For someone like me, having grown up in a part of the world where a lot of animals do not exist any more (or are getting very rare), this was a wonderful sight. A storks nest, and 2 storks quarreling inside, a third one watching (my theory is that it was 2 males fighting and a female watching....), from time to time flying away just to come back again and fight even harder.
During the same bike trip we saw many more storks nests, a rabbit in the forest, a deer running away... I'm happy to see that this still exists here.
30 April 2009
Kayaking
Today we went kayaking near Stary Folwark in Northeastern Poland. Not on the lake, which is open only from the 1st of May (coinciding with the national long holiday weekend) but on a river. Some 15 km paddling, sometimes zigzagging because of the stream, wind and our little knowledge of kayaking, but good fun.
28 April 2009
Grattements de l'oeil
L'oeil gratte. Beaucoup. Trop. Sera l'allergie au beau Printemps? Apres Olsztyn on est venu a Suwalki (avec le L avec un trait dessus, je l'appelle le L bresilien, car on le lit comme les bresilliens le lisent), precisement a Stary Folwark, recommande par Anna de Gdansk. Semble le paradis, surtout car le tour des jolis lacs ne sont pas pleins de moustiques, touristes et autres.
26 April 2009
Soviet movie
"Here in Olsztyn the Germans did not destroy the city. But after, the Soviets needed some burnt houses for their movie (propaganda, newspapers), so they put fire to half of it."
Our host, Arek, tells us the story of this town in the Masurian lakes region which we will start visiting tomorrow. Concern of the day: where we will stay the long weekend, thigs seem full.
Our host, Arek, tells us the story of this town in the Masurian lakes region which we will start visiting tomorrow. Concern of the day: where we will stay the long weekend, thigs seem full.
24 April 2009
A bike ride to remember...
We stayed around 5 days in the region of Gdansk. One day we decided to take a bike ride on the Hel peninsula, which is a very narrow peninsula in northern Poland, about 35 km long, in the Baltic Sea. We went to rent bikes at the one and only place in the whole region, which happened to be close to the place we were staying (we were couchsurfing with Anna). We got some not too bad looking bikes from the guy, the brakes were fine and more than half the gears seemed to work, so we set off for our trip. We managed to get the 2 trains that took us to Hel, where we arrived around lunchtime in perfect sunshine. After a quick look at the easternmost tip (a beautiful beach) we went to look for a restaurant for lunch..... and then there was something wrong with my bike. Flat tire. Ok.... after lunch we pushed the bikes a bit and came to a shop where they sold bikes and had a good pump. Fortunately I had some patches to repair the air chamber, we found the hole (which was big), repaired it and finally set off on our bikes.
After about 20 minutes, again.... my tire was flat. By then we were on a (very nice) path in the middle of nowhere, which meant walking for about an hour pushing the bikes until we arrived to a gas station. We gesticulated to the owner that we needed air in the tire and hoped to find some tools to take the wheel off (to have a closer look at the hole) but he was just closing his gas station so he quickly filled the tire with air, listened to it, said it was "ok" and we understood that for him the problem was solved (mainly because he wanted to close his station on time...).
We went on some more, me trying to put most of my weight on the front wheel, which made the air go out more slowly. At the next village we asked for a bike store and found one with the help of some nice people in the street. When I asked for "reparatura rowerowa" the answer was "maybe tomorrow" (this is a phrase that you have to get used to in Poland...). I said "oh no, now!" and the guy agreed to let us use his pump. So we fixed the same hole again, hoping this time would be ok, while the guy phoned his brother who seemed to be a bike mechanic and who had at least a sense of business: he offered to fix the bike with a new air chamber for 30 Zloti. We declined (as it was just a rental bike and already cost 30 Zloti) and went on.
At least we were recompensated by a superb view of the sea (see the picture), with water birds taking off from the water and a beautiful late afternoon light.
We decided to forget about cycling for the rest of the day and took the train back. Good idea, because when we arrived in Gdansk the air was out of the tire again.....
The guy at the bike rental just looked at us with big eyes, "I don't understand!", and got less money for the bike than agreed.... (I didn't really leave him any choice...).
So this was not one of the best days, although the region was a beauty. And the next day we were compensated with a really nice bike ride with Anna, on better (but not perfect) bikes.
After about 20 minutes, again.... my tire was flat. By then we were on a (very nice) path in the middle of nowhere, which meant walking for about an hour pushing the bikes until we arrived to a gas station. We gesticulated to the owner that we needed air in the tire and hoped to find some tools to take the wheel off (to have a closer look at the hole) but he was just closing his gas station so he quickly filled the tire with air, listened to it, said it was "ok" and we understood that for him the problem was solved (mainly because he wanted to close his station on time...).
We went on some more, me trying to put most of my weight on the front wheel, which made the air go out more slowly. At the next village we asked for a bike store and found one with the help of some nice people in the street. When I asked for "reparatura rowerowa" the answer was "maybe tomorrow" (this is a phrase that you have to get used to in Poland...). I said "oh no, now!" and the guy agreed to let us use his pump. So we fixed the same hole again, hoping this time would be ok, while the guy phoned his brother who seemed to be a bike mechanic and who had at least a sense of business: he offered to fix the bike with a new air chamber for 30 Zloti. We declined (as it was just a rental bike and already cost 30 Zloti) and went on.
At least we were recompensated by a superb view of the sea (see the picture), with water birds taking off from the water and a beautiful late afternoon light.
We decided to forget about cycling for the rest of the day and took the train back. Good idea, because when we arrived in Gdansk the air was out of the tire again.....
The guy at the bike rental just looked at us with big eyes, "I don't understand!", and got less money for the bike than agreed.... (I didn't really leave him any choice...).
So this was not one of the best days, although the region was a beauty. And the next day we were compensated with a really nice bike ride with Anna, on better (but not perfect) bikes.
23 April 2009
Sem ideas
Nao tenho ideias de que escrever.
Terceira noite em Gdansk. Depois de duas no hostel quisemos cortar no budget e procuramos couchsurf. Pela primeira vez na Polonia nao foi facil mas finalmente conseguimos. Hoje andamos de bicicleta ao longo da costa. Bicicletas do hostel, fraquissimas se juntarmos os passeios em mau estado. Nem sei como nao tivemos um furo.
Continuamos a sentir o problema da falta de 'servico': queriamos o horario de comboio e fomos ao guichet de informacao dos comboios onde nos enviaram a ja fechada informacao turistica. Tratando-se de um comboio que, entendemos por afiches estar com horario alterado, tentamos insistir sem sucesso. O guichet de informacao nao da informacao aos turistas. Nem em polaco que fosse.
Terceira noite em Gdansk. Depois de duas no hostel quisemos cortar no budget e procuramos couchsurf. Pela primeira vez na Polonia nao foi facil mas finalmente conseguimos. Hoje andamos de bicicleta ao longo da costa. Bicicletas do hostel, fraquissimas se juntarmos os passeios em mau estado. Nem sei como nao tivemos um furo.
Continuamos a sentir o problema da falta de 'servico': queriamos o horario de comboio e fomos ao guichet de informacao dos comboios onde nos enviaram a ja fechada informacao turistica. Tratando-se de um comboio que, entendemos por afiches estar com horario alterado, tentamos insistir sem sucesso. O guichet de informacao nao da informacao aos turistas. Nem em polaco que fosse.
22 April 2009
Gdansk
Gdansk e aquela cidade que sera bonita enquanto nao houver demasiados turistas. Tal como Varsovia tambem foi totalmente refeita nos anos 50. Aqui e a terra do Lech Walesa - o que trouxe a Polonia para fora do comunismo. Local do Solidarnosc, movimento que diria de esquerda embora na mesma ligado a igreja.
TESO - the expenses tracker
TESO was the name I gave to the expenses tracker on our trip. For sure all portuguese will laugh and that is the idea. Teso in portuguese means, among others, that you are without any money. But for us it means Travel, Eat, Sleep, Others. :-)
Our Teso budget is in average 60 euros/day (for both), but it changes a lot. There are days like last Monday where we used about 100 euros because of the Bodies exhibition in Warsaw, the train from Warsaw to Malbork, eating in a shopping centre and sleeping in a hostel. But there are days where we expend about 30euros only - couchsurfing, street eating, no travel and no museums help a lot.
I'm trying to keep a page with this Teso expenses list, but no time to update... on the internet. But for the moment I assure you that you can easily travel in Poland for less than 30eur/day/person.
Our Teso budget is in average 60 euros/day (for both), but it changes a lot. There are days like last Monday where we used about 100 euros because of the Bodies exhibition in Warsaw, the train from Warsaw to Malbork, eating in a shopping centre and sleeping in a hostel. But there are days where we expend about 30euros only - couchsurfing, street eating, no travel and no museums help a lot.
I'm trying to keep a page with this Teso expenses list, but no time to update... on the internet. But for the moment I assure you that you can easily travel in Poland for less than 30eur/day/person.
Warszawa
We spent the weekend in Warszaw - here are a few impressions.
A bit city.... a lot of time spent travelling in buses and trams.
Walking around in the "old" town... nice but too many tourists.
There was an outdoor exhibition with aerial photos taken by the SS during their air raids over the city. Very impressive. You see a completely destroyed city from above. The most scary are the pictures of the Jewish Ghetto: Just a white patch. No walls, nothing.
We also had the chance to discover Praga, a district said to be "very dangerous" but nobody can tell us why exactly. To be honest, I felt safer than walking around in Paquis area in Geneva! And there are some of the few still pre-war houses, old and unrenovated, most marked by bomb shrapnel, in desperate need of renovation. A very special feeling. Thanks Monika for showing us around!
I guess we could have spent more time in this city. But we decided to leave the concrete and traffic behind and go north, to Gdansk. On the way, a one-night stop at Malbork to visit the castle.
A bit city.... a lot of time spent travelling in buses and trams.
Walking around in the "old" town... nice but too many tourists.
There was an outdoor exhibition with aerial photos taken by the SS during their air raids over the city. Very impressive. You see a completely destroyed city from above. The most scary are the pictures of the Jewish Ghetto: Just a white patch. No walls, nothing.
We also had the chance to discover Praga, a district said to be "very dangerous" but nobody can tell us why exactly. To be honest, I felt safer than walking around in Paquis area in Geneva! And there are some of the few still pre-war houses, old and unrenovated, most marked by bomb shrapnel, in desperate need of renovation. A very special feeling. Thanks Monika for showing us around!
I guess we could have spent more time in this city. But we decided to leave the concrete and traffic behind and go north, to Gdansk. On the way, a one-night stop at Malbork to visit the castle.
20 April 2009
Monika Viktordottir
Ontem conhecemos Monika Viktordottir, outra CS, que fuma e que por atraso na sua resposta nao foi nossa host. Mas quando a encontramos o contacto fez-se. Pelo menos para mim. Talvez porque ela fala muito, talvez porque nao falamos de CS mas de Islandia. Bjork. Talvez porque ela ama onde vive e nos mostrou isso. Ela vive em Praga, bairro de ma reputacao em Varsovia. Ela e imagem da Varsovia alternativa que ainda nao existe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
