Finding Coleslaw in Jaroslaw

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Clunegapyears

28/08/2023

I’d read an online article about Przemysl, which described a worthwhile train excursion to a nearby town called Jarslow. And we’d have lunch out, again.

*The very ornate train station to reflect* *the once* *importance* of *Przemysl*. *Grace* (*dinner last night)* *described* *how* *it was full* of *beds* *at the start of the* *Ukraine* *war.* *Locals* *supporting* *the refugees with clothes,* *toys, books and food.*

*Our first Polish train. Corrie spent some of it on my lap as she didn’t like the jolts and whistle blowing at so many stations.*

The first stop on arrival was an ice cream. For some people, it’s coffee. Each to their own. We wandered the very quiet streets and square. Some interesting buildings but no museums open. Apparently, there are not one but two underground cellar tours. We couldn’t find them. And I’d done the one in Przemysl yesterday.

*The inside of the Collegiate Church was impressive. And immaculate … not the conception, but being repainted!*

The monastery of the Benedictine Sisters was a huge complex, built in 1614. Dissolved under Emperor Josef II in 1782. It became warehouses and military barracks. During the German occupation, it was used as a prison and an execution site. It has gone full circle as the Benedictine Nuns returned in 1991.

We had noticed a lack of restaurants and enquired at the Benedictine monastery cafe, but they could only offer pork chop and potatoes.

Our food quest saw us sit at one place and peruse the menu … only cakes and more ice cream. Fine in principal, but we do need one proper meal once a day. Google saved the day … restaurants open near me. And down a side street to an Italian trattoria.

*J had pasta, but I had potato pancake with* *pork goulash with a coleslaw side … again. Might be my new favourite* Polish dish.

Corrie was happy as the return train was a fast, modern and smooth train. We were happy as it had effective air con.

Back at our camper stop, we showered and I washed the sticky clothes we were stood in. Don’t think I’ve ever done laundry three days in a row!

Staying Put in Przemysl

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Clunegapyears

28/08/2023

We coughed up another £7.40 for the camper stop. I did another load of laundry. Then we wandered into town. You’d never guess, but Przemysl is prnounced shirmish, as in skirmish! As well as the guide books, I’d found an online article about the town so had the main attractions pinned on a map. We attempted to climb to the castle, but a sweaty 36C real feal defeated us.

*During WW2 the town was split into two along the River San. This is one of the Russian defence bunkers … the Molotov Line … Stalin’s N S defensive line before taking on Germany*

*One third* *of the population* *had been* *Jewish.* *This* *is one of the two surviving* *synagogues*. In *a bad* *state of repair.*

*Nothing remains of the Jewish cemetery. Totally reclaimed by nature as no surviving families to tend* *to it.*

*Cathedral belfry. We tried twice to see the cathedral and crypt. First a service and then a wedding.*

*Award winning ice cream parlour and raspberry lemonade refreshment stop*

*I did the newly opened underground tour … through cellars of the square and* *then along 150m of sewers. Not much to look at, but* *lots of* *interactive* *screens* *and* *a very* good *audio* *guide.*

*A bear is the city emblem and apparently* *bears* do *live* *in the woods not too far* *away.*

We’d been recommended a restaurant so joined the queue. Got chatting to mother and son, Grace and Nick. They asked if we’d like to share their table. They had emigrated 30 years ago, whilst the USSR didn’t issue passports. Who you know and a brown envelope sorted passports. Grace with two small children didn’t relax until the plane took off. Over a couple of bottles of wine (French), we asked questions.

Poland had been partitioned for 123 years by Russia, Germany and Austria, and I wondered how Polish culture and national identity had survived. They still spoke Polish, and underground schools taught history, etc. A very Catholic country, where abortion is still illegal. 3 women have recently died from sepsis as doctors were not allowed to abort foetuses that had died. An election is due on 15th October, and it’s expected that the right-wing government will be ousted. Rental property and hotels here are full. Journalists covering the war and Ukrainian families live here have pushed up prices. Similar to Germany, many Ukrainians come once a month to collect their refugee monies and then go back to the Ukraine to spend it. Poland does produce some wine, but it’s generally sweet. The availability of medical care was compared between Canada, Poland, UK and Greece. Poland is no longer a poor country, but has a positive GDP and is attracting a lot of investment. A memorable meal … one of those moments in time.

Sanok and Vodka Tasting

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Clunegapyears

26/08/2023

Not only did the metal bridge disturb my slumbers, but so did a drunk who kept belting out the same few song lines. Would have liked to belt him! Despite waking tired, we both cracked out a 4km run, well stagger / shuffle in my case.

*Whilst we had breakfast, the cacophony of dog barking was explained. A race was on. Luckily we’d* *got back* *before they set off.*

In my humble opinion, it was too hot to take dogs on a long race. Afterwards, I saw one lady applying ointment to her dogs paws and another chap pouring water over his dog. Animal welfare not at its best.

We paid our £4.30 for both of us to enter the Sanok Folk Museum. We are finding that now we’re off the international tourist route, entry prices are much lower. We’ve seen enough cooking bowls and shovel museums, but this was buildings. Poland’s largest collection of buildings. Why does it always have to be largest, oldest etc … not always the best! Buildings were grouped depending on where they came from within the region. Some you could enter, others had wooden grills you could look through. They got a bit samey after a while … and it was hot.

*A couple of Greek Catholic churches … don’t know what the Greeks were doing here.*

Feeling a little drained, after our run and the heat, we decided against driving to dip our toes into the Bieszczady National Park where we knew we couldn’t walk with Corrie. So we missed seeing Poland’s highest dam! We arrived at a camper park just outside Przemysl at the bottom of a chairlift and by a small outdoor pool. For £7.40pn we’ve a key to toilets, showers, water and WiFi.

We went straight into laundry mode … Kerstin’s bedding, nearly all our knickers and clothes … there were washing lines too! Insufficient for all our laundry, so I suspended a line from our awning. Suddenly, the wind got severely up … J hung onto the awning – just – I had visions of him doing a James and the Giant Peach … only in the case James and the Flapping Awning. I got the laundry and line down and reeled in the awning. It’s a new one, a freek gust took the old one last year.

I decided I wasn’t cooking. As J is won’t cook, can’t cook, that meant one thing… we’re eating out. A 10 minute walk to the old town.

*A lovely meal: cocktails to start*, *wine and then we started working our way through the vodka menu … we were always going to do it sometime.*

One would have thought we’d staggered home, but Greek Raki after a meal has us in good training. Don’t think we’ll be challenging any Poles to a drinking session … we’ve been warned. And they knock it back … we sip!

Castle on a Rock and More Rocks

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Clunegapyears

25/08/2023

We decided to have an easier day. We deserved it after all last night’s cleaning. At least, that was the plan!

*Lovely quiet car park with no one around to take the fee.*

Exercise started with J running whilst I Pilates’d. We set off to see the ruined castle above us. But I spotted an information board down a lane, so we set off to investigate. Some nice rocks and a way marked path … better follow it then.

*Some scouts were camping here just before WW2 when they were called up. They carved a symbol into the rock and erected a cross*.

*On the return*, we *spotted this sign. Shouldn’t* *have been here.* We *might have been felled.*

Cauliflower and almond soup, a new recipe to us. And then we had a wander around the castle. Under £3pp entry but there really wasn’t much there … unless you like torture chambers, which we don’t.

A short drive for another ‘let’s keep this one short’ walk to see more lime stone rocks in Przadki Reserve.

I do like something to see / do en route to the next destination. This was a miss! Billed as the largest wooden Gothic church in Europe.

*It looked like a barn and we couldn’t get in either.*

But there was a shop for our daily ice cream!

We drove to Sanok Open Air Museum and spent the night in the carpark. A bit noisy as the metal bridge clattered every time a car crossed.

The Bobrka Oil and Gas Museum And Glass at Krosno

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Clunegapyears

24/08/2023

Great quiet night, and we were the first museum guests at 8.30. Corrie allowed in, and a fuss of her duly made.
The museum claims to be the oldest continuous oil drilling site in the world. Suspect our evening nodding donkey drilling last night in the woods justifies the ‘continuous’ part of that claim.
Interesting museum with an audio guide explaining how initially the shafts were hand drilled, then various impact drills using a drop from a height method, then steam and electricity.
The best was the world’s oldest surviving hand dug shaft named Franek from 1860. The pit was a shallow square … and it still has oil filling it. Bubbling or burping from the gas. Bloody amazing.

*Looking inside Franek. Still filling with oil since 1860. Gloop gloop as gas is released.*

*A hand winch to collect the oil in buckets*

*Largest oil production here was* *1902-04. Still* *drilling* *for oil in the Carpathian* *Mountains.*

*At it’s height … thousands of workers. The owners instigated and insurance policy in the late 1800s, for injured workers or desceased’s families.*

Kerstin has recently been on a 2 day course working in a forge to make a kitchen knife. She recognised most of the tools. Interestingly, her knife is forged from a lawn mower blade, as the steel is super strong.

*We saw various methods of impact drill. The more recent descending 3.5* *km.*

We shifted to Krosno. Unfortunately, Kerstin has had to cut her time with us short. She’s been receiving at least one call daily from a tenant about another annoying idiot tenant. The idiot has been switching off the WiFi router, putting his mattress in the lounge, breaking into another tenant’s room looking for money… police have been called. He’s a known drug addict. And needs evicting from Kerstin’s apartment.

We parked near the train station and bought a load of cheap water from Lidl … cheaper than going on a campsite! Then had a wander into the town. Another large square and some impressive buildings. Kerstin treated us to lunch. Beef cheeks was my delicious choice.

Kerstin and I went into the Franciscan Church. A display about a local family put to death for harbouring Jews. Even the small children. Apparently, only 21 Jews in the area survived detection and extermination.

Kerstin on her train at 4.00. Helped by a local to buy her ticket. It took 3.5 hours as it stopped everywhere. The lovely lad in the TIC had tried to persuade her to go by bus, but we’d seen the traffic around Krakow, so knew that 4.5 hours *could be much* *longer.*

Whilst J nanny napped with Corrie. I went around the Krosno glass museum. Krosno was the Polish centre for glass. Main production is outside the town, but there were several live demonstrations and I got to press a *piece* *of molten* *glass.*

*I prefer Dartington glass, where you actually walk above the real production area*

*Several displays of glass … this artist fusing opacity with glass*

*The second part of the tour was in cellars under the square. More artists’ work and a display about how glass is used in science.*

James and I drove about 30 mins north to a free carpark just under a ruined castle. We went into busy mode. Cleaned the rugs. Cleaned the van. Stripped Kerstin’s bed and found the extra money she’d left for us. It’s always a game, finding where she’s stashed extra money … usually in a guidebook. We will just have to go via her house to Albania in October to return it and her walking poles, which I found in her garage! Oh, and we both had a flannel wash …as good as a shower! Honest!!!

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels

Category Archives: Poland