Lublin – Krašne

55km

Today didn’t turn out quite as planned. The best days don’t.

I’ve rediscovered by enthusiasm for warmshowers in Poland. The people I have met through it are truly inspirational. I needed a good rest after my epic walking tour of Lublin with Szymon yesterday! The man had endless energy – the kind of levels I had before embarking on this adventure!

The cycle started well. I know this means nothing to anyone else but I managed to escape another city successfully – city navigation is my nemesis.

I narrowly avoided a herd of dinosaurs. I didn’t avoid unexpected tears when I took a wrong turn (where did they come from?). All this fresh air is making me very emotional.

I was quietly admiring the locals going about their Sunday business on all sorts of different bikes when one cyclist I passed exclaimed “stop!”. I dutifully obeyed and turned to find a friendly face. “Coffee?”

Who can say no to coffee? What followed was a pretty magical day.

Malek and Ella, despite not knowing me from Adam allowed me into their home, fed me and caffeinated me and (with the aid of gesticulation and google translate) invited me to join their Sunday family day.

Two sons, daughter-in-law and baby Alexander arrived. I hitched a lift on their catamaran and sat with the wind in my hair enjoying the breeze all afternoon.

I tried to learn some Polish by osmosis but there are literally no words that sound the same as English. I got a bit confused by them repeatedly exclaiming “tak” on the boat. Each time I’d ready myself for a tack, only to realise tak means yes!

I was fed and watered, taken for an evening kayak and given a bed for the night. What truly wonderful people, and what a magical day.

Czyżów Czlachecki – Lublin 107.7km

Lublin rest day: 30kmish

The thing I tell all my cycling guests is that cycling is easy, it’s the rest that makes it a challenge.Yesterday we absolutely flew. I seem to be getting the hang of Polish navigation (slowly) and Sam followed like a lamb, allowing endless patience for repeated wrong turns. The cycling was a breeze.

We made it to Lublin in record time. Finding a bed and food took a little more effort, as usual.

Today was meant to be a breeze too. It got off to a bad start when the train station staff protested it was impossible to get a bike on a train.

After exhibiting my argumentative talents we managed to at least get Sam a train ticket for himself.

We passed the time until said train by visiting majdanek concentration camp museum. It’s chilling what suffering humans can cause. Both of us left feeling pretty sick.

Couple a stressful departure plan with some genocide and Sam left on a bit of a downer. I drowned my feelings of being a failed sister by being a tourist.

I could show you pictures of all the beautiful buildings I saw but I think I’ll just show the wildlife – a flock of flamingos in the city centre look!

I got a personal guided tour by my warmshowers host Szymon, including taking part in a protest about the environment. What a day!

Niepolomice – Radgoszcz 94.2km

Radgoszcz – Czyżów Czlachecki 122.5km

I need to convince a relative to become a carpenter – apparently that’s how you get perfect, beautiful homes. We breakfasted like kings; in the land of Polish kings and were taken on a guided tour of Niepolomice by our host – beautiful place with an amazing forest.

The forest is where we learnt our first lesson about Polish mosquitoes: when in any woodland, never stop. What ever the circumstance. It’s just not worth it.

The rest of the two days that have followed have been governed by this. Within 5 seconds of stopping you’re swarmed by mozzies.

It meant the only places we could stop were in the towns. This would be a terrible shame if it weren’t for the fact that the polish seem to actually put thought into building. Every house is unique, usually different coloured, with balconies and perfect gardens. It’s such an amazing place.

Unfortunately despite our best efforts the mozzies still found us… and mostly Sam. The picture doesn’t do it justice – there are about 50 per leg.

For a long time yesterday Sam claimed this was the worst experience of his life. I encouraged him to actually try and think of other occasions that might have been worse but it was only demoted to third.

Sam might have died because today was partly like being in the apocalypse. It’s some Catholic bank holiday and the place was deserted. It was nice having quiet roads but strange too how eerily quiet it was.

I decided if Sam was ever going to forgive me I probably needed to do what I could to lessen his suffering. I think I succeeded by finding ice cream and a bed in a room with no mozzies… that just happens to be in a palace. He can’t say I didn’t try.

Krakow – Niepolomice

35kmish

Usually breakfast on this trip isn’t very exciting. Today was a surprise gem. Who knew a 3year old could make a meal such a drama. I could liken it to the four seasons you sometimes get of a bike ride. It was all of the emotions with all of the theatrics just about a bowl of porridge. Her parents (my warmshowers hosts) had the patience of saints. Very impressive!

I have been told Krakow is a wonderful place by many people. I fully intended to have a proper look around but after allowing my body/brain the thought of a day off it just gave up.

The thing I was struck by with the city was how grand it all was. Impressive buildings, often with significant history, around every corner. The thing that impressed Olive was the fact there was a green bit with a bike path that looped around the old town. The best of both worlds.

I caught a stray Sam and successfully guided him out of town (I hate to blow my own trumpet but I’m becoming a bit if a navigation expert).

I’ve warned him there are a few things to learn about cycle touring that are different to speedy road cycling. Today we learnt:

1. There is always a headwind, Where ever you are going. Just accept it
2. It is an excuse to eat constantly.
3. Embrace it when strangers come up to you and strike a conversation in a language where you only speak two words. It’ll brighten your day and theirs.

I have been told Polish people are quite reserved but the opposite seems to be true.

We had another warmshower (yes two nights in a bed in a row!), and what wonderful hosts. So many places recommended that I still need to go!

Nowy Targ – Krakow

102km

There seems to be a strained relationship between Poland and vowels. It makes it a challenge to try and pronounce anything. God knows how they all do it.

Added to that is the fact that towns and villages have a very different layout. They seem to be largely linear, following one main street and going on for miles. It makes them look beautiful from afar though – with steep roofs poking their heads out of the treetops.

Trying to work out where a junction might be that’s marked in a village that is 10miles long gives a bit too much margin for error. Navigation becomes comical.

Yet again I’ve discovered my favourite landscape for cycling. Gentle rolling hills, wooded hilltop…. and net downhill might help. Even in the drizzle that lasted most of the day (almost) every mile was a pleasure to ride.

I wish I could capture in a photo how beautiful it was but it was just the whole experience. Wonderful place, Poland.

Today was a hungry day, too. I seem to have them every now and then. I have days where I just feel constantly ravenous. I’m not entirely sure where the food went that I kept putting in, basically every 5minutes, but it didn’t fill me up!

Being a tourist for a couple of hours in a salt mine was too much of a fast – I had to have a cheeky snack and almost took to licking the walls.

The day was topped off with a “warmshower”. Had a lovely evening chatting with my fantastic host and being entertained by a shy but energetic 3 year old.

Liptovskà sielnica – Nowry Targ

96km

It feels great to be able to say I climbed a mountain by 8am today. I love early morning starts! Sam’s going to be in for a bit of a shock.

I was proud of Olive for plodding on. We basically beat a group of boy racers who overtook at the bottom but then clearly their cars couldn’t handle the heat because they’d stopped half way up and we caught them!

The morning turned into something of a church appreciation day. It seems the most common thing recommended for tourists to do is to look at churches. I’m not sure whether it’s the weather but it seemed to be all the craze for half the congregations to be outside. Most entertaining.

I’ve definitely seen my fair share recently. I think Polish ones are the best so far. It might just be this corner of Poland – the whole place seems to be built of wood! It’s so beautiful.

I had a wonderful welcome to Poland by a cafe owner. He was full of praise and admiration; of me and of Poland!

I had lunch in the lee of the high Tatras, watching a storm roll in. You’d have thought I’d appreciate it after how hot it’s been but it turns out I have an ability to complain about the weather whatever it’s doing. It was a mighty impressive storm – rivalled the one Kate and I rode through in Croatia.

After camping out in a bus stop for an hour (blooming good bus stop… made of wood) we battled on.

Eckartsau – Lošonec

93km

When I woke up this morning I thought I was hallucinating. See that lump that goes higher than a flat horizon? That’s a hill. Man, I’ve missed the hills!

The Donauradweg had been interesting when it was surrounded by hills but having been on the endless plains for what felt like a lifetime I was glad to be bidding the Danube farewell.

And on reflection maybe I’m glad to be saying goodbye to Austria too. The combination of being on a tourist trail, there being cyclists everywhere and the slightly more reserved people meant I’ve been missing out on the novel cycle tourist attention!

The introduction to Slovakia, on the other hand, has been just fabulous. I hunted down some super friendly solo cycle tourists in Bratislava and spent the morning having a good old chin wag, comparing notes and sharing stories.

Nearly got arrested for going for a dip in the presidents fountain at “changing of the guard” time (talked out of it by a really interesting couple from Bath). In the end I just washed my clothes in it…

Then I fell in step with a local chap taking his toddler for a bike based stroll (god knows how she slept with the questionable road quality!). He gave me what was probably sterling route advice but unfortunately I didn’t follow it because it involved a big climb in the heat of the day (36 today according to one screen).

I did do a spot of cycling but quickly got distracted by ice cream. That’s when I discovered the chocolate based disaster…

I’d found out yesterday that chocolate becomes liquid somewhere below 30 degrees. I overcame that challenge by having my re-solidified bar for breakfast this morning; I’m nothing if not resourceful.

I opened today’s choc at lunch time and thought I’d resealed it… how wrong I was. The whole of my front pannier box was swimming in chocolate. Maybe calling it a disaster is overstating it though… I had a mighty fine time clearing it up!