Chelmno did not disappoint....it surpassed our expectations. Chelmno offers much to see and enjoy in such a low key town. It seems that Polish people love to visit this charming historic place, but for some reason, it is not often visited by foreign visitors. We think it is probably overshadowed by nearby Torun and Marlbork.
The host at Hotelik in Chelmno is also a keen cyclist and loves to ride and tour. Both he and the young woman who signed us in and made our breakfast, offered a warm welcome and genuine hospitality.
We really enjoyed this small, family run hotel, called Hotelik, in Chelmno. Across the narrow cobbled street is the medieval fortified wall, with over 2.2 km intact.
Chelmno has many fine medieval elements including the fortified wall that surrounds this small city. Pictured here is the Grudziadz Gate, one of two remaining from the original seven. They date back to the end of the 13th century. We think that the school year is ending. We see many school groups out for a field trip and the obligatory stop at a Lody stand.
These schoolgirls were having fun on their field trip and had no shyness in hamming it up for us. We may not share a common language, but we communicated just fine. Kids (and people of all ages) are the same, the world over.
As cyclists in rural Poland, we have felt keenly that we are an anomaly and that we enjoy a privileged lifestyle which allows us to travel as we like on our unique bike. We see older locals riding bikes, not for leisure, but as a necessity to go to the local Sklep. Here in Chelmno, we saw this group of riders out for a day ride from north of here.
Most people in villages and towns live in apartments, cement block buildings from the Soviet era. It is a common activity to lean out your window and watch the goings on and visit with passers by. Hence the padding on the window sill to make your day more comfortable.
Approaching the Assumption of Mary Parish Church, commissioned by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, I was amused to see this child’s fascination with Barry and Seavo -a foreign looking person and a very strange looking rig. We are looking up and around in fascination, and this child is looking back.
The altar and choir are quite extraordinary. As well, there is a supposed relic of St Valentine, the patron saint of love, embedded in a pillar by the pulpit. Hence Chelmno is known as the city of love. Valentine’s Day in Chelmno is a bit celebration. Perhaps we should celebrate Barry’s valentine birthday here one year.
We were lucky to be at the church when the organist was playing and rehearsing for a concert tonight. As well as being beautiful, the pipes sounded glorious.
The iconic image of the City Hall in Reyek Square. Note the iron bar on the wall between the windows on the ground level. This measure was used to meticulously lay out the grid pattern for the city..
A close up of the measure used to design the city streets and squares. The town within the city walls, with the “chess like” arrangement of streets is an example of the medieval,type of urban planning which arose using the “Chelmno Rod”, pictured here. It is 4.5 metres long and divided into feet, a little smaller than the English foot. This system was used until the 19th century. The town also has its own unique system of weights.
As a reward for his strenuous climb, ice cream hits the spot. Mary Ellen had the waffle cone sundae and Barry enjoyed his quirky ice cream tower with a cowlick on top.
We have encountered very few bike paths in Poland. Approaching the industrial and large city of Grudziadz, we really appreciated having a dedicated cycling path. As well, this is the first tram we have seen. We must be in the city.
There is a huge castle with impressive fortifications along the Wistula River in Grudziadz. The route no longer goes through the centre of town and we chose to take the route along the river which gave us a close up view of the castle walls.
The weather seems to be changing to humidity and threatening skies. The breeze from the river is welcome. We wonder how high this river usually gets. You can see by where tree is submerged how far the water is encroaching the bank.
Another advantage of riding along the River is the wildlife. This stork is entertaining to watch. Just earlier, we also saw a fox but it was too fast for us to get a photo.
Did we mention that the river is unusually high? Well, it finally caught up to us and we must figure out if we can cross safely with our trailer and e-bike.
Barry gamely checked out the water height and the conditions thoroughly. We determined that we could carry on if the bags and trailer were carried across. And the height of the water is just below the motor. If needed we’ll carry the bike too.
The humidity and strange heat of the day finally materialized into a heavy downpour. We got pretty drenched as we couldn’t find a bus stop to take shelter and change into rain gear. Two big storms triggered us to ride faster and to Kwidzyn in record time.
Today's ride: 78 km (48 miles) Total: 1,912 km (1,187 miles)
