some fell asleep in the deck chairs.

Later we ventured down to the village square which was now was set up with a stage and seating.  People were dressed in traditional Polish folk costumes.  We watched several displays of folk dancing, Knights jousting again, canon and Muscat fire, followed by a visit from the official party and then modern music.  Time to head back up the hill now.  We hear canon fire from the castle as we head up the hill – think that might be the finale for the night.

We met up with the restaurant owner Marcin as he was closing the restaurant for the night.  Though Polish, his second home is Scotland, having worked and lived there for 6 years.  He spoke excellent English and after a very short but interesting conversation, Marcin invited us to join him for breakfast on Sunday morning.

Sunday 30th April Checiny, Poland

Woke up this morning to beautiful blue skies so put on hiking shoes and headed for a long walk up the mountain before breakfast. 

Spotted a deer crossing the track only a few metres from us.  First one we had seen so we were pretty excited.  We headed back down to meet with Marcin for breakfast. 

What a wonderful person- just one of the many wonderful Polish people we have met over the last few weeks.  His restaurant provides only fresh local produce and everything is made freshly from scratch starting with the local fresh eggs, Polish sausages, herbs grown on the his land right beside where Ziggy is parked, apple and pear juice, home made jams etc etc etc.  You can buy home made everything.  The menu is extensive and everything no more than around 16zl – just over $5.00 for the best food ever.

During breakfast Marcin said he would show us some places to visit in the local area. We thought he meant on a map but no he took us out in his car and showed us the places we should visit during the day.  It was going to be one of his busiest days of the year (May day public holiday) yet he took the time to show us around.  A must do for all visitors to Poland – come to Checiny and stay here and have a meal or two with Marcin – Marcin’s restaurant is www.poziomsmaku.pl

Marcin is a real entrepreneur as apart from the restaurant he also has a business that makes fantastic plates for restaurants out of slate and oak – that business is www.kookserve.com and he exports them worldwide.

We packed up Ziggy and headed to the University of Geological Science.  We tried the front door – locked but within seconds we were greeted by the security guard who told us to come back another day as the Uni was closed.  Marcin told us the view was to die for so we headed up a very steep hill at the rear of the Uni to the top and wow- he was right.  We walked along the ridge line and the view was spectacular.

Two other places highly recommended to visit whilst here are the Vivid Historical Town and the Regional centre for Science and technology.  Both places were excellent and totally packed because of the May Day holiday weekend.

After a wonderful day touring and sightseeing we headed toward Auschwitz.

 

 

Tuesday 18th April – Tuesday 25th April – Biala Podlaska, Poland and surrounding villages

Tuesday was our last day with Piotr as he was leaving Wednesday for around ten days.  Piotr drives a coach and is currently taking a group of Russian tourists throughout Europe.

We headed off for some more sightseeing. 

Below are some of the many places in the local area that we visited over the next week or so.  There has been little time to write notes for each day as each day is packed with so much.  Will try to provide information on some of the sites visited below.

Shrine of the Podlaskie Uniates in Kostomloty:  a Church with a valuable and beautiful iconostasis and relics of the blessed Uniate Marty’s from Pratulin.  The parish in Kostomloty (south of Terespol, close to the River Bug) was founded in 1631.

 

St Anne’s Basilica – Koden:  a truly beautiful church with a lot of history and really worth a visit.  Its setting is on acres of beautiful manicured lawns and gardens with small chapels scattered throughout.

The Lublin Open Air Village Museum was established in 1970.  Set in 60 acres of picturesque land it is one of the largest open air museums in Poland.  The area is composed of several parts reflecting geographical units of Lublin region.  The museum preserves the historic images of villages, manors and provincial towns with their regional characteristic features of buildings and settlement layouts.

Lublin Old Town:  – again another beautiful old town which was levelled to the ground during World War II and reconstructed to its original glory.  Whilst Warsaw Old Town was very special, Lublin Old Town has been our favourite to date. 

We were in awe as we walked down each street.  They have plaques on almost all the buildings with each telling a story about what happened there during the war.  We have always been interested in history but nothing can describe how awful it would have been for my parents and their families during those horrible years.  My father never spoke about those times and now I certainly can understand why.

Roskosz – Biala Podlaska –  a Government initiative involving educational activities including a bakery, wood making, masonry, weaving, sewing and metal work.

Set in what was a beautiful old farm dating back to the 17th century.  The site now has a hotel, restaurant and function centre, the funds from which support the Roskosz initiative.

The main objective of The Roskosz initiative was the search for causes of low physical activity among children and young people and overcoming the tendency of excessive use of screen media and the Internet.   Groups of young people 14-18 years age come here and are encouraged to not only learn to enjoy sporting activities outside but also to learn skills from yesteryear.

The area to the east of here is very close to the border with Belarus.

We saw so much of the beautiful countryside.  Farms are everywhere as the soil is so rich.  We can understand why throughout history, Poland has been fought for and taken over by so many countries.

Progress with my Polish Passport is proceeding.  Wheels turn very slowly here. 

My Polish Citizenship has been confirmed in writing now but to proceed to being granted a Passport I need to register my birth certificate and marriage certificate again as two other government departments have not accepted what has already been submitted to get my citizenship. 

So it has been time consuming trips once again doing the rounds of the government offices, official NAATI translators and Notary Offices.

It would have been impossible to get this far without my family here helping me.  They have been so patient and we thank them very much. 

Hope by the end of this week to have these documents registered and a Polish ID card which should allow both of us unlimited time in the Schengen Area.  Time will tell. 

Our lack of speaking Polish would have been a real barrier.

 

 

Tuesday 11th April – Warsaw

Reluctantly after two beautiful relaxing days, we left this beautiful rural setting, all batteries (ours and Ziggy’s fully recharged) and headed for the Big Smoke – Warsaw here we come. 

We didn’t see much of the countryside over the next 100kms as we travelled only on the motorway which took us into the centre of Warsaw.  The new motorways have walls 3-4 metres high on both sides so  we didn’t see much of the scenery but it was an easy drive. 

We settled in at Camping Majawa around lunchtime (only a couple of places in Warsaw to choose from).  Very expensive compared to everywhere else we have stayed in – around $42AUD per night. 

It would have been beautiful when it opened many many years ago but now it is very run down and old and as it did not officially open until 1st May, very little had been done to it since last season – very badly maintained. 

Its location is very central to the centre of Warsaw so excellent position for sightseeing but nothing else.  Power boxes were very rusty and looked unsafe.  Bathrooms were very antiquated with no hot water most of the time – so we showered in Ziggy

We received good news – an SMS from my relatives advising that I have been verbally granted Polish Citizenship – yeah!!! – 12 months down the track and now I have my first piece of paper (yet to arrive in the mail).  Now to find out the next steps to get the end result – my passport.

Kornelia (my Niece’s daughter) and her partner Kamil met us at Camping Majawa mid Tuesday afternoon and from there we walked a short distance to the tram station which in only a few stops took us into the centre of Warsaw.  The tram and subway systems are amazing.

First a visit to Warsaw Old Town whose history goes back over 700 years.  This was bombed to the ground during World War II and has now been reconstructed from scratch using old photos and drawings. 

UNESCO has included it on its list of World Cultural Heritage.  The Royal Castle is one of the most visited attractions here.  The square is filled with cafes though today has been bitterly cold, overcast and some rain so not many people are outside.   The King Zygmunt column towers over the square – it is the oldest and highest monument in Warsaw.  The statue fell during World War II and was reconstructed in 1945.

We walked along beautiful cobbled streets and saw so many beautiful buildings – exact replicas of the old buildings and statues including the Mermaid Statue – a guardian and symbol of Warsaw.

Wednesday morning Kornelia took us to the Warsaw Rising Up Museum which is located in a former trams power station, a historical monument of industrial architecture from the early 20th century.

An amazing building by itself and the exhibits that are spread out over three floors are the best we have ever seen anywhere.   We spent nearly four hours there and learned so much about Polish history and the persecution of the Polish people, not only by Germany but Russia towards the end of World War 2.  Both Germany and Russia wanted the valuable farming land for themselves and Poland suffered and lost so many lives (around 9 million people) and their land and country because of this.

We headed back to Ziggy to tackle the traffic getting out of Warsaw to Biala Podlaska.  By train it takes less than two hours but by Ziggy we spent nearly 40 minutes travelling less than 1km. 

Four hours later we arrived in Biala where we met Barbara, Piotr and Lily (their dog or probably their second child by the way she is treated) and sat down to a traditional Polish meal – the first of so many banquets over the next week.

Thursday 13th – through Monday 17th April – Biala Podlaska

The next day was still a working day so Piotr was unable to be with us today but after a sumptuous breakfast (again traditional polish food) Barbara and Kornelia drove us to the cemetery where my grandparents were laid to rest. 

The polish people in Eastern Poland are very religious and true Catholics.  Easter is their holy time and looking after the grave sites is paramount to them.  The cemetery is located in a beautiful green rural setting in Lipinki.  Every grave has flowers and lanterns and beautiful headstones.  It was truly moving to see how well they look after their families after death. 

We drove on to the town where my father was born, Kryzwowolka, a very small farming area of only a few houses and then on to other places where he and his parents lived. 

I am a bit lost with the sequence of every day but we have twice had beautiful meals with grandma Jadwiga (Piotr’s mother).  The meals continue over many hours with visitors coming and going all day.  It is a truly beautiful time where families spend their time going from one house to another. 

They go to several daily masses starting from Easter Thursday and some of the masses go for 3-4 hours.  There is standing room only in the church.  Easter Friday and Easter Saturday are days with no meat or alcohol consumed.  We attended resurrection mass on Sunday morning with the family.  A beautiful ceremony of the resurrection of Christ followed by mass.  Once mass is over the party begins!!!

A huge meal of a dozen varieties of meat and polish dishes hit the table and so does the vodka.   A procession of family members come and go all day.  We eat and drink non stop – exhausted we went to bed in readiness of more eating and drinking and meeting new people on Monday.  I learned lots of bits and pieces about my dad and the things he did when he re-visited Poland many years ago.

Sunday afternoon at 4:50 pm it started to snow and is expected to be minus 4 degrees overnight with a max of 8 degrees tomorrow – thank heavens it is nearly summer

All shops are closed on Easter Sunday and Monday.

Cakes of all kind are a tradition here and are eaten with nearly every meal.  Barbara and Kornelia baked three massive cakes including black Forrest cake with home made black currant jam, another with jelly and berries and meringue and cream and the last, a traditional baked cheese cake.

We love the SWEET tradition but not good for the waistline.

Tomorrow we can continue with the epic struggle of getting a little further down  the track to get my Polish Passport.

Meeting my family in Poland

To Barbara Chilczuk (my wonderful and beautiful niece), Piotr (her husband) and Kornelia (their beautiful daughter and our English translator) I want to thank you so very very much for the warmth and friendship you have given Rob and myself, firstly during the last 9 months through emails and Skype calls and now for everything you have done for us and we have shared over many days.

Thank you Kamil, Magda and Margaret (Goosha) for helping with translations.  We find it difficult and embarrassing that we cannot speak many words in Polish but my mother (born in Austria) and father (born in Poland) only spoke German at home.  My mother could not speak Polish and so I didn’t learn much Polish at home.

We have met so many beautiful people, grandma Jadwiga (Piotr’s mum and the best cook in Poland except from Barbara) uncle Mirek and their children and grand children, and many more people have accepted us as family here.

Many do not remember or were too young to remember my father and it has been very difficult to get much more information about his life here in particular during World War II and the years when he met my mother in Germany where I was born.

It has been one of my main goals for our trip to find out more information about those years as my mother and father refused to talk about the war years.  After discussions with family members here and visits to Polish Museums we now understand why.

 

We travelled to Zagan to the Muzeum Obozow Jenieckich – the POW Camps Museum of Stalag Luft 3 and about which the film “The Great Escape” was made. 

One of Rob’s favourite movies “The Great Escape” told the story of the Great Escape here during World War II.  

They have a great museum here and a reconstruction of Stalag Luft 3 showing the three tunnels (Tom, Dick & Harry) that were used for the escape.  More than 600 prisoners helped in building these tunnels.

 

The Stalag was built in the spring of 1942.  It was built to imprison the officers of the Allied Air forces.  In 1945 Stalag Luft 3 held more than ten thousand captive air force officers.  On 24^th March 1944, 76 airmen broke free of the camp.  73 were recaptured and 50 were shot.  Only 3 made it home. Four of the 50 shot were Australians.

There were several other camps in Zagan and at its peak over 300,000 prisoners were in the camps – around 130,000 died of starvation, the cold and or ill treatment.

We left Zagan and headed for Wroclaw to spend the night in the heart of the city in a stadium. 

The first 40 kms were the worst stretch of highway we had ever encountered.  The road was fully corrugated and it was like travelling 40kms with a speed bump every two metres.  Ziggy shook, rattled and did everything except roll.  I think every bone in our body ached.   But then the road just changed back to normal – thank goodness.

There were a few tourist sights we wanted to see in Wroclaw.  We arrived there in the middle of late afternoon peak hour traffic.  Such a big city and so busy.   Arrived at the stadium and were told that the stadium was closed for camping for the next five days so what could we do?

We headed out of Wroclaw city and headed for the country again.  There were several motorway rest spots along the way, but we have been warned through the blog sites that these were the worst places to stay.

In frustration and as it got later we arrived at Olesnica and decided we would find somewhere in the town to just park for the night. 

Found a large parking area just outside of the town church.  There were quite a few cars still in the parking area but there was plenty of room for us. 

Rob headed off to speak with a couple of people and ask about the safety of parking here.  He met this lovely tradesman who was just packing up his car for the night and to our surprise not only spoke Polish but also German fluently. 

Well guess what – Rob broke out in his best German and soon the lovely man told us to follow him as there was a hotel up the road where he played the guitar regularly and he would ask if we could park in the grounds for the night.  He was just so delightful and nothing was a problem.

We followed him up the hill and together the boys met with hotel reception and negotiated a spot in the car park for the night.

We thanked our angel in disguise who before we left him, offered us a bottle of his moonshine – he had a dozen in the back seat of his car – we declined gracefully.

We had dinner and a couple of beers in the restaurant (great food and lovely modern hotel) and tipped the staff on the way out.  They were so happy with the tip, they insisted we come back for breakfast in the morning.  We declined gracefully – as we were beginning to feel the pinch of so much good food and wine (and not a lot of exercise of the last couple of days).

Sunday 9^th to Monday 10^th  April –Chlebow at Lipce Reymontowskie – 50klms north east of Lodz – Poland

Woke up and spent a short time checking emails just before breakfast and heading off.  Horror, shock – there was an email from Westpac advising us that there were some suspicious transactions in our account and asking us to lodge a report to the fraud squad to investigate if the transactions had not been approved by us.  Having been warned about getting money from an ATM not in a shop or bank and remembering the location where I had drawn cash the day before, we immediately believed someone had accessed our accounts. 

The next two hours was spent on the phone to Westpac changing all our passwords to be safe.  Our accounts had not been accessed so we headed off feeling much happier.  Lesson learnt always phone the fraud squad first before believing anything in an email or giving out information in an email.

We had a late start but we knew where we were staying for the night so enjoyed again the acres and acres of beautiful countryside.

Poland is such a beautiful place.  We have not had the time yet to experience much as we are on a deadline to get to Biala Podlaska.

Heading off the highway, we soon come to a very rural little village.  Only about 8 houses in the street and one of these is where we are camping for the night.  It was called “Bumerang” and is in Camperstop and ADAC books. 

The sign on the gate showed us we were at the correct place but no one was home.  The homestead was locked up and no one in sight.  We looked up and down the street and only saw a little old lady.  Knew that she would not speak English or any language other than Polish – ugh!!.   

We decided that the owners should be home soon so began to back up into a driveway of a partly built house across the road and that was where we were staying for the night. 

Saved by the neighbour who came out and told us the owners were away on holiday and opened up the gates and lead us to the back of the homestead which was set up for mobile home parking.  He told us in his broken English that someone would see us in the morning for payment.

It was like an oasis in the desert.  The back of the homestead was beautifully grassed areas allowing for around 10 motor homes.  You looked out across fruit trees to fields just freshly ploughed. 

Again we were the only ones there.  Within a half an hour some people arrived and told us they were looking after “Bumerang” for their friends who were holidaying in Greece.  The couple were Dutch and spoke excellent English. 

We had a great conversation with them and found out that the town was only a couple of kms away and would be an easy ride into town on our bikes to explore the next day. 

We talked to them about whether we could get Polish SIM cards there as we were ham strung with no internet since we left Germany a couple of days before.  They offered to come into town with us the next morning and help us buy our SIM cards.

Around 9.30am they arrived and told us that they had checked in their town about SIM cards and they were not available there but a small town called Skierniewice around 17kms away could help us out.  We started to pack up Ziggy to follow them but they said they would drive us there instead as this would be easier for us.

In the short time we have been here we have found the people we have met in Poland so wonderful.

Rob & Marie-Louise Deuver were absolutely wonderful.  They stood with us at a Telecom Poland office and helped us to buy and have a SIM card installed for my Ipad. 

I think we got 10GB of data for around $AUD 8 for a month..  Marie-Louise then spoke to them about Rob’s ipad which had our German SIM card jammed in the SIM card slot  We were taken to another store where with the help of a Stanley knife, the storekeeper was able to open up and remove the jammed SIM card.  He then installed another SIM for Rob for around the same price.

Rob and Marie-Louise then took us to the village centre where they were setting up a market for Easter.  They told us where to buy the best Polish Sausages and we bought these and some home brewed local beer.  Then on to the supermarket where they helped us select some other Polish specialties they said we should taste.

Finally after a wonderful morning, they took us back to their house in Retniowiec for some coffee and Dutch cookies.

“Bumerang” is just a beautiful rural setting and we would highly recommend anyone to stay here for at least a couple of nights.   the owners who were holidaying in Greece – Kazimierz & Jola Foks  are continually upgrading Bumerang and currently are building a laundry there.  There are hot showers, WC, grey water discharge, fresh water and all for around 10 euros a night.

To Rob and Marie-Louise – thank you for taking the time to make our stay with you so unbelievably wonderful.  Bumerang deserves to do well and we hope anyone following this blog site and are visiting Poland – please visit here – you will not be disappointed.