We arrived at the Treblinka parking at 0830 before the museum opened. I just hoped staff didn’t think we’d overnighted here. The map showed that it was about 3km to the site of the labour camp. J fed Corrie and then I took her with me for the walk. J stayed behind to have his breakfast. Poor Corrie probably wished she’d stayed behind. She is the laziest dog. Once she’s done her business, she hopes to turn back. Every time I read an information board, she hung back in the hope that this was my final destination and that finally I’ll turn! We clocked up over 7km. The sheer size and scale is overwhelming.
Our route took me along the Black Road. Cobbled in the way it it had been. Although the headstones removed from Jewish cemeteries to be used as paving are now in the museum.
Representation of the railway that brought in the undesirables, about 100 per cattle car.Stones with the countries the victims came from. Treblinka was 2nd to Auschwitz / Birkenau in the number of people murdered there. Monument to the murdered. Each small stone, about 17,000, represents a town or village where the victims came fromTteblinka I. A huge area where just the labour camp footings remain. The Germans dismantled and destroyed the evidence The huge gravel pit where people from the labour camp were forced to work 12+ hours a day. Treblinka II. Where the gas chambers used to be. The new chamber could ‘process’ 2000 victims a day. Over 900,000 people were murdered.
The museum was small, with little to add to the information boards at each location. However, there was a very moving film where a survivor talked of his experiences. He’d survived as he’d turned his hand to whatever was needed … brick layer, cutting off womens hair before entering the gas chamber, piling up dead bodies for more efficient burning. He’d escaped in August ’43 and fought with the resistance.
I don’t really know why I wanted to visit another extermination camp. Perhaps it’s something to do with the scale of former Jewish populations in each of the cities we’ve visited. To pay my respects. Treblinka is very different from Auschwitz / Birkenau, where the camps and extermination areas were left intact. But nonetheless, just as moving.
Having been along and crossed over the River San several times, it seemed appropriate to see where it joined the Vistula. We didn’t, in the end. Conscious that we’ve still not made it to the Baltics and our tunnel is on 30th September, we cut our visit very short. We actually commented that whilst we are really enjoying this trip, having a deadline, and a looming deadline, creates a certain pressure.
So our limited time in Sandomierz was walking around the historic centre. Once the capital of the Duchy, it is very smart, with some fine and huge buildings. It would be easy to spend a weekend here going inside, climbing towers, going into the underground tunnels … and trying out some of the smart looking eateries.
We did sample a baked cheesecake each. 😋
We were pleased we’d not planned to stay overnight where we parked up for our visit. We’d arrived at 9.30 am and the garage / restaurant / Circle K shop owner approached us … slurring words, a beer in hand and repeating himself. A self confessed alcoholic. 😔 Having rejected offers of beer, a coffee and bikes to cycle into town, we eventually extracted ourselves. But not before I was told I’d nice eyes!
We drove 5+ hours up to a small town near Treblinka. Used Google Translate to ask at a restaurant if we could have a table at 7.30 and if we could sleep in our motorhome outside. No and yes. The owner wrote on a piece of paper that opening hours were 0900 – 2100. Aah … 24 hour clock! I amended Google Translate to a table at 1930 and sleep outside. All smiles … yes and yes. A pretty average but inexpensive meal … dishes around £8 each, but a bottle of warm rubbish Spanish (no choice) wine was £18!
We exercised before leaving our riverside pitch. And no ill effects from our vodka tasting of the previous night. Lucky, methinks.
A 3.5 hour drive to get to Tarnow, with a lunch stop. Had to buy a few bits from a supermarket for lunch … with no f/f, I am really missing my homemade soup, which I portion up and freeze … normally.
We were both tired on arrival at Tarnow. Now, that might have been the vodka effect! Or it could have been the morning’s exercise. We pushed ourselves out for a quick wander and cold drink before heading off to the intended overnight. However, a leaflet from the TIC showed a few sights worth staying overnight for.
The car park was half empty when we arrived. Full when we walked back, but cleared when the heavens opened. And a full moon.
Our city tour proper started with the Roma museum the next morning. The founder was Roma, so it was ‘Roma’nticised but interesting. I hadn’t realised they originated from North India. Only recently have their dialects been moulded into one official language and books in Roma printed. A sign declared that Roma may be cheats and thieves, but they’ve never set off bombs or started wars. Fair point.
Various men have simultaneously declared themselves King of all Roma!Some info on their skills and trades
300-500,000 Roma were exterminated by the Germans in WW2; about half the Roma European population. It was not initially recognised, mourned, or recompenced, like the Jewish murders, as there was no central Roma organisation. Until 1971, when the first international Roma conference was held in …. Orpington, Kent. A flag and a hymn were presented. With time, the World Roma Union was represented at the United Nations.
Not how we imagine romany caravans and you couldn’t stand up inside. Another attractive large town square and wide surrounding streets. Tarnow historic centre is medieval.Stunning painted interior of a small wooden churchAttractive cathedral Monumentto the intelligentsia murdered by Stalin at Katyn and other places. Monument to the Jews murdered during WW2Monument to the broken lives of the Jews in Jewish cemetary This Jewish cemetary contains over 4000 headstones. Much more crowded than Christian cemeteries.Tarnow’s Jewish population had been nearly 50%. The Germans destroyed huge synagogue. All that remains is this tower from where the Torah was read. In recognition, some manholes have the Star of David
A short drive away was zany Zalipie. A straggling village of homesteads. About a hundred years ago, inhabitants started painted the interior and exterior of houses, barns and fences with folk art. To keep it going, a competition has been held since 1948 for the best painted house. We saw a film where school children were being ‘forced’ (with smiles) to paint in the traditional style. We visited a homestead museum of a famous local painter and then drove around the village, spotting other painted properties. Bit of a samey zany style, to he honest.
Not the healthiest of lunches!But neither of us could finish.
Our overnight was Lake Tarnobrzeg. We drove past the beach and bar area to a viewpoint. Nice and quiet, we thought. I took Corrie for a walk to another viewpoint. Saw an estate car parked up with its boot open. Didn’t think anything of it. Why would I? Broad daylight in a public park. Once I realised what the young couple were up to, I veered off … fast! At 9pm, a disco across the water started. Fortunately, the music wasn’t offensive. Unfortunately, it didn’t finish till 1pm. Could have been worse, but then cars were in and out of our car park – probably to engage in similar activities to what I’d stumbled upon earlier. So, not the best night’s sleep. And not in a good way!
It rained last evening. I rained during the night. It rained this morning. So we stayed in bed until until 10.30!!! The rain had stopped and despite the forecast of only 22°C, shorts went back on.
We’d been told not to miss this area. Our opinion: It isn’t as pretty as the Carpathian Mountains further west. And not as stunning or as high as the High Tatras when we were in Slovakia last summer. If you can stay and get out to walk, it would be a great place. We did stop at a few parkings to read the information boards, but bear warnings and very clearly signed No Dogs. Poor Corrie was confined to the van.
One of these loped across the road in front of us.
So it is pretty, but not stunning. Rolling hills rather than peaks. Pretty haystacks and wooden houses.
I had a quick look at one of the wooden churches.
The main even was the touristy cable car ride at Solina. We would have liked to walk at the top or walk down, but no paths. Just a kiddies theme park and a restaurant. We shared an indifferent plate, and neither of us finished it. Our first not good Polish meal. We had paid £2 to take Corrie up in the cable car, but she nearly wasn’t allowed down. She needed a muzzle! But we weren’t told that at the bottom! You’ll have to carry her. But she’s 13kgs and doesn’t like being carried! We compromised on keeping her on a short lead.
The dam planning started in 1921 but the dam wasn’t built until 1968. Little information on how much hydro electricity is produced. Our drive loop
We decided to stay at the same riverside parking as last night.
The flavoured vodkas were sampled. We like them all!And watched the mist come up over the field.
Having been told by two sets of people that we’d skipped the prettiest part of Poland. And that we would be fine in most of it with dogs. We back tracked along the road to Samok and then south into the Bieszczady area.
A booze store … alkoholes are everywhere, so to speak! A lovely young lady helped us to select vodkas for sampling.
We are really not seeing tourists and their coaches now … relief. The large carpark at Zagorez was empty. An intetesting walk to the Monastery. Alongside a railway track. Overgrown, so I said to J that I didn’t think it was in use. Then we heard the train horn! Corrie was back onto the lead, and we got out of the way as a works engine slowly trundled past. Three small children were playing at the level crossing … The Railway Children? A gentle climb up to the Monastery, passing first the Ten Commandments in stone and then the very beautiful and floral 12 stations of the cross. With increasingly lovely views. If the monastery was a waste of time, it wouldn’t have mattered as the walk was so lovely.
The cashier didn’t speak English and called a colleague who had limited English who offered a choice of tours. We opted for the full package. Initially, there was a film placing the monastery historically in context, with English sub titles. Then, a virtual reality tour of how the monastery would have looked before it crumbled and how the monks lived and worked. Our guide showed us a scale model, artefacts, and a mock-up of a cell… using the excellent translation services of a fellow visitor. I did ask if the Barefoot Carmelite order were, in fact, barefoot? No, they wore shoes, but no socks.
Perhaps Corrie would have liked her own VR experience EU funding has helped restore and build the visitor centre. More funding neededto protect the frescoes and excavate the cellars. All work done very sympathetically. And a tower for views.
Lesko was not far. I left J napping whilst I set off to explore, armed with a map from the handsome Tourist Information chap.
Lesko’s Jewish population was a third of the town. The synagogue tower was used by the Germans as a prison to inter Jews.Badly destroyed by the Germans. It was rebuilt inside, but just as a gallery for local artists.
The most interesting part of Lesko is the Jewish cemetary. It had not been reclaimed by nature but did seem uncared for. The grass at least was cut. However, all the headstones were either listing or fallen. There are over 2000 headstones, making it one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Poland.
Covered in moss, but I could still make out some ornatecarvingsA few modem tombstones. This one was erected by the family of a Rabbi who knew an ancestor was buried here, but they couldn’t find his grave.
The World War I cemetery was much smaller. A real mix of nationalities had been buried here in 1915: Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Slavs, Austrians, Czechs, Croatian, Bosnian etc. And with different religions.
We moved to a fabulous riverside parking. The River San again, but much narrower than at Sanok and Przemysl. We watched families picnicking and paddling. A few cars forded the river. We BBQd and just got the meat cooked before the storm chased us inside. The heatwave is over. Much lower temperatures and rain on the long-range forecast.
Clune Gap Years 