Poland Part One... North & West

We wake up feeling slightly worse for wear after spending the night exchanging travel tips and stories with Simon and Amy, a couple we met at our wild camp in Rüdersdorf. We make an early start and begin our drive to Poland. We travel 80 miles east across the border and into Poland. It's a miserable day and as we cross the border the unfamiliar surroundings paired with the gloomy weather are unwelcoming. We drive for miles and miles along an eary deserted road lined on both sides with trees and farmland as far as the eye can see. We pass the odd house that looks as though nobody's lived in for years but oddly there's smoke coming from the chimney. We reach a deserted village called Ownice, drive down a dirt track and reach a large lake where we decide to spend the night. There is nobody at all around and the only noise comes from a Rotwieller standing on top of his kennel barking loudly at us. Jac has a productive afternoon re-sealing our leaky sky light and kitchen sink. It's pitch black outside by 3:30pm so we spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in the camper ready for another early start tomorrow. 

Our noisy neighbour 

We are awake early after a silent nights sleep and I spring out of bed like an excited child. Today is Friday 21 November, Jac's 26th birthday. No banners and balloons this year, but there is a little pile of cards on the table next to his sugar puffs. After a number of unwanted photos and insincere smiles the birthday boy, who is still half asleep decides we should head off towards our next stop. We are aiming for a place called Hel right on the tip of a peninsula in the far North of Poland 645 km away.

The Birthday Boy

 

We drive for around 7 hours before stopping in a busy town called Koscierzyna, 248 km South of the northern peninsula. There are no campsites open at this time of year and Poland doesn't have many camper van stopovers so we settle for the next best thing. Tesco car park. Feeling right at home, we spend the night cooped up in the van huddled around our tiny heater trying to keep warm. The temperature is reaching around 1-2 degrees at night which is far colder than anything we've been used to since we left the UK. After a noisy night in the car park we are awake early ready to set off on our last stint before we reach Hel. Hoping to find Kettle Chips and Tesco Finest Chicken & Chorizo Pâté we excitedly bounce through the doors with a list of 'essentials'. Approximately 6 minutes later we skulk back out with a loaf of bread and a bottle of Cherry Vodka and head off.

Trying to get comfortable

The majority of the journey is along dual carriageway and through fairly large towns and villages until we reach Władysławowo, the first town on the peninsula. For the next 45 km we travel along a quiet road lined on both sides by the sea. The Baltic Sea to be specific. A train track follows the course of the road although we don't see a single train. We pass run down army barracks, a military museum and dozens of closed campsites. We finally reach Hel which looks like the ghost town of a former seaside resort and huge tourist hub. It's uninviting but we're told there's lots to do here so we find somewhere to park and set about exploring. We'll worry about where we're going to sleep later. 

We visit Hel lighthouse set in the middle of dense pineforest used to guide ships into the bays of Gdansk and Puck and take a walk along the white sand beach. The water is crystal clear and earily calm, there is a single boat sitting on the beach in which Oscar finds a fat cray fish wriggling about on its back. We pass a seal enclosure on the beach and watch the seals diving around playfully after a ball before wandering back through the quaint little village to the camper van. We fail miserably at finding somewhere to stay for the night so eventually give in (after 216 nights in the van) and check into Hotel 77 in Kaperska. We justify it as a 'Birthday Treat' and treat ourselves we do!! We pay 150 zloty (around £30) for one night, full use of the spa and breakfast. Bargain!! At such a steal we decide to stay for two nights. Later that evening we head down to dinner and enjoy a three course meal and a bottle of wine. We ordered a prawn salad and baked Camembert to start, pork tenderloin wrapped in Parma ham and Stilton and steak with Gorgonzola sauce together with real roast potatoes and steamed veg with almonds. We topped it off with a raspberry cheesecake to share (total cost 230 zlt, about £46).

Hel Lighthouse

Oscar at Hel Lighthouse

Hel Beach

Hel Beach

 

Hel Beach

Excited was an understatement

Heading down for dinner

We wake the following morning after a warm, cosy nights sleep (in a proper bed) and fight over the shower. Today is Sunday 23rd November, my birthday. I open some cards and presents before heading down to breakfast. An impressive display of fruit, meat, cheese, and an unusual egg arrangement is on offer. After gorging on 2nd, 3rd and 4th helpings, making full use of the facilities we drop our laundry (3 weeks worth) at reception and leave the hotel and head back along the peninsula to Hel to spend the day exploring old military bunkers and spooky underground passageways. Jac's inner child (and Boy Scout) takes over and he's straight in with a torch dashing in and out of pitch black rooms whilst Oscar hurriedly trots behind. I however tip toe slowly and silently along the corridors terrified of what might be down here. Such a baby.

Struggling to get up

One of the bunkers in Hel

Disused Military Land in Hel

A disused lookout tower in Hel (notice the noose)

That night we eat in the restaurant again, another beautiful meal but I won't bore you with the details. We spend the evening skyping family and catching up with some blogging. We've been slacking a little recently as there's been a serious lack of wifi. Poland is probably one of the best places for wifi so far. Every lamppost has a wifi point which is great for a quick look at Twitter or Instagram but sitting under a lamppost on my laptop is pushing it a bit, even for me. The following morning we enjoy another giant breakfast and walk Oscar along the beach on the other side of the train track for a couple of hours before setting off for our next stop, Gdansk.

A cold dog walk along the beach

Dog walk along the beach

The weather here is really starting to turn and night time in the camper is becoming more and more difficult. After stocking up on 7 fleece blankets in Germany we decide dressing gown and slippers are in order (living the glamorous camper life) and call into a retail park en route. Probably the most exciting stop we could have made. I come away with a new dressing gown and slippers (as intended). Jac on the other hand purchased two new pairs of Adidas Gazelles. Not really practical for sub zero weather but an absolute bargain all the same. He splashed out 80 zlt/£16 on one pair and 120zlt/£24 on another. Pleased with our purchases we continue our journey and arrive in Gdansk 96 km South East of Hel. We park the camper and head straight out in the city centre. Quite possibly the prettiest city so far. We spend hours window shopping and admiring the beautiful old buildings before stopping for dinner. We escape the cold in Neopolana Pizzeria. A large pizza and three beers set us back 64 zlt/£12.80. We watch a band in the main square before walking along the canal back towards the camper.

Gdansk

 

Gdansk

 

Gdansk

The following morning we are up and out bright and early to make our way 450 km south to Poznan, we stop halfway and spend one night in Ciechocinek on a brand new campsite where we are the only ones staying before continuing to Poznan the following day

 

 

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A Week With The Clay's - Wachtberg

Whilst we were exploring Amsterdam I got a call to say my Auntie Julie was in Germany visiting her brother and sister in-law who recently moved over from America. I've not seen her for months so accepted without hesitation when she invited us to visit them. We drove 368 km across Holland and just over the border into Germany. We arrived at the Clay residence in Wachtberg, approximately 25 km outside of Bonn mid afternoon. We were greeted by Nigel, Auntie Julies brother and Murphy their Labradoodle. Not long after we arrived Auntie Julie, Michele, Nigel's wife and their 5 year old daughter Natalie returned from a girls shopping trip. We caught up over an amazing finger buffet of bread, cheese, meat and olives for lunch before heading out with the dogs across some farmland behind their beautiful house. In the distance Nigel points out seven hills on the other side of the Rhine known as the Siebengebirge and an impressive collection of castles adorning them. This makes for a pretty impressive view in the morning.

It doesnt take long for us to settle in, Auntie Julie kindly gives up her bedroom in the basement and moves into Natalie's room with her. Michele insists we make full use of the laundry room to get all of our washing done whilst we are there. Clean bedsheets and towels should help to make returning to the van just about bearable in a few days time. Jac is on bedtime story duty and Oscar and Murphy are sleeping on the sofa worn out from an afternoon of playing together. We enjoy hearty home made toad in the hole for dinner and spend the evening catching up. The prospect of a proper bed for the first time in 7 months is just too much, we are tucked up and sound asleep by 11. I'm not sure who is more excited, us or Oscar.

Jac, Natalie, Gavin & Murphy enjoying a bed time story

Auntie Julie & her brother Nigel

Murphy & Oscar asleep after playing together all day



Its the little things

The following morning Nigel and Michele take us to visit Rheinfels Castle in St Goar. The castle dates back to 1245 and is the largest and most imposing on the River Rhine it also ranks in the top three castles in Rhineland. We start a walking tour around the castle from the clock tower. The castle is huge and in 1692 withstood an attack of 20,000 French troops.  We spend the afternoon exploring caves, tunnels and staircases before heading back to the house to see what Oscar and Murphy have been up to. Jac cooks poached salmon, steamed vegetables and new potatoes for dinner and we open a couple of bottles of wine. We spend the evening watching Justin Timberlakes SNL videos and share some of our travelling photographs. 

A view of the Rhine from the castle

Gavin at Rheinfels Castle

Rheinfels Castle

A view along the Rhine

A view from the castle

 

L-R Gavin, Michele, Natalie and Nigel

The following morning we are up early and ready to make the most of the day with Auntie Julie as she flies back to the UK tonight. We head to a town called Linz, about 20 minutes from Wachtberg. We drive along the Rhine before catching a quick car ferry to the other side, it takes less than 5 minutes and costs 3€. We spend the day popping in and out of the quaint little shops in the town and looking at the beautiful little houses. We find a small pub to escape the cold and sample some local beer and some currywurst. Later that evening we drive Auntie Julie to the airport and wave her on her way.

Natalie kindly lends me her sweat band....



Linz, Germany



Linz, Germany




Linz, Germany



Saying goodbye to Auntie Ju

We return to the house where it's my turn for bed time story duty. I begin reading Natalie's book of choice, Puff The Magic Dragon. Less than 2 pages in she informs me I should be 'singing' the story not just reading it. After a slightly embarrassing 10 pages we are finished and Natalie attempts to comfort me by telling me my singing 'isn't that bad'. Next it's Gavin's turn, he's picked an equally challenging read, Dr Suess. A book of rhymes and riddles and although I dont have to sing this one it saw me tongue tied after only a cupple of pages. I muddle my way through to the end and Gavin seems satisfied with my attempts and happily goes off to bed. We spend the rest of the evening watching a film with Michele and Nigel.

The following day is a relaxed and slow paced as both the children are full of a cold. Michele takes me to the local shopping centre where I stock up on fleeces and blankets for the camper whilst Jac walks Murphy and Oscar and Nigel watches the children. By mid afternoon the children have perked up so Jac and I take them to the park whilst Michele spends the afternoon preparing a traditional Amercian Roast. Later that evening we sit down to dinner, a slow cooked beef joint roasted with chunky vegetables and red wine served with potatoes and bacon and butter brussel sprouts. For afters we sample four small desserts. Absolutely incredible!!

Gavin at the park



Ready to try our first American Roast



Those cakes...

Today we are up early and preparing to leave. We gather our things and try and restore some order in the camper. It's going to be hard to settle back in after a few days in a spacious house with unlimited hot water and a washing machine. Our time with The Clays has been brilliant, we've had some much fun and they've been the best hosts. They've filled us with amazing food, shown us some beautiful sights and given us the most comfortable nights sleep we've had in months. We can't thank them enough.

 

Saying goodbye to The Clay's after an amazing stay

 

 

 

 

A New Travel Companion - Oktoberfest

Following our long awaited reunion with Spike we decided to head straight out of Austria to Germany’s largest federal state, Bavaria. We crossed the border with no formalities, hoping to catch the last couple of days of the world famous beer festival Oktoberfest. We packed in 330 km before arriving at our campsite in the state capital Munich. We wasted no time and as soon as we were registered and parked in a pitch we headed to the bar. A typical wooden lodge type affair full of long benches packed end to end with rowdy lederhosen wearing men glugging beer by the litre and eating chicken like it was their last meal. We sat down and ordered 3 steins, 4 shots and 2 half roast chickens and before we knew it we too were glugging beer by the litre and eating chicken like it was our last meal. The atmosphere was excellent and it got us excited to see the real thing the following day. We stumbled back to the camper and settled down for the night. Excited at the prospect of another person in the camper Oscar decided to sleep on Spikes chest, breathing directly into his face. Realising that he had 10 nights like this ahead of him Spike nipped it in the bud and directed Oscar to the bottom of the bed to keep his feet warm.

Oscar, excited at the prospect of a cosy nights sleep

The following morning brought a slow start, Spike and I bimbled around in the camper whilst Jac threw up the entire contents of his stomach from the night before outside. After breakfast and a shower we attempted our journey to the Theresienwiese Fairground. We paid 11€ for a metro ticket and walked to the nearest station. Our train arrived shortly after we did and after making it 3 stops down the line Jac needed to vacate to throw up again, this pattern repeated itself for most of the morning. As Spike and I professionally diagnosed Jac with a 24 hour sickness bug we decided not to waste our day riding back and forth on the underground and to try again the following day. We had paid an astonishing 50€ to stay at the Oktoberfest Campsite the previous night and although we were there for a blowout we decided to save some of the fun tokens and wild camp at the Allianz Arena 11 km down the road. We arrived at the wild camp and were pleasantly surprised to find that there was free electricity, we settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun with fairly unusual surroundings. The stadium was pretty spectacular, a grand spherical structure comprised entirely of large glass bubble effect panels and as night fell the stadium lit up white, red and blue.

The Allianz Arena, Munich

The following morning Jac woke feeling right as reign, we set off for the metro and our second attempt at Oktoberfest. It took us around 20 minutes to reach Mozart Street and as we climbed the steps to the street the cold hit us, it was freezing however the cold weather was no deterrent, for anyone. The pavements were a sea of men, women and children all wearing traditional clothing and huge smiles heading for the festival. The three of us were hugely excited and what greeted us when we reached the gates took our breath away. This was short lived as a police officer approached us and told us we weren’t allowed in with Oscar. Feeling defeated and like nothing was going our way we stood dumbfounded for a few minutes. The police officer took pity on us and  explained that there were cameras monitoring this entrance so he could not let us in but that there was another entrance 200m down the road where we would stand more of a chance. We followed the path along the perimeter of the fairground until we reached another entrance, there didn’t appear to be anyone there so we took a brisk walk through. No sooner than Oscar’s first paw was over the threshold we heard loud sirens behind us and were ready to give up when an ambulance sped past us into the fairground to tend to a casualty. Nothing like a bit of paranoia to get the adrenalin pumping.

Oktoberfest 2014

Oktoberfest is held for 16 days from the penultimate Saturday in September. It is described as an orgy of beer drinking spiced up by fairground rides that are so hairy they’re banned in the U.S. The fairgrounds are divided along four main avenues creating a city within a city heaving from morning till night. The event began as a fair held to celebrate a Bavarian royal wedding in 1810 and proved so popular it’s continued ever since. It’s now so popular an astonishing 6 million people visit every year. There were people as far as the eye could see, mostly in traditional clothing but lots of people were in fancy dress. Avenues were lined with beer gardens, food stalls and games. We crept into the first beer garden we reached not wanting to attract too much attention to ourselves and Oscar. We found a table and ordered three beers and a couple of bratwurst. Before long we were joined by two families, one from Cologne and one from Munich. They spoke very good English and spent the afternoon educating us on Oktoberfest, traditions, food and beer. Both families were so kind and invited us to visit them at their houses after Oktoberfest.  We haven’t been able to yet but hope to visit in December.

These two wasted no time and headed straight for the bar

Sharing a beer & a kiss

One of the families we met at Oktoberfest

The afternoon flew by and feeling like we had more of an insight in the German way of life we decided to have a look around. We stopped at a food stall for Nutella crepes and pastries before venturing further along the avenues. My sweet tooth honed in on a stall selling the prettiest gingerbread biscuits. They came in every shape and size and were beautifully decorated, I stood admiring them for ages hoping I’d be able to afford a few to keep and take home. At 7€, possibly THE most expensive biscuit I've ever bought I settled for one. I turned to show off my purchase to Jac and Spike but they were nowhere to be seen. Needless to say I wasn’t lost for long; I stumbled upon them at a bar where they were lining up shots of Cinnamon Tequila, Sambuca and Passoa. Inevitably this would be the end of our night.

Oktoberfest 2014

Oktoberfest 2014

The following morning we woke feeling worse for wear, we packed up and left the Allianz Arena and headed for our next stop, via Burger King. We reached the northern edge of Munich and the town of Dachau, the site of Germanys first Concentration Camp. We tagged along on a guided tour although the slow paced tour with hundreds of questions was hard to bear on a hangover so we made our own way around the site. We entered through the main gate where we were greeted with the moto Arbeit Macht Frei, “work sets you free”. We wandered around a large photo exhibition detailing the history of the Third Reich where a strong stomach was needed. The pictures were graphic, some gruesome, showing thousands of malnourished prisoners, some dead some alive, some working, some trying to escape and some that survived until liberation. Next we visited the gas chambers and crematoriums, again this is no weak feat, these places further confirm the atrocities that were carried out here. We walked the perimeter of the camp where the tall fences topped with barbed wire and electrical currents still stand before visiting a Jewish memorial. 

Dachau Concentration Camp

Jewish Memorial at Dachau

 

The perimeter fence at Dachau

87 km away in Gunzburg we relaxed on a campsite for the night. We spent the majority of the following day travelling 320 km west along the Rhine and across the border into France where we arrived at a Municipal Campsite late in the afternoon. We checked in for two nights and spent the rest of the evening playing cards and enjoying a vegetable curry that Jac made.  Molshiem is a fairly small town dating back to the 14^th Century famous for its Bugatti Museum. We started at a café where we tried hot chocolate, coffee and pastries before exploring the rest of the town. We saw The Butchers House, built in 1583 for the Butchers Corporation, The County Court, built in 1906 by Maximilien Metzenthin, The Chapel, The Jesuit Church, a Powder Keg Wall and The Blacksmiths Gate as well as a winery and a house covered in ornaments, statues, tiles and gnomes. Something you have to see to believe (see pictures below). We walked Oscar around 3 km along the River Bruche to the next village. We bought pizza and beer on the way back and spent the evening playing cards.

Molsheim, France

Spike & Mr Bugatti

 

Molsheim, France

An unusually decorated house in Molsheim

Molsheim, France

Walking the dog along the River Brunche

Molsheim, France

Our next stop is Rastatt, 136 km back across the Rhine and into Germany. We found a camper parking area at the back of a sauna car park and went for a walk. We came across a small quiet town with a few shops and the first thing we have seen that semi resembles a pub. We stayed for a couple of drinks before leaving in search of a pack of cards. For the rest of that day (and night) we could be found at a table in the corner of a tiny back street casino playing Benny, breaking up each game with a salami baguette. In the days that followed this routine did not change, we would drive from town to town, do some sightseeing,  find a bar, sample food and drink before moving on to the next one. Numerous pastries, pretzels, donuts and half roast chickens.

Rastatt, Germany

Rastatt, Germany

Drunkenly displaying my excellent photography skills

 

10 games of Benny later.......

After visiting a town named Karlsruhe we travelled 95km to our penultimate stop Bad Durkheim. We checked into a campsite in the middle of nowhere surrounded on every side by farmland and steep vineyards. The campsite was quiet so we took a walk into the town. We saw some beautiful hotels and restaurants and browsed around a few shops to kill a bit of time. We were heading back to the camper later that afternoon when we spotted an Irish bar named Molly Malone’s, the first we’ve seen since we’ve been away. We decided to go in for a drink and game of cards (for a change). We sampled a Pink Panther and a Green ‘somethingorother’ which tasted like a pint of apple sours before running back to the camper in the pouring rain. The rest of the evening involved 2 pizzas, tomato and mozzarella balls, a bit of karaoke and family guy. The following day we passed through Frankfurt on our way to a wild camp near Hahn Airport. We spent the majority of the day driving and had an early night ready for a 4am start the next day. We were up and ready on Spikes last day and dropped him at the airport for 5. We spent an amazing 10 days travelling around a small part of Austria, Germany and France and when the time came we didn’t want him to leave. We had so much fun although it’s now time for a long overdue detox. No beer or pizza for a week.

After waving goodbye to Spike we drove 192 km back across the border into France and headed north to a town called Burton Court. We relaxed here for two days before heading off towards Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, otherwise known as Benelux.