A few years ago we spent some time in Posnan, Poland and we promised ourselves that we would return someday to see more of this country as well as visit Wroclaw (roughly pronounced Vrotzlof). Poland has not been without challenges. The lack of cycling infrastructure, the rough secondary roads and trails as well as learning to speak the language have given us an adventure, but in no way have these minor challenges deterred us from absolutely loving our time here. People have embraced us with genuine hospitality and curiosity as to why we have chosen to travel independently in their country. In our time in Poland, we saw a total of 2 other solo travellers on bikes. The food has been delicious...milk bars are worth visiting..the best scrambled eggs ever..ice cream to rival the best of Italy...good beer...not to mention the perogies. We could go on but you get the picture. We ended up not camping in Poland for two reasons. In the begining it was because we couldn't find campgrounds in the region where we were cycling, and then we discovered that hotels and pensions offer excellent value (including a made to order breakfast) with prices that were hard to resist. Now the hard work begins of getting back to Hennef, near Bonn, in Germany to get our e-bike functionning again. It is very frustrating to have to backtrack so far and potentially give up our planned trip to Italy, but we know that the best thing is to return to Akkurad and let the experts do the work. We have complete faith in the work that Akkurad does, so it is worth it to make this long trek. By the time we get back, it will be 2 or 3 days or riding multiple trains, with many stairs to climb carrying our bike and gear. Stay tuned.
We have had a good stay at Campanile Stare Miasto. Well run, thoughtful touches and well located.
Much money and effort has gone in to restoring Wroclaw Glowny Main Station to its former glory. Unlike many train stations which often have questionable areas around the entrance, the addition of green spaces with eating areas in a parklike setting make it a pleasant place for people to socialize.
The 2017 World Games in Wroclaw have just finished and Deutsche Bahn were a major sponsor of the event. These massive bowling pins were a signature image for the games and were installed outside the DB station.
And then the calm disappeared - many bikes on the train. Barry was lucky to get a seat. No one, including the conductor, was concerned about clearing the aisles.
Robert was an engaging and entertaining seatmate on our trip to Dresden. He works in Gorlitz Germany and is originally from Poland, just across the border.
Urgh....more stairs to carry our bike and gear down and then up again to the next platform. We have taken the very heavy batteries off of our bike and put them in the trailer for the journey. It makes it easier to carry the bike - but the trailer is hard to lift. By the time today is finished, we will have navigated 4 sets of stairs - but tomorrow we will be riding 5 trains which means at least 10 sets of stairs.
We left our hotel early on this sleepy Sunday morning for the train station. We rode the circular road around the edge of old town through parks and discovered new areas of Wroclaw. Families were strolling and enjoying the start of another sunny day. We have had mostly great weather in Poland, sunny and hot, with the odd day of rain. Unlike Friday, when we checked out the type of train we would be riding to Dresden, the station is very quiet today. This is good.
After several hours of riding the train, we are looking forward to settling in to our hotel and having a wander around the town of Hof.
