Poland

Saturday 21 July

So we’ve arrived in Poland because we couldn’t find anywhere to park in Slovakia, now what do we do lol. Poland just wasn’t on our list of countries to visit on this trip and it really didn’t enter our minds to come here until about a week ago.

We head straight to Elcamp Motorhome dealer, they advertise as service agent for Dometic so hopefully they can sort out the problem with the fridge. They have a camping area within their premises which is guarded 24 hours, toilet dump, water and electricity it’s very close to the city, Krakow and it’s only £6 a night.

There’s a few campers here already and the dealer is closed until Monday so we settle down and work out a route and what we want to see.

Of course we have to visit Auschwitz but already we’ve left it too late and we can’t get any tickets until Tuesday week, so we’re going to be in Poland for at least 10 days.

Sunday 22 July

With the help of a German neighbour we manage to get the bus into the city, we’ve booked a free walking tour of the Jewish quarter for 2pm.

We arrive at the city and take a leisurely walk along the river into the main square. The place is busy, cars, buses, trams, cycles, golf buggy’s, horse and trap and people everywhere, it’s busy but its got a nice feel to the place. It’s really hot about 26 degrees.

We find the main market square, The Rynek Główny, as it is called in Polish and stand in awe of our surroundings in one of the most visited sights in the city. The market square is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe and among the beautiful buildings St Mary’s Basilica stands out the most. There’s music playing from every corner, street entertainers, stalls selling souvenirs and small carts selling the famous ‘obwarzanek’ which is a chewy dough ring sprinkled with salt, poppy or sesame seeds.

We find somewhere traditional to eat. I opted for a pork chop (kotlet schabowy) but what came out was a flattened pork steak the size of a dinner plate coated in breadcrumbs, and Keith opted for dumpings (kopytka), both were delicious. Washed down with a pint of lager less than £20, that’s more like it.

We joined our free walking tour however half way round we dropped out like half the group had done before us. Our guide was very knowledgeable but it was 20 minutes of walking, 20 minutes of heavy talking and it all got a bit boring and not really what we were expecting. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring ourselves.

Monday 23 July

We’re up early to get into the service shop before any of our neighbours beat us to it. However the guy running the service desk says he’ll be out to have a look at the fridge in 10 minutes. 2 hours later he appears and agrees there is a smell of gas, yes we already know that. After some discussions with him we’re not happy with his suggestions or lack of suggestions. We want a qualified Dometic engineer to have a look but he says all the service engineers are busy until next week, so we decide to leave it as it is.

By the time we’re done it’s nearly lunch so we decide to get the pushangs out and cycle into the city there’s a great cycle path all the way along the river and it’s mostly flat just how we like it.

We head straight to the Jewish Square referred to by the locals as Plac Żydowski, not only was it the primary marketplace of the Jewish quarter, but the rotunda building served as a ritual slaughterhouse for poultry right up until Nazi occupation.

 

We lined up with the locals and visitors in front of the dozen or so hole-in-the-wall food hatches that operate around the rotunda, eager to taste arguably the best ‘zapiekanki’ in Poland. Essentially a French bread pizza with the toppings of your choice, but the main ingredients are mushrooms and cheese. It was delicious and this lunch only cost us £3.40.

Next we try and find Schindler’s Factory.  After cycling round for an hour we arrive too late and then realise that tickets have to be booked at least 3 days in advance.

We try to go to the Rynek Underground, but the same thing, the queue of people waiting to get in already have tickets that again have to be booked 3 days in advance.

Tuesday 24 July

When we were researching information for our trip we found loads of blogs and in particular a blog written by the Motoroamers, (Karen & Miles) which contained all the information anyone would need to travel long term in a motorhome. Maps, information on routes, places and countries to visit and how much it was going to cost.

Over the past 7 months we have been in contact with Karen & Miles asking for advice as we travel through different countries and after 2 years of following their blog we are finally both in the same country and same area.

We left Elcamp and headed to Camping Smok to meet Karen & Miles. It was like meeting old friends because we knew so much about each other already.

Karen writes a very emotive blog and her piece on their recent visit to Auschwitz is a great piece of writing and will definitely give you something to think about. Miles puts together some very funny videos of situations they find themselves in.

We spent a nice night chatting, a few drinks and swapping information.

Wednesday 25 July

We we’re up and sorted early for change and cycled into the city to sort out some more data. We manage to get 50gig with Orange for 20zl being about £4.20, sounds good, but now we’ve realised the signal is terrible and most of the time we can’t use it.

After lunch we head off with Karen & Miles on our pushangs to the Kosciusko Mound which is about 2 miles away. We set off along the flat cycle path then cross the road to a very steep cycle track, blady hell! Karen & Miles have amazing electric mountain bikes and breeze up the hill, mean while Keith & I have to get off our shangs and push them up the hill, we have to stop half way to get our breath before the next push to the top. It’s boiling hot and by the time we get to the top we are literally dripping in sweat, and knackered, Karen & Miles looking as fresh as daisies.

The mound, dedicated to Polish (and American) military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, was erected between 1820 and 1823, soon after the great man’s death. The mound stands 34m high, and soil from the Polish and American battlefields where Kościuszko fought was placed here. The views over the city are spectacular.

A few drinks when we get back and call it a night at 10pm.

Thursday 26 July

We say our goodbyes to Karen & Miles and set off to Ojcow National Park. It’s overcast and the rumble of thunder is not too far away, but it’s incredibly hot.

We find a free spot for the night in the carpark and head off along the hiking trail to the ruins of the Ojcow Castle. The walk is through the forest and the decent is incredibly steep, let’s hope we don’t have to walk this way on the way back. We find the castle after 40 minutes walk.

The castle is wrapped in scaffolding, but we pay our £3 each and head inside the walls. This has to be one of the worst castles that we have ever had to pay to go into, the museum was packed up and it was quite literally ruins. It wasn’t even worthy of a photograph.

We find an easier trail back to Eugene just as the heavens opened and it rained for the rest of the evening.

Friday 27 July

We’re staying around the National Park for the day there’s loads of castles to see here and we are going to follow part of the Trail of the Eagles Nests which are castles perched up rocky peaks.

Our first stop is the Chapel on the Water a wooden chapel built in 1901.

Then we head to Pieskowa Castle which is a fortified castle. Luckily for us the castle closes at 12 noon on Fridays so entry to the castle, grounds and museum are free. It’s a beautiful castle. We take the short hike down to the road to ‘make the photo’ with the castle behind the limestone rock known as The Mace of Hercules.

Next we head to Rabsztyn. We found a free carpark below the castle to have our lunch whilst the heavens opened for the next hour.

Once the rain stopped we headed up the castle, it looks beautiful from the outside but peering through the gate didn’t entice us to part with our money so we didn’t go any further.

Our spot for the night was a small campsite called Pole Namiotowe costing £6.

So far Poland has been good, we’ve seen mostly churches and castles. But the best thing it’s cheap especially the beer, yes!. Meals out with beer are costing no more than £12 for the both of us, we like this.

Thanks for coming along with us to Poland. Don’t forget to ‘like’ our Facebook page.

a la perchoine

Shirena & Keith

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx