Salzburg

September 28 Salzburg

What a treat to wake up to a clear, blue sky...not a cloud in sight...just the perfect kind of weather for exploring the magnificant and yet somehow quaint city of Salzburg. As has been the case in every city we have visited, public transportation is reliable and efficient. Some of the stops have digital displays that tell you how long you have to wait for your bus. The longest we waited for a bus in Salzburg was ten minutes.

Our touring began on the Monchberglift, an elevator that took us to the Museum of Modern Art which was surrounded by an enormous park, with walking trails that led us across the top of the city to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. While exploring the fortress at its highest point we saw, in the distance, a cable car ascending a mountain. We decided to go there. We found out which bus to take to get to the Untersberg cable car and as per usual, we only waited about two minutes at the bus stop until number 25 arrived.On the bus we struck up a conversation with an Australian family and hung out with them while we waited for the cable car. They gave each of us a small koala bear toy and I gave them Canadian pin.

The first thing we saw when we got off the cable car was snow...not a lot of snow...but there was snow on the ground. We hiked around the area for about an hour, taking pictures, oohing and aahing and breathing in the cool, clear, clean mountain air. We were up 1,853 meters! The decent in the cable car took ten minutes and was a fun ride, especailly listening to the many languages being spoken. I know I heard Swedish, German, Dutch, Polish and some English.

A trip to Salzburg would not be complete without a visit to something or other to do with "The Sound of Music." I have seen the film many times and we both saw a live production at Neptune a few years ago. We headed for the Hellbrunn Palace and made a B line to the famous gazebo where "You are Sixteen" was filmed. I found myself either humming or singing that tune for the rest of the day.

We were famished when we got back into the centre of town and headed for Bosna Grill, a highly recommended sausage stand where we lined up to order two bosna sausages which means sausages in a bun with onions, mustard and curry. They were delicious and worth the wait.

After a quick peek into a couple of churches we decided to make our way back to the campsite. What a great day. We loved Salzburg!

Vienna to Salzburg

September 27 Vienna to Salzburg

We took advantage of the great showers and laundry room at Wien West before we had to check out at noon. At around 11:30, I paid the 48 Euro for the two nights, got in the van, ready to leave for Salzburg and then it happened for the second time on this trip...that annoying, constant beeping sound coming from Gracie's control panel. Well, to make a long story short, it took four Dutch, two Italians and two Canadians to finally figure out that the step, which we put out on the side of the van, at the push of a button, was not all the way in. I knew it had to be something simple because no warning lights came on. Although it was not funny at the time, in hindsight it was quite hilarious. Trying to communicate that we already knew it was not the oil was difficult. Each person who tried to help us checked the oil! It was the Italian Dr. who finally saw that the step was out just a little bit too far. He spoke no English and so I had to talk to him though his wife who knew a little English. One of the men from Amsterdam, also spoke no English, but his wife was fluent. It must have been quite a sight for anyone passing by.

When we finally hit the road we headed for Salzburg. The Austrian autobahn is very efficient with three lanes in each direction and an additional exit lane when necessary. This allows for everyone who wants to pass, to get by safely. I used all of Gracie's gears today, including sixth!
At Milk we left the austrolade to follow a scenic route along the Danube for about fifty kilometers. We stopped a couple of times to take pictures and watch the shipping traffic going up and down the river. There were lots of cruise vessels and one very long, low tanker. I also stopped when I saw a small yacht club, just to take a look.

We made great time when we got back on the austrolade and arrived in Salzburg at around 4:45. We checked in at Panorama Camping (the name sure suits as it overlooks the city of Salzburg), had a bite to eat, got a map, directions to the bus stop and headed to Centrum (the centre of the city). We have found that an early evening visit to the centre of a city to get our bearings and check out the buses makes it so easy to see all that we want to see the next day.

We strolled around for a bit, got our bearings, treated ourselves to a gellato and found our way to the funicular that took us to the top of the city and Hohensalzburg Fortress, an imposing castle that looms over the city. The castle, built between 1077 and 1681 was never attacked. It is Europe's largest completely preserved castle. As we walked around the castle walls I tried to imagine what life must have been like there centuries ago.

The bells in the church tower rang to tell us it was eight o'clock, and so we decided to head back to the campground. The efficient bus service had us back within the hour.

Vienna, Day Two

September 26 Vienna, Day 2

Today was probably the busiest we have had since we started on this trip. We began the day at 8:30 with a sightseeing tour of the city which included a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace, the spectacular summer residence of the Hapsburgs. This palace has 1,441 rooms and the length of the gardens and grounds is 1.5 km. We certainly didn't see all of the rooms or walk through all of the gardens, but we were glad we were part of an organized tour because the guide was able to get us in ahead of the long lines. I overheard one guide tell another that today was like August all over again. By that they mean crowed...very crowded!

After the organized tour we walked around the Opera House and headed for one of Vienna's many cafes....there are hundreds of them. We tried some pastries along with our coffee and hot chocolate. The coffee in Austria and in other European countries too, for that matter, is very strong and served in small cups....no large double, doubles' here, although I did spot a Starbucks today. We also noted that there are a lot of McDonald's in Vienna.

We realized that we had a good five hours until our next organized event...A Mozart Concert...and so we strolled around the Ringstrasse, stopping to enjoy several musicians and other buskers. We stepped inside St. Stephen's Cathedral which is an enormous Gothic cathedral, in the centre of Vienna. We sat in a pew to ponder the beauty, magnificance and enormity of the church. We left the church and strolled through one of Vienna's many parks.

Our Mozart Concert was a package deal that included dinner. We met at the appointed spot and were guided to a restaurant. We enjoyed the company of Americans, Australians and Italians at our table. The dinner included snitzel, potatoes, and a strudel for desert. We were then driven to the concert hall and enjoyed two hours of spectacular music by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra along with two excellent soloists.

We arrived back at Wien West at around 11 pm, pretty tired but humming "Eine lkeine Nachtmusik" all the way through the campground. We had a wonderful day. Tomorrow we will leave Wien West and head towards Salzburg. Before we leave we will spread out the map, look for an intersting place to stop for the night and program Lori to take us there.

Vienna - Day 1

September 25 Vienna, Day 1

We left Gyor at around 9 am. Before we left, Michelle fed a very thin, black campsite cat. The kitty really enjoyed our leftover chicken and hung around the vehicle until we pulled out. We quickly found a gas station to fill Gracie up with the cheap Hungarian diesel. We also wanted to get rid of our forints before we got to Austria. Our highway permit had expired and so we had to purchase another to get us through the rest of Hungary. We had to stop a second time just as we crossed into Austria as this country also requires motorists to have a permit to drive on the highways.

The motorway in Austria is called the autobahn and the speed limit is 130. I hovered around 100 to 110 for most of the drive. Gracie really does handle like a car and is very peppy when I have to pass a convoy of trucks which are supposed to drive at reduced speed.

We found Wien West without too much difficulty, although I did have to drive through Vienna. However, it was very smooth sailing with multiple lanes and good directions from Lori. We chose a spot on our own as the reception was closed. (Most campsite reception offices are closed from 12 to 3) and realizing that there was WiFi here, I turned on the computer to check emails and update the blog. Once the reception opened we registered and got some information on the things we want to do and hear in Vienna. We booked tickets for a Mozart concert for tomorrow night and also bought tickets for a tour of the city tomorrow. Since the forecast says rain, we figured that a guided tour that alleviates waiting in lines (especially at the Schonbrunn Palace) is well worth it.

We got information on how to get to the centre of the city and then headed out to catch a bus and the underground (uban) to the city. The entire trip took less than 30 minutes and again, as in other cities, we got to see the people of Vienna going about their daily activities. Like many other cities, getting on the Uban is based on the honour system. However, we have been told that it is not a good idea to be caught without a ticket. It costs 1,70 Euro to go one way, anywhere, on multiple transit systems, if necessary, in Vienna. Unfortunately, on the way back we couldn't find a ticket seller anywhere and so we broke the law and got on the Ubahn without a ticket. However, when it came time to transfer to a bus, we bought a ticket from the driver.

It started to rain while we were roaming around Vienna and it is now pouring rain as I sit here writing this entry. I am attempting to connect to the Internet, but the signal is very weak tonight. The sound of the rain, and "no mosquitoes in sight" should mean a good sleep tonight.

A Day of Rest

September 24

We got on the road early this morning (8:15) to avoid the heavy traffic coming from and going to Budapest. The highways in Hungary are great, even the secondary road we drove on today was wide and well maintained. Along the way we came across a Tesco store (huge grocery store chain) and so we stopped and shopped for about an hour.

We managed to find our campsite, actually, it's a hotel/cabins/campsite and we settled in at around 1 pm. There is not a lot to do here, which is probably a good thing, since we are both need a rest. The site is just outside of the city of Gyor which is about halfway between Budapest and Wien (Viennna). Showers, a walk to explore the neighbourhood, a game of scrabble and planning for Vienna is how we spent our afternoon and evening. Life is good.

Pest

September 23 Pest

Sleep was hard to come by last night as there were mosquitos in the camper. Michelle managed to kill about eight of them (catch and release was not an option) and we must have slept some because we were ready to head for the bus stop by 9 am. We actually ventured out without rain jackets as the sun was shining and the temperature was about 13. It was another easy bus and tram ride to our destination.

Our first stop was St.Stephen's Bascilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika), the largest church in Hungary. It seems that we have learn more about the history and culture of the places we visit in churches than in any other buildings. St. Stephen's mummufied hand is encased in a glass, jeweled container in the back of the chapel. If you pay 100 ft, an attendant will light up the box and you can actually see the hand. Lucky for us, someone had just paid when we got there and so we got to see the hand.

We wandered around the market square and stopped at a coffee shop for a break. The market square is a no vehicle zone filled with boutiques and up scale shops. The window shopping was enough for me.

We dug out our map and tried to orient ourselves. This was not an easy thing for us to do in Budapest. Although at first it was very frustrating, we soon realized that on almost every corner there stood a couple of tourists trying to do the same thing. Knowing that we were not alone in finding Budapest maps a little difficult to follow made it more bearable. The closer we were to the Danube, the more we saw people of so many different nationalities, turning and twisting maps in all directions, trying to find some direction. We, however are never really lost as long as I have Lori in my bag. I merely have to turn her on, touch the Help and then the Where Am I screens and Lori gives the exact location and will even give walking directions to any address.

The House of Terror was our next stop. The Nazis headquartered here in 1944 and used the basement for torture and murder of suspected traitors and others they thought were undesirable. The communist secret police took it over when they defeated the Nazis and they continued to use Andrassy ut 60 as a place of evil. It was somewhat chilling to see the torture chambers and read about those who died here.

We continued up Andrassy ut until we came to Hosok tere (Heroes' Square) a very large square filled with enormous statues of some of Hungary's heroes. There were kings (Stephen, of course), and scholars as well as statues representing work, welfare and knowledge.

Heading back down Andrassy ut, we stopped to peek in the Hungarian State Opera House. We decided against a tour as we were both a little museum weary, but we did look in at this beautiful building.

Our final stop of the day was Socialist Statue Park, which is located along our bus route back to the campsite. After the fall of Communism in 1989 the statues of Lenin, and those glorifying communism, which had been erected in the city, were no longer wanted and so they were taken out of the city and placed in the extreme southern end of Buda. There were only four or five other people in the park and so we had lots of time to roam around and take pictures.

A short bus ride and we were back at Camping Flamingo. I paid our German host tonight so that we can leave early in the morning. Although she knows that I cannot speak German, she rambles on and on, speaking very quickly, and then looks at me very strangely when I don't answer her. She and I have had quite the game of charades for the past three days...she is good at drawing pictures in the air when she does finally realize that I do not understand what she is saying. I think I know where to empty the WC.

Tomorrow morning we head for Gyor. We plan to take a break from the hectic walking tour pace of the past two days.

Thanks everyone for the comments. It feels good to know that you are keeping an eye on us.

Buda

September 22 Buda

It felt good to wake up to a day without rain and the promise of sun in the sky. Although the sun came out for only an hour or so, the day was mild and very comfortable for walking around Budapest. Taking the bus from a stop near the campsite and then getting a tram at the end of the bus line was very easy. Taking buses has become something we look forward to because we get to see local people going about their day. It is also like getting a unique tour as we get to see areas that one would not see on a "touristy" tour.

Budapest was virtually destroyed by the Nazis in 1944 and 1945. In fact, as they retreated in 1945, the Nazis blew up all of the bridges crossing the Danube connecting Buda with Pest. However, a few old buildings survived and those that did not were rebuilt.

Today we concentrated on the Buda side, spending most of our time roaming around the Castle District. We visited Matthias Church, built in the 1200's. When the Turks conquered the area in the 1500's, they turned the church into a mosque. When the Hapsburgs conquered the Turks they turned it into a Catholic church and so you see artwork that reflects both religions. King Bela and his Queen, nicknamed "Sisi" are buried in crypts in the church.

We programmed Lori to walk us to a pastry shop that we read about and true to form, she took us to the door. We had some traditional pastries (turo rudi was one of them) with our tea and coffee and then headed off to find the vunicular to take us down to the banks of the Danube to find a river cruise. We crossed the Chain Bridge to Pest, walked along the water for a few minutes and as luck would have it, we came across a boat that was leaving the dock in five minutes. We parted with more than 5,900 forints which is only about $30 and had a great one hour, narrated tour of Budapest from the water.

Listening to the Danube Waltz being played as we left the boat, we decided to head back to Camping Fortuna and save the sights and sounds of Pest for tomorrow.

From Kocice to Budapest

September 21 Kocice to Budapest

Sunday appears to be a good day to drive to and through big cities in Europe. There is no truck traffic and in fact, little traffic of any kind early in the morning. We left Kocice at around 8:40 and soon found ourselves on a highway in Hungary, that required a permit...the guide book said that fines are issued and must be paid on the spot, if you are caught without the required permit. The guide book was again wrong in telling us that there would be a border crossing where we would be asked to show our permits.

We drove for about 30 kilometers before we found a gas station (Shell) that sold just about everything, including permits for the highway. The cost of the permit for four days was 1,530 HUF...this currency is wild. At a bank machine I withdrew some money and felt like I would certainly be rejected for punching in 50,000!

We are staying at Blue Flamingo, a campsite in Erd, a suburb of Budapest. There is a bus stop just outside the campsite where we will take a bus into the centre of the city tomorrow. While exploring Erd and checking out the bus routes we came across a small pastry shop/coffee bar. Selection which pastry to try was difficult as they all looked so good. The coffee was excellent and Michelle was happy to see that they had Earl Gray tea. On our stroll we noticed that the houses are fenced and gated and that many have dogs patrolling the property. We also noticed that there were lots of fruit trees and vines in the yards...grapes, apples, pears and tomatoes.

This campsite has a washing machine and so we are doing laundry this afternoon. Although the sun is not shining is is very mild. This is the first day since we bought the heater that we did not plug it in as soon as we got electricity. In fact, we have opened some windows and are enjoying the fresh air and the sounds of children playing in the park next to the campsite. We ate out this evening, at a very nice restaurant near the campground. The food was Hungarian and can't tell you the names of what we had but we both enjoyed our meals. The portions were so large that we could only eat about half of what was on our plates. During dinner we tried to learn a few Hungarian words as we made our plans for Budapest tomorrow.

A Day in Slovakia

September 20 A Day in Slovakia

We awoke yet again to the sound of rain on the roof. In fact, it had rained all night. This forced us to cancel our hiking and rafting plans and thus to say goodbye to Poland. We ate in the campground restaurant (complimentary buffet breakfast consisting of deviled eggs, tomato, lots of bread and cheese, sardines, coffee and tea. After breakfast we readied Gracie for departure. This involves some or all of the following: emptying the CH (chemical toilet), unplugging and coiling the electrical cord, taking on water, if needed and dumping gray water, if necessary. Today we merely emptied the CH, unplugged and left. Of course we paid first; 34 zloty, which is a good deal.

I do believe that one can't believe everything they read and today I confirmed that belief. Our very reputable guide book, a 2008 edition, told us that we might have to show passports when crossing into Slovakia and that we had better be prepared to show proof of insurance for the vehicle. Three kimometers from the campground we found ourselves passing a sign that said Slovakia. There were no gates or guards or anyone else for that matter. In fact, no one was interested in seeing our passport. We stopped at the first gas station and filled Gracie with diesel. The total cost 1,945. 54 SK for approximately 50 litres. That translates into about 200 Polish zloty or about 60 Euro. It felt so strange to be giving a store clerk a bill with 100 on it for some chocolate and gum.

Slovakia is a beautiful country....very little traffic on the roads and amazing scenery. We drove up and down mountains for hours, shifting gears as I slowed down to navigate the many switchbacks. The GPS image of the road ahead often looked like a very long slithering snake. Having the GPS makes it so easy to see what is coming up. We saw snow on the mountain tops, stopped and visited a 13th century castle and oohed and aahed our way through the mountain range. The rain stopped and we even saw a hint of sunshine for about 30 minutes.

When it was time to stop we discovered that the site where we planned to stay was closed. Digging out the map, we scanned the road we were on for a red triangle that indicates camp site. Seeing two we quickly reprogrammed Lori and asked her to take us a little further along. Unfortunately the next two sites were closed too. By this time I was getting rather weary. After having driven about six hours, my eyes were dry, my back was getting sore and it was getting dark. Eventually, we ended up in Kocice, where the man at the reception spoke some English and quickly pointed us to our site. We plugged in and heaved a hugh sigh of relief as the sun set for the day and darkness surrounded us.

During the drive today we commented on the extremes we saw in this country. We saw affluence and we saw extreme poverty, we saw mountains with snow and we saw valleys, we saw a young person talking on her cell phone at a bus stops and an old women with a scarf tied around her head wearing rubber boots, picking potatoes in a field, we traveled on very rough roads and on new highways, we saw very old delipated factories and a new, huge American Steel Factory. I am so glad that we drove through Slovakia today.

Just one more thing before we leave Slovakia...the Roma or the Gypsies as they are sometimes called live in both Slovakia and Hungary. It is thought that they migrated from India and have been living in Europe for centuries. This minority has suffered and continues to suffer discrimination...inadequate housing, and lack of access to jobs and education. While taking a wrong road in Slovakia we came upon an old cluster of apartment buildings, far away from the town, almost in the middle of nowhere. (These old high rises are leftovers from communist days.) The cement was falling off, there was evidence of recent fires and we could not see any lights on or power lines of any kind going to any of the buildings. There were a few old cars in the area and a dump. As we drove by, looking for a place to turn around, we saw a woman heading for one of the buildings carrying one log, cradling it like it was a child. I am assuming that it was her heat for the night. We also saw very raggedy children and a police presence in the area. I read that the plight of the Roma is beginning to generate a Europe wide outcry. There was a large conference to adderss the situation in Budapest some years ago and some say that the Roma are slowly on the path to an improved socioeconomic status. It all sounds too familiar.

Tomorrow we head for Budapest.

Distance traveled today: 338 kilometers in 7 hours.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

September 19

Iwas determined to leave early so as not to have to drive through Krakow during rush hour. I awoke at 6, we ate at 7 and were ready to check out when the reception opened at 8. I was outside the camper at around 7:30 and a man from Finland stopped by and introduced himself. We had a great chat and strangely enough I was able to give him some information about how to get into Centrum (the main part of the city) I was very proud of myself. After sharing city driving stories with Jaohan, ( he told me Warsaw was the worst) I walked over to reception, zlotys in hand and I waited and waited and waited. Apparently the young worker was ill and did not show up for work. Needless to say it was an hour later, 9 am when we left Krakow.

Surprisingly the traffic was not bad at all and I felt confident driving through the city along with the buses and other vehicles. I had programmed Lori to take us to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, an amazing world of pits and chambers where everything has been carved by hand from salt blocks. We even got to put our tongues on the walls and it was indeed very salty. Those of you who know Michelle can imagine her pleasure at being surrounded by salt for three full hours. The mine began in the 1200's and when the miners had finished their eight hour shift, they would carve. (They only worked eight hour shifts because that was how long their oil lamp would last) There are some amazing statues and even chandaliers made of salt. It is hard to believe, but there is a church down there...at 135 meters below the ground. Everything in the church is made of salt, even the floors. The church is still used today for mass and even for weddings. The whole trip was fascinating...from seeing how the miners and horses got down into the mine, to breathing in the air of this microclimate that is said to cure many allergies. It was well worth the 48 zloty each.

We left Wieliczka at around 1 pm and headed for Niedzica, a village in a valley of the Tatry Mountain Range. The drive over some of mountains was spectacular. At times we were actually driving in the clouds. Unfortunately it rained all the way down and apparently the rain will continue for the next couple of days. We had planned to stay here for a couple of days to do some hiking, but with 10 degree temperatures (daytime) forecast for the next few days, we will leave tomorrow morning and drive about half way to Budapest. We'll aim for a place called Zvalen in Slovakia. I exchanged 50 Euro today for Slovakian currency and ended up with over 1,400.00 of paper currency with pictures of very old kings on them...and I was just getting the hang of Zlotys!

A Day in Krakow

September 18

Although cold again this morning, we vowed to spend the day enjoying the sights of Krakow. Armed with bus instructions we dressed in layers and headed out. We missed our stop and went to the end of the line. I asked a young man for directions and he not only told us which bus to take, he took us to the stop. I had a great chat with Damien, a med student as he escorted us to the correct bus. He told me that he started studying English when he was 10 years old, as do most students in Krakow. He now wants to learn Spanish. He said that "new" doctors are not paid well and so he is not sure if he will stay in Poland after he graduates. When we reached our stop I said, "dzidkuje" as best I could, gave him my Canada pin that I had on my bag, shook hands and said, "goodbye."

Krakow is one of the few cities in Poland that was not destroyed during the war and so much of it is very old. In fact, we visited the Wawel Castle that has tapestries, paintings and furniture dating back to the 15th century. We roamed the market square, said to be the largest market square in Europe. Although the market area is beautiful I found it to be a bit too touristy. In fact, I am sure that there were more tourists there than there were local Poles. We did, however, find a wonderful little book store/coffee shop that sold books in English. I purchased two books in English (translations) by well known Polish authors that were recommended to me by a very helpful young woman.

While walking towards the bus stop, I noticed a store that looked like a department store. "Maybe they sell electric heaters," I said...and indeed they did. Forty-seven zlotys later and I am the proud owner of a heater...couldn't wait to get back to Gracie to plug it in.

Our trip back to Camping Clepardia was about the same as our trip into the centre of the city. This time we got on the right bus, but we went in the wrong direction and ended up at another "end of the line." A very helpful woman noticed the "lost" looks on our faces and pointed us in the right direction. People in Poland have been very kind to us.

After a trip to the local grocery store, I dined on perogies and some Polish slaw, while Michelle feasted on Polish bread, ham and cheese. The highlight of the evening was video conversation with Jessica. It amazes me to think that I could give Jessica a tour of the camper in Krakow, while she is in Waterloo.

Tomorrow we head for the hills...The Tatras that is. First we will visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I am not sure when we will get online again. After a day or two of hiking in the mountain area we will head for Budapest.

The sense of freedom I feel is quite incredible.....I love being "retired and on the road"...aka Judi.

Oswiecm to Krakow

September 17

We awoke to the sound of pitter patter of rain on the roof. We went to a nearby restaurant for a good hot breakfast and thought that we ordered eggs. When the plates arrived, we realized that our three Polish words are really not enough. Our breakfast plates consisted of tomato, cucumber, cold ham, cheese and bread, which would have made a tasty lunch. The coffee was good and strong and Michelle's tea was her favourite; Earl Gray.

We left Oswiecm at around noon and headed for Krakow. Michelle's fascination with cemeteries led us to one where the grave stones were well tended; covered in flowers and some even had candles on them.

I drove there without a hitch and even managed to navigate about eight roundabouts very successfully without any swearing. We arrived at Camping Clepardia and decided to stay put for the afternoon. We walked around the site, found a large grocery store close by and enjoyed the browsing as much as the shopping.

Since WiFi is free and easy to access here, I spend some time online reading the Canadian news, reading email and checking the forecast for the next few days. Unfortunately, it looks like more of the same....rain and cool. In spite of the weather we will explore the city of Krakow tomorrow.

Wroclaw to Oswiecim

September 15

We left the stellplatze at Bad Muskau at around 9 am, after programming Lori to take us to Stadion Olimpijski in Wroclaw, Poland. Before we left we got our passports out in preparation for crossing the border. The night before we saw cars coming from Poland being checked thoroughly and we had visions of that happening to us. However, we merely crossed the bridge and kept driving....border brossing at all. After 18 km we expected to be on a smooth four lane divided highway. Well, it was four lane and it was divided but it was far from smooth. In fact it was bumpy for about 100 km. We passed lots of farmland and many industrial areas. There is a noticable difference between Poland and Germany. In Germany, all the highways were well maintained, even the secondary highways. In Poland the freeway is like a secondary road in Canada. However, there was some construction and signs that the highways are being improved.

Driving through the city of Wroclaw (the third largest city in Poland was unique in that there were no lines on the roads and it appeared that it was "the most agressive gets through first." There were trams on tracks, buses, small cars and big cars on cobblestone streets that were being used as two lanes. We didn't get honked at once...and even though I felt like Gracie's wheels were occassionally on the tram tracks, we made it to our destination without getting lost. Lori's voice (GPS) is a welcome sound when she says, "you have reached your destination."

My two or three Polish words were enough to get us registered and parked. After lunch we decided to head into Zentrum...the centre of town...the old square. Our trip on the tram was uneventful, except that if you are sitting in the last train, it feels like you are on a tilt-a-whirl ride...fun. The Church of St. Elizabeth, built in the 13th century was so full of history. There are frescos from that century as well as many very old statues and carvings. During World War II is was a place for all soldiers to seek refuge. As we sat in the pews, we observed many local people coming and going.

A photographic exhibit of the years from Communist rule to the success of the Solidarity movement was powerful. There were actual pictures of the many strikes that were in protest of Communist martial law in the 1980' and Lech Walesa's eventual success in being elected as president in 1990.

Before head back on Tram #9 we had coffee and a yummy piece of chocolate cake at the Coffee Heaven shop. A stop at an Intenet Cafe allowed me to upload yesterday's notes and a few pictures. In the morning we will leave early...to avoid all the traffic...for Oswiecim (Auschwitz).

Distance traveled today: 204 km in 3 hours (30 minutes were scary)

September 16

We figured that an early start would help avoid the heavy traffice we encountered coming into the city yesterday. We were ready to leave at 7 am but when I started Gracie up she "yelled" at me...a low level, continuous buzzing sound. At first we thought that one of the doors must be ajar. Michelle slammed all of them and I turned the ignition key...Gracie still complained. We then decided to open the engine hood and take a look...hmmm....now, where is the lever that opens the hood? Trying to decipher the German manual, feeling around for knobs and buttons, got me nowhere. All of a sudden Michelle said, "Your buddy over there is awke!" (I had struck up a conversation with Jan the day before, albiet he spoke three words of English and I spoke very little German) I approached him with a "Guten morten" and then somehow managed to get him to come over to our site and give us a hand. He found the "klapper" to open the hood but there was nothing wrong under the bonnet. A turn of a few knobs on the signal arm and miraculously, Grace stopped yelling. And so, with a million "danke, danke and one auf wiedershen" we left the camp site. By the way it turned cold yesterday and we awoke to an air temperature of about 6 degrees.

Leaving Wroclaw was not quite as bad as it was coming it but it still felt very awkward to be sharing the road with trams on tracks. We did a high five when we reached the main highway and joined the thruway traffic. The speed limit is 130 on the thruways (don't know the Polish name for the highways) but we stayed at around 90 to 100 which was very comfortable. We found a station on the radio (talking in Polish, music: American pop music...always American pop music with very few stations playing music in Polish...it was the same in Germany) and with Lori programmed to take us to Oswiecm, Michelle turned up the heat and I turned on the wipers.

We arrived at Oswiecm at around 1 pm. We parked Gracie and found the entrance to Auschwitz. At the ticket booth we met two Canadian girls who had worked in Ireland for a year and were traveling around Europe before heading back to Canada.

I don't think I can find the words to describe Auschwitz-Birkenau....a site where over 1.6 million human beings were murdered. To stand in a courtyard where tens of thousands were shot (in families, the youngest was always shot first), to look through a peep hole at a 'shower' where poisonous gas came out instead of water, to stare at a crematorium where their bodies were burned, to gaze over the field where ashes were piled, to look at the mountains of luggage, shoes and even women's hair is to somehow come just a little closer to the souls who were brutally murdered here, which was the goal of our excellent tour guide. Each year I tried to teach my students something about the Holocaust and was glad to see school groups here (all over 14...those younger than 14 are not allowed to see this place).

It was very cold and rainy during our tour...somehow fitting for us to be uncomfortable here.

At our overnight parking site at the tourist information centre we found a restaurant. After pizza and coke we returned to a very cold Gracie, had some hot tea and went to bed, vowing to buy a heater! The forecast says cold for the next couple of days, but warming up at the end of the week.

September 14, Walking to Poland

We left Berlin at around 10:45 and headed south. Since it was a Sunday, and shops are closed in Berlin on Sunday (how nice) there was little traffic on the autobahn and it was smooth sailing all the way. In fact, we didn't get lost once. We made such good time that we stopped Gracie at one of the many rest areas and reprogrammed Lori to take us closer to the Polish border. We didn't want to cross the border until we learned a few Polish words and we figured we could do that in one evening...ha ha!

The town we stopped in was Bas Muskow on a river that separates Germany and Poland. The stellplatze manager couldn't speak a word of English but with various had gestures and my German phrasebook we managed to book ourselves in and pay 10 Euro for the night. He gave me a map and told me where to go for a walk. (I think)

Our walk took us through a beautiful park and then along a riverbank. On the other side of the river was Poland. We crossed a bridge and were suddenly in the midst of an open market in Poland. I went to a kantor and got some Polish currency so that we could buy some chocolate.

We walked back to Germany and continued through the park to visit an enormous estate belonging to one Puckett...a writer, landscape designer, world traveler and a womanizer. Again, very little English was spoken by the guides. They gave us tokens when we went in and we eventually discovered that we had to put them in a machine and turn some knobs. Out came our own personalized love letters from Puckett.

We will drive to Poland tomorrow and plan to stay at a campsite in Worclaw.

Day three in Berlin

Today we completed our tour of Berlin, taking in the Reichstag (Germany`s historic Parliament building...only a two hour line up to get in...glad this is the shoulder season for tourism in Berlin), walking in the in the Tiergarten, taking pictures and enjoying the crowds at the Brandenburg Gate (the former border of East and West) and visiting the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe...an outdoor memorial with about 3,000 symbolic pillars, plus a very solemn exhibition about Hitler´s Jewish victims.

When we leave this Internet Cafe (at Dunkin´ Donuts) we will catch the U Bahn back to Tigel where we will visit a pastry shop for a treat.

Unfortunately I cannot upload pictures here...we have taken about 150 so far.

Tomorrow we leave for Poland and do not know when we will be able to post again...hopefully soon.

We did not get lost once today. We are having a blast.

The Journey Begins

September 8

Uneventful flights except for the woman seated ahead of us on the Halifax to Newark leg smelled like she had pee’d her pants. When she got up, we realized that she indeed had had an accident. The poor woman! Flight attendants on Continental were very friendly and attentive. We were both able to sleep, albeit fitfully on the flight to Frankfurt.


September 9

Landed in Frankfurt at 8:30 Frankfurt time which is five hours ahead of Halifax. Time. After minimal sleep on the plane we took a taxi to McRent…$30. Euros (tip included) to pick up our van. We completed our orientation and headed out to the nearest grocery store to stock up on supplies. The concern about expensive food in Germany is unfounded…the groceries were very reasonable.

While Michelle put the groceries away, I tried to find reverse…and kept getting first. I pushed and pushed and twisted the gearshift and still no reverse. We managed to drive back to McRent where we quickly found out that I had to pull up, not push down, in order to get the vehicle into reverse.

The vehicle, by the way, is a beauty…exactly as advertised on the web page.

After leaving Frankfurt I kept seeing arrows pointing to Earfarht and thought that Earfarht be a very big place with all of those signs pointing to it, but yet I did not see it on the map. I eventually discovered that the word means Exit.

We planned to drive as far as Bad Hersfeld for the night and so plugged the lat and long into the gps and headed out. The Autobahn is not scary at all, however, it is similar to driving on the 401...those who want to pass, want to pass in a hurry. From here on we plan to take more scenic routes and avoid autobahn.

Today we just needed a place to crash. Unfortunately the GPS led us to an empty corn field outside the town of Bad Hersfeld. My backing up skills were quickly tested! I learned that using the lat and long is not always exact . I put in the address…street and town and tada…within 10 minutes we were parked at our first German Stellplatze. After figuring out how to get the electricity working a visitor arrived…a guy from Berlin named Helgee had lots of great advice for us. It’s great that almost everyone we have met so far, speaks English. We were exhausted and fell asleep around 9.

Distance: We drove 160km in 2 ½ hours.


September 10

After a long sleep we awoke to a sunny morning, ate breakfast and then figured out how to use the chemical toilet dump station…not that complicated really, only when the directions are in German.

After that round of fun we unplugged, plugged in our route and headed out to Quedlinburg. I programmed the GPS for “no thruways” to avoid the Autobahn and see some scenery. The scenery was indeed spectacular…rolling hills, lots of farmland and many quaint little towns like Nordhausen where due to a roadblock I found out how Gracie Globescout handles on narrow cobblestone streets. She’s a big girl and today I almost lost the mirror on the passenger’s side…did I mention that the cobblestone streets were very narrow. There will surely be a deduction from that $1,000 Euro deposit I left with McRent.

Lori (the voice on the GPS) found us a good alternate route that took us right to our Quedlinburg Stellplatze, An den Fischteichen. We set up the electrical, cooked something to eat (some German sausage, potato and broccoli) and then headed out for a walk. I took the GPS with me (for security reasons we have been told not to leave anything valuable in Gracie.

It’s a good thing the GPS was with us because we forgot the name of our street and had to get Lori to guide us back home. Quedlinburg is a very old town with some great old buildings and lots of cobblestone streets for pedestrians only. It was wonderful to see so few cars driving around the town and lots of people driving bicycles. In fact, we saw lots of people, of all ages driving bikes. There are even separate lanes on the sidewalks for bikes.

Distance today: We drove for 5 ½ hours today and covered a mere 198 km. (A couple of detours because of constructions, lots of stops because of construction and lots of small towns to drive through at 30 km)

September 11

We found out how to dump the “gray water” this morning. I find that Gracie is easier to handle than my car is when I’m towing the boat trailer. Michelle is good at giving backing up directions.

We have also discovered that not everyone in Germany speaks or understands English. In fact, today the phrase book got a good workout. It seems that people in the small towns do not speak English. Apparently it is mandatory to take English in school up to around grade 7. After that you can choose French, Spanish, Latin or Greek. I was told that many choose French because France is a neighbour, but I have yet to encounter anyone that could speak French. A man who stopped by to chat somehow communicated to us that he could speak a little Russian, but nien English.

We programmed the GPS to take us to Berlin avoiding the autobahn and we were surprised at the great roads today…only one detour and Lori (GPS voice) guided is around it quite easily taking us through some quaint little towns. I noticed that all the houses are made of brick. We also saw lots of wind power windmills today.

We bought some diesel for Gracie today even though the tank was still ½ full. The cost was 1.35 Euro /litre and the ½ tank cost $60 Euro.

Driving in Berlin was rather scary, frightening in fact…it seemed that every turn we had to make was a left and that meant lots of lane changes. However, I didn’t hit anything today and only got honked at once!

We eventually reached our destination: WohnmobilPark Berlin…a stellplatz in the city. Helgee (who we met in Bad Hersfeld) greeted us and was very helpful in helping us plan our day trips to Berlin. We plan to stay here for three nights. We took a walk around this area of Berlin called Tegeler and found out where to get the U Bahn to get to the centre of the city. Again, lots of bike paths and parks. The cost to stay here for three nights, have electricity and fantastic showers is $64 Euro. The site is quite secure and our “stuff” will be safe in the van when we go off on our excursions.

Michelle said that she would like this trip a lot more if we didn’t have to drive.

In spite of everything I read in the guide books, Internet spots are not easy to find. Helgee says that WiFi is rarely free in Germany, but I did read that the Sony centre in Berlin provides free WiFi. We will find out either tomorrow or the next day.

Tomorrow we will either go into the centre of the city or take a tour boat ride from here. The tour takes about 5 hours and since Michelle was so stressed today about the driving today, a boat ride might be a good idea. Surely we can’t get lost while taking a boat ride!

I am currently typing this in the co ed shower/washroom/laundry room. It is the only place where I could find a plug to charge the laptop. The electricity we get in the camper is only good for the fridge.

Distance today: 453 km in 6 hours, only 1 of which was scary.