15/08/2023

Yesterday we left Wroclaw and drove 3.5hrs to Jasna Gorna, monastery with a black Madonna. 

It was a more interesting journey than it should have been. Especially after a busy day.

• We drove on an eflow motorway. Up to now, there have been toll booths. I’d downloaded the app, entered our reg, but had no facility to create an account. It just returned the message that under 3.5 tons are free. Jez is most decidedly not under 3.5 tons.  An email has since gone to eflow.
• A sign appeared on the next motorway … 15km of bumps. The speed limit reduced from 140km to 80.  I was lucky to be do 40km in places. It was like an old amusement ride I used to take Maddy as a toddler to, called the cake walk. Basically a walkway rocked and bucked and tried to throw you off.
• As we approached Jasna Gora, the roadworks were long and rough.  Lots of sections of one way with lights. Raised man holes.  And switching across a raised central reservation to the other side … frequently. I have yet to inspect if the contents of my wardrobe have left their rail.
• Arriving at the car park, we were lucky to get a space. The car park attendant had me back and forth until I was perfectly on the white line. £16 just to park for 15 hours … dearer than the Karpacz campsite, which had services.

Last night was supposed to have been dry, but I reckoned I deserved a glass or two after a wander to get a sense of place and to see how the Poles celebrate the Feast of Assumption.

My back and sciatica were starting to niggle, so this morning, I did pilates in the shade of the van in the car park. J headed off to attend the 9.30 mass, thinking there would be a live broadcast in the field to the throng of people. It wasn’t. Deciding we’d had enough of crowds, we left with no mass for J and neither of us seeing the black Madonna.

A 2 hour drive back through the roadworks, but leaving the motorway before the cake walk ripples, to the largest dessert in central Europe. Pustynia Bledowska was created due to deforestation. The timber was used in nearby silver and lead mines. It really is a great spot. Locals coming for the view. A good chat with a family and an ice cream seller. 😊