POLAND Pomerania

Poland Pomerania

30/07/07

Driving off the ferry boat and out into Poland, a stark contrast from across the Baltic in Sweden. I had not driven 2 Km when i found the traffic was being held up by a horse and cart heading home from a hard days toil in the forest. The quality of the roads had also dropped several grades , Broken concrete and large potholes where trucks had slipped off into the gutters . Mind you this was the port area and heavy traffic on soft under lying sand and mud will always give rise to humps and bumps .

I drove 20 minutes to get away from all the action and found my self on the perimeter of one of Poland's smallest National Parks, Wolin. I located a parking Zone and was ushered into a tight spot beside a Semi. I was expecting much more business later in the night as the Parking space was a sealed disused factory forecourt, able to accommodate several hundred trucks. I slept soundly and in the am,found that i was the only vehicle still in the parking space 0600hrs,

Wolin NP is well presented, tidy with signage in Polish,German and English, It is one of the best beach holiday destination for ramblers from all over Poland. The landscape is of small rolling hills which came about from the melting of the ice sheet years ago. Bison have been reintroduce to part of the park in an effort to bring them back from the brink of extinction. I have seen another relocated Bison herd in Kent, England at the Howlett Zoo.

The vegetation is so luxuriant at present there was little hope of spotting them . The forest is pristine, very limited undergrowth with tall straight Oak's, Pines and Beech. I stopped and listened to an array of bird I haven't heard before. Large black and white Storks are nesting on top of power poles . There dirty white coats and long red beaks and legs straddling chicks. A family of 8 Cranes had landed for a spell on a recently tilled paddock. These birds stood nearly a meter tall, dull Grey and black in color with crimson head feathers , no tail feathers similar to an emu. Two of them were constantly on alert while the other fed.

The main roads are narrow and single lane giving rise to the potential for road rage. I have seen some lunatics today , passing with only seconds to get back on to the correct side of the road. I was telling myself to be vigilant when something out the drivers window caught my attention. In the time I took my eyes of the oncoming to have look . An idiot swerved out and was coming straight at me on my side . I took the correct evasive action and headed for the verge . He kept coming, overtaking the car on his side and missing my front left by half a meter. Bastard.

I thought the secondary roads may be safer. Well they are like riding a bucking bronco . Pothole and Narrow broken verges and still the locals want to pass and do so when there is signs indicating dips bridges or ridges. The big 100 year old Oakes ine the roads, Where there is a root structure there is a Hum and between the trees at interals of 20 meters is the hollow. Hawkers and touts surrounded me in a town called Slupsz ( Sloop Che ) wanting to sell post cards and trips round the town. They soon went to the next victim when i proceeded to making a cuppa .

I camped beside a disused factory complex last night . Woke at daylight and thought Id get on the road before Poland woke up. The morning mist , lakes and farm-scapes where wonderful this morning , i pulled over several times take photos . I soon had to be driving at full speed as all he Poles where rushing to get to work and continuing to put their lives and others in jeopardy doing so.

I was soon rushed in to GDANSK in the rush hour traffic . Its near impossible to navigate and drive

I wonder What will happen next

Alvin