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Discover Poland
  • Meike Grothe
  • Herbert E
June 2021

Discover Poland

Life is slowly getting back to "normal" and countries start to open their borders again. So for us, it's time to pack our bikes and go cycling :) During our 3 weeks leave, we are going to explore the beauties of our neighbouring country Poland. Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 4, 2021
    Discover Poland
    Trying to find the best solution to attach the luggage to the bikes
    Kids are happy to play with their uncle

    Getting the bikes ready

    June 4, 2021 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Stage 0: We drove to Herbert's parents in Niesky where we want to start our bike trip through Poland. While I set up my mobile workplace in the garden, Herbert spent most of the day packing the bikes. We reduced our luggage significantly compared to the last trip, so we also had to adjust the packing and strap system.
    At lunch time, we cycled to the local test centre to get an antigene test which we need to cross the border to Poland.
    Later in the afternoon, more family arrived to celebrate Herbert's mum's birthday with lots of food. Good for us, so we could fill up on calories before the trip.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Ready, steady, GO
    Görlitz ahead of us, German and Polish side separated by River NeißeOn the pedestrian bridge to Poland, German side of Görlitz in the backCzocha Castle

    Warm up at the "Riesengebirge"

    June 5, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Finally, our trip starts. Almost exactly one year ago, we took off from Niesky in order to go East as far as possible in Corona times. We made it to Turkey. This time, we only have one country on the target list: Poland. And after only 22km, we already crossed the border in Görlitz. Border crossing was easy, no checks, no border patrol seen anywhere, no one asking for our negative test result.
    The first challenge was to get Polish money. But ATMs were either broke or charged a hell lot of fees. After one hour cycling and searching, we got money from Santander bank without any problems or fees. So we could continue.
    We headed South to "Riesengebirge" and passed countless villages on the way. Most of the time, we could cycle on really small roads with basically no traffic. However, when we had to go on a bigger road, we were annoyed by the Polish drivers. They just don't keep distance at all to cyclists.
    Today's stage was quite slow. Winds came mainly from Eastern directions, so we faced side or headwinds. Plus, coming closer to the mountains, the road was rolling which is exhausting after a while. In the end, we decided to stay at a campground to be able to enjoy a shower 😉    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    A gas station - the only breakfast option
    Views of the RiesengebirgeLunch time at a lake restaurantSome very small path next to a field

    On gravel roads to Breslau

    June 6, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    In the morning, a new challenge waited for us: find food. On Sundays, most of the supermarkets and shops are closed (which we expected). However, in the next town, we hoped to at least find a café or something similar to have breakfast. After a lot of searching, we found a gas station which sold coffee. They also had ONE toast left which we then had to share. Luckily, we had some cookies and a couple of apples left from the day before.
    The first part of the trip led us through the foothills of the "Riesengebirge". It's very green, beautiful nature and a mekka for mountainbikers and hikers. Cycling was kind of tough as most of our route was on gravel. For lunch, we stopped at a fancy restaurant at a lake as this was the only food option with an ok detour. Afterwards, we continued our trip to Wroclaw mainly on gravel roads where we could stay with our warmshowers hosts Martyna and Michal and their dog Tina.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Wroclaw main square
    One of the 300 dwarfs in Wroclaw - a mute protest against former communist regimeA lake is as good as a shower2Ein Bett im Kornfeld 😉

    Exploring Breslau

    June 7, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We had a coffee with Michal and Martyna and got a lot of recommendations about where to go and what to see and eat in Poland. That's what we enjoy about the warmshowers network: you really get to meet the locals ❤️
    First on our list for today was a visit of Wroclaw centre. Quite some impressive buildings everywhere. And all the water and islands and bridges and beachbars and restaurants and cafés make it a really nice place to be. We bought some breakfast at the bakery, sat down at the main square and watched the people.
    Afterwards, it was time to move. The way out of the city was nice as we could cycle along the River Odra, mainly on gravel, on a dam and through forests. After some 40km, we had to go on roads, some remote, some pretty busy. The area here is flat, so not much to see. The villages reminded us of rural Romania, maybe with a slightly younger crowd, but generally not much going on.
    Our challenge in Poland is to find water. Whereas in Turkey, there were water sources every x km to fill up our bottles, there is nothing comparable here. So we ended up in a gas station again.
    Shortly before the end of the day, we passed a lake and jumped into the chilly water. Fresh and clean, we cooked dinner and cycled a little bit more until we found a cosy spot for our tent on a hidden field.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Find the wild pig

    Detouring industrial area

    June 8, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The area between Wroclaw and Krakow is quite busy, city after city, factory after factory. We are trying to avoid most of it by cycling a detour South of the straight route between those two cities.
    Most of the time, we are lucky and find some remote streets or even awesome forest roads. Thus, we can see some wildlife such as rabbits, storchs (even with babies already) or, like today, a wild pig. In Poland, there's churches everywhere, and their architecture differs: some look like the ones in Germany, some are wooden like the ones in Romania, some are of communist style, some look quite modern.
    At the end of the day, we found a nice lake again and went for a swim. There were toilet facilities including running water. We cooked our dinner on one of the park benches and headed to the woods before it got dark. The mosquitoes tried to kill us, so we had to hide in the tent very early.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    View of Wawel Castle
    Railway leading into the concentration campChilling at different bars to watch peopleView from the castle over river Weichsel

    Kraków - great place to live

    June 9, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    An early start and breakfast at a petrol station = business as usual. Afterwards, we visited the concentration camp of Ausschwitz - Birkenau and thought about cruel humans can be. What a dark side of history! The site itself was closed, so we could only visit from the outside.
    From here, we had planned a route to Kraków on komoot. But when we discovered there is Eurovelo 4, we just turned off the navigation system and followed the signs instead. It was a pleasant ride along river Weichsel, quite easy, especially with tailwinds.
    In Kraków, we checked into a hostel and took off to explore the city. We walked around the centre and the castle. But what we liked most was the Jewish quarter Kazimierz. It's full of bars and cafés, little shops and a totally mixed crowd of people. We spent quite some time walking around, having drinks and dinner. What a cool city!    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    1
    1

    Riding along river Weichsel

    June 10, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Our next goal is to reach the Green Velo along the Eastern boarder of Poland. We considered two options: a Southern route along the Carpathan Mountains or the inland and shorter round along the Weichsel. In the end, we decided to take the shorter route along the Weichsel as it will pass Poland's wine region.
    It was an easy ride: a nicely paved bike path and all flat. Only the wind wasn't too much in our favor. We saw many animals on the way, storchs, deer, rabbits, birds. The further East we got, the less people we saw. In Zalepie, houses are colored with flowers, so we had a stop to look around. Once, we also had to cross a river by ferry which was also interesting. For the night, we pitched our tent next to the river hidden in the high grass.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Scarecrows seem to be taken from a fashion shop 😂
    1Rain in SandomierzMonastery vineyard1Sandomierz main square

    Historical Sandomierz

    June 11, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    During the night, we heard a male deer barking close to our tent which sounded quite funny. The advantage of sleeping in the tent is that you hear all those animals out there. The disadvantage of pitching the tent in high grass is all the insects, worms and snails you can find in the morning all over your stuff. But who cares, nothing that kills us 😉
    Our route today took us to many tiny villages. There's heaps of agriculture near the river. Until today, mainly crops, potatoes, etc. Today, we also passed many orchards (pears, apples, plums), at one point our path led through the middle of two rows of apple trees.
    In addition to churches, you can find all kind of Jesus and Virgin Mary statues and sanctuaries in the gardens and along the roads. We stopped counting...
    After another ferry crossing, we arrived in the historical town of Sandomierz in the afternoon. First, it started to rain, so we had to hide for a while. Then, we could visit the old town with its cobble stone roads, churches and other historical buildings. The area here is also the center for Polish vineyards. However, when we tried to find a regional wine in the supermarket, we were unsuccessful, so I reckon they are not too good.
    At the end of the day, we stayed at a hotel at night as we had to wash our cloths.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Cycling through heathland
    Herbert has finally got some strawberriesLakes in the National Park - ideal for bird watchingFinally some animals to pet 😍

    Cycling on the green velo

    June 12, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    This morning, we started cycling on the Green Velo. First, we followed the signs to Ulanow. The bike path on this stretch was quite disappointing as it was basically a bike lane next to a secondary road leading through many look-alike villages.
    We missed a turn and decided to navigate ourselves to get to a point of the velo further East. And straight away, roads became more of an adventure :) The soil here is super dry, basically all sand, so it's kind of difficult to cycle off road. However, it's definitely more fun!
    In Bilgoraj, Herbert finally bought the smallest amount of strawberries he could get: 500 grams. He had been longing for this all trip so far. From here, the Green Velo became more interesting, going on remote roads through the forest, all away from the main traffic. When we arrived at Rostoczanski National Park, we saw some nice-looking farm accommodation and decided to not go on and wildcamp but take a room instead. The strong rain predicted for the night was an additional reason 😉    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Polish breakfast
    First rain stop

    A rainy day

    June 13, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Our day started with a huge breakfast at our guesthouse. Even Herbert didn't manage to try everything. However, we were well prepared for a tough day against the wind and through the rain.
    Most of the bus stops here provide good shelter against bad weather here, so they were our friends. In the end, we had to put on our rain gear and were still pretty soaked by the time we arrived in Chelm where we were happy to stay with Klaudia and her family in their dry house.Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Bus stop in the front and a bike stop behind
    Lunch breakLookout point - Belarus in our backsA wood-carved dwarf: signposted highlight of the county we passed 😉Super "modern" room for the night

    Tri-border area

    June 14, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Strong winds from the North today - and we had to cycle North. First along the Ukrainian border, then along the border to Belarus. At least, it's flat here and some parts of the Green Velo lead through the forest where the trees protect you from the wind. In the late afternoon, the wind calmed down, so we pushed it to 155km. Exhausted, we found a "vintage style" accommodation, cooked dinner and enjoyed a beer on the porch of the farmhouse.Read more

  • Discover Poland
    A storch's nest on almost each street light
    Green Velo sign: this is about half wayFerry crossing: sign vs realityOne surface worse than the next 😏2Dinner time at the lake

    Gravel road adventures

    June 15, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another day, another ride along the Eastern boarder of Poland. We continue to follow the Green Velo and it had some surprises for us. First, we passed some really charming villages with lots of storchs nests. It also seem to be a local holiday region as we saw some cute wooden holiday homes. There's also a lot of signs advertising for kayaking or paintball.
    Then we had to cross a river again. The ferry sign indicated a modern ferry. At the first crossing point, there was no ferry at all, so we had to turn around and cycle to the next one some 15km down the river. Here, we did find a ferry, but it was more the old kind of boat/raft where the guys even had to do some manual work in order to move it across the river.
    On the other side, the cycling route was still very pretty. We passed lots of old wooden farms and colourful churches - all away from any major traffic. However, we had to paddle hard to enjoy these beauties. A huge part of the trail was on washboard or sand, sometimes on cobble stones. None of this is easy to cycle nor fast...
    After about 125km, we reached a lake, went for a swim amd pitched our tent in the nearby forest to call it a day.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Bison sign
    1Real bison 😉Visitors centre of Białowieski National ParkLunch break with a viewFinally time for a swim

    Białowieski national park

    June 16, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Another great day on the Green Velo. It was sunny and the head winds were not too strong 😉 Our route led through Białowieski National Park on the border to Belarus. It's a huge forest with lots of wildlife. We were lucky enough to see a Bison next to the road. They are actually bred in the area.
    In the afternoon, we stopped at a big lake hoping for a nice swim. But unfortunately, the water was too dirty, so we just had burger, fries and a beer instead. Some 30km later, we found another lake where we could finally swim and cool our legs. Afterwards, we just cycled another 30km before pitching the tent. We had some trouble finding a good camp spot today as many suitable looking places were fenced or too close to houses or farms. So in the end, we set camp in a forest where we had to hurry up to avoid too many mosquito bites.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Morning in the forest
    Concrete slabs :(Central square with church in Tykocin1Around Tykocin

    The summer is back

    June 17, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We woke up from the birds' singing as well as some nearby woodworks, so we hit the road early. After 13km, we passed Suprasil, a cute village. Unfortunately, cafés etc. were still closed, otherwise we would have stopped for a coffee. Next, we had to cycle through Bialystok which is quite big. Once again, we realized that biking in cities is definitely no fun!
    The routing of the Green Velo kept being interesting. After Bialystok, the bike path was built right next to a highway. We were wondering why they could not find a nicer option here through the forest. On the other hand, part of the route also led across concrete slabs. They are about as bad as cobble stones. Luckily, this part didn't go for too long.
    In the afternoon (it was now above 30°C), we had an icecream stop in the beautiful village of Tykocin. It's a bit touristy, but has some nice buildings and is surrounded by water, wetlands and forest.
    Some 20km later, we decided to stay at an "Agroturystyka" for the night to have a prooer shower again and do laundry.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Road through Biebranzki National Park
    1Viewpoint for the wetlands - a birdwatching paradiseAlong Biebrza River1First Radler in AugustowMore of the waterfront in Augustów

    Venedig des Nordens

    June 18, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    In the morning, another highlight was waiting for us: Biebranzki National Park. It's a huge area of wetlands and forests, a dream for any bird watcher. Supposedly, you can even see elks here, we only saw many elk signs... However, we were lucky to see a huge stag with his impressive horns which ran away too quickly for a photo.
    After the national park, we rode on gravel next to river Biebrza which was nice, but quite exhausting and dusty as well.
    When we arrived in Augustów, we were positively surprised by the city. There's so much water around, canals and lakes, really cool. We read somewhere that the city is also called the "Venice of the North" which kind of makes sense. First, we had a couple of Radler and some lunch at one of the canals, then we went swimming in the lake and afterwards, we had a beer in one of the many bars along the waterfront.
    At night, we could pitch our tent on Jan's property. It's right at the lake a few kilometers outside of the city center and a little paradise itself.    Read more

  • Discover Poland

    Melting like ice

    June 19, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We didn't sleep as good as we hoped to in our little paradise. A party boat went around the lake all night and I guess everyone living around the lake could unvoluntarily listen to the music.
    Just before 4am, we woke up to watch the sunrise over the lake out of our tent - what a luxury! As we were still very tired, we slept for another 1,5 hours before hitting the road. The trail was beautiful again, leading through Augustów Forest and Wigerski National Park. We passed countless lakes and rode along a river which was obviously very popular for kayaking. However, this nice nature came to a price: we had to ride on washboard, soft sand and gravel most of the time which was exhausting, especially in this heat of close to 38°C.
    How to cope? First, we stopped for ice cream, then for a swim at a popular lake and finally arrived at a super remote campground where we had a whole lake to ourselves.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Right foot: Russia, left foot Lituania, arms in Poland 😉Stanislaw's farmhouseBeekeeper Stanislaw

    A short visit to Russia and Lituania

    June 20, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    As usual, we had an early start at 5:30am to beat the heat. Our first destination of the day was the border stone between Russia, Lituania and Poland. The whole area is kind of hilly compared to most of the other parts we've been riding. We constantly had to go up and down again, so we totally deserved our breakfast once at the stop.
    The rest of the day was really exhausting. The hills didn't stop, it was brutally hot and we had long stretches on bad gravel and sandy roads without any protection from the sun.
    Shortly after our lunch break in Godlap, we left the Green Velo and turned Southwards as we wanted to explore more of the Masurian Lake District. Thus, we could finally escape the heat and swim again in one of the countless lakes the afternoon. After the cooldown, we continued to our warmshowers host Stanislaw who lives on a farm near Gizycko with his wife. He has done many biketours himself, so we could share lots of stories. He is also a beekeeper. On the pictures below you can see him moving the bees to a different location where there's better flowers.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Elk watching1Traditional Masurian food

    Kayaking on river Krutynia

    June 21, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We got up before 5am again, watched Stanislaw moving his bees while sipping a coffee and hit the road to Gizycko where we had breakfast at the lake. Then our "special" day started. We wanted to cycle to Krutyn to go kayaking. It was only about 65km, but about half of it on sand, gravel or even cobble stone. It was still a lot better than yesterday, as most of it was in the forest. And all of a sudden, we got prove that there's elks here in Poland. We saw one slowly moving in the field, so we could watch and even take a photo :)
    The route itself was diverse and scenic, we passed many lakes again, saw nice campspots and sailing boats, especially in Mikolajki.
    In Krutyn, we changed our bikes to a kayak. It was really nice to paddle on the water in this heat. And also to use some other muscles. The river itself was cool as it's left in its natural state with many trees, reed, water lilies etc. We also saw duck and swan families floating around.
    After our kayaking adventure, we didn't feel like riding anymore, stayed at a campground in the village and went to a restaurant for dinner.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    Lidzbark WarminskiButt killer roadsDinner at the campsite

    Butt killer roads

    June 22, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Time to go North and find the Green Velo again. We navigated ourselves via some remote roads and forest trails, passed many lakes again and found lots of funny wood carvings in the villages. The route was continuously rolling and it was brutally hot again.
    In Lidzbark Warminski, we found the Green Velo signs again which we want to follow to Elblag. We had our lunch break with icecream, Radler and (probably) a final swim in a fresh water lake on this trip. Then we continued on the Velo and really wondered who the hell has planned this route. First, we had to cycle on some very bad and lose gravel, so we moved super slowly. Afterwards, we came to an endless "paved" road, one of the worst we have ever seen. It felt more like riding on cobble stones.
    In Gorowo Ilaweckie, we wanted to check into a hotel as there'll be a thunderstorm during the night. However, there weren't any suitable options in town. The nearest accommodation was 5km South where we came from - so we cycled back on that "butt-killing" road. Unfortunately, they had no room available and due to a lack of other options, we camped in their garden. Luckily, we still managed to cook dinner and pitch the tent. Now we are lying in the tent hoping it will survive the storm and protect us from the heavy rain.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    1Morning scenery
    Finally at the Baltic Sea close to the Russian borderBasilica in FrombokConcrete slabs roads along the sea

    The Baltic Sea is calling

    June 23, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The tent did a good job, so we stayed dry and could start early as usual. Due to the storm, the air had cooled down and we could cycle in nice low 20 degrees. The landscape was similar as yesterday, some hills, everything green, no more proper lakes though only a few "puddles".
    Although the wind wasn't in our favour, we moved quickly, as we were eager to reach the Baltic Sea. When we arrived in Stara Pasleka very close to the Russian border, we celebrated with a Radler. Then we headed South along the sea via a few villages. At some point, the bikeroute led away from the sea again and we passed some nice forest and hill scenery again.
    However, we decided not to stay at one of the quiet agroturystykas in the hills this time, but aim for a budget hotel at the coast. Thus, we could stop at a couple of beaches on the way and enjoy the sea view.    Read more

  • Discover Poland
    On a forest trail to Elblag
    Breakfast in ElblagA ferry on the way to GdanskFinally in Gdansk

    Finally in Gdansk

    June 24, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Time for our last stage to Gdansk. First, the Green Velo led through a forest. We were very surprised that half of the forest route was paved as this was usually not the case on the Green Velo. It was good in the morning though as we could enjoy the trees and animals rather than focussing on the trail too much.
    In Elblag, the Green Velo ends (or starts if you it from North to South). We stopped for breakfast. Afterwards, we had to cycle another 65km to Gdansk from where we want to take a train home. Booking a train with bicycles is a huge challenge here. Herbert spent one hour in the train station to figure out a ticket together with the assistant behind the ticket counter - and came out with a ticket for the first train only. The assistant couldn't book the second part with her system access, we had to do this ourselves later. People told us that they have privatised the railway here and there's a separate booking system for each operator. What a pain!
    Anyways, we checked into an apartment for 2 nights and explored Gdans for the rest of the day. It's a really cool city with lots of water, bridges and cool houses that reminds us of Hamburg.    Read more

  • Discover Poland

    A day in Gdansk

    June 25, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today, we had a whole day to explore Gdansk. First, we had breakfast in one of the many green parks in the city. Then, we continued to cycle to the beach to go swimming in the Baltic Sea. We had a long stroll along the beach to get to Sopot and enjoyed a fish lunch in one of the many beachside restaurants.
    Back in the centre, we did some bar hopping, had icecream and spent the evening watching people and enjoying the atmosphere.
    3 Eurovelos lead through Gdansk, so there were quite some other cyclists around as well. Plus, bike paths are quite well established to navigate through the city and out North and East to the beaches.    Read more

  • Discover Poland

    The End or Polish train adventures

    June 26, 2021 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today was the last day of our trip around Poland. We took the train back to near the German border which was a bit of an adventure. The first train started on time, but stopped after only 5 minutes moving. When we changed trains in Wroclaw, it was delayed by 90 minutes.
    Then we had to take a regional train to continue to Wegliniec, the border town. The train was alright this time, but the station was in construction and a horror for cyclist. Getting out of the train next to a construction fence was the easier part. But we also had to carry the bikes including the luggage up and down a bridge. Not bike or wheelchair friendly at all!
    However, we succeeded, got on the bikes and cycled back to Niesky where we started our tour 3 weeks ago. The last stretch was nice, some forest roads, some small roads through some remote villages, a border crossing via a pedestrian bridge.

    Total km cycled: 2402
    Total meters climbed: 11039    Read more

    Trip end
    June 27, 2021
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