Wroclaw

This was our first stop in Poland where we stayed chez Dan & Lucyna. Firstly, a HUGE thanks to these two lovely people for letting us turn their front room into a bomb site and keeping us topped up with wine, food and culture! It really was a very welcome sofa and warm bathroom!

Dan and Lucyna showed us around the sites of Wroclaw (apparently pronounced "vrotswav" but I don't believe it meself!). including the river, the "Rynek" (town square) and up to the top of the cathedral for a panoramic view of the city. Also guiding us were the local gnomes that were placed at strategic and sometimes very odd places on the streets..

Krakow

After Wroclaw we headed south to Krakow where we found a great campsite just a couple of ks from the city centre. We were right next to a public park so, as usual, we drew some fairly incredulous looks as we set up the tent. After that things settled down! The first day we spent wandering around the city and the castle and had a bite to eat in the Jewish quarter...it was a lovely sunny day and we both got sunburned - Ollie more than Jenny of course!

The next day we went to Auschwitz for a bit more of a sombre tour but it was closed to the general public as there was a march taking place... much as we wanted to get in, neither of us could muster any lines from the Torah and so found ourselves catching the next bus home. All credit to our fellow passenger, Tomasz, who managed to wrangle an entry wrist band within 10 minutes of getting of the bus!

We continued with a trip to the salt mines just outside Krakow. Again, we caught a local bus to the mines but we had to sign up for an official tour as they don't let individuals into the mine. This place is amazing. There are several chapels, statues and a huge cathedral all within the mine and all carved from the salt. The cathedral is even more incredible when you consider that it was all carved by 3 miners.

The next day we went back to Auschwitz and spent a very quiet 3 hours wandering around the museum trying to comprehend the scale. Needless to say this was quite a harrowing day but they have done a good job of ensuring that events are not forgotten without OTT tourism. We'd recommend a visit to anyone who is in the area but would suggest that buying the simple guide and wandering at your own pace would be preferable to being part of a tour group.

Zakopane

The drive from Auschwitz to Zakopane helped clear our heads and we found ourselves in stunning scenery in a place that is Poland's winter sports capital. We stayed at a campsite just south of the town - which was an easy stroll down hill to drink and a drunken stumble up hill to get back home - perfect! We took a cable car up Mount Kasprowy Wierch, with amazing views of the surrounding snow capped mountains. We had hoped to walk from here but we were still at the end of skiing season and walking was only for those with crampons.

This was also where we finally used our bikes in anger - pedaling up the Chocholovska valley - a lovely flat valley that takes you into the Tatra Mountains. It's a fully tarmaced cycle path so is as easy as easy can be, but who is complaining? Obviously Ollie found it quite hard work!

After a few too many Zakopanian beers, pizzas and ice creams we realised that we were having far too much of the good life and so decided to drop over the border into Slovakia - and so ends Poland.

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