Saw Warsaw

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Clunegapyears

22-25/09/2022

Night of 21st was spent at a lovely spot along the Vistula outside Torun. The intention had been to visit Torun, medieval historic centre and birthplace of Copernicus. However, J woke up and wanted to run. So it was Torun or To Run. J ran and I walked Corrie.

*Riverside overnight spot. Nice chat in the morning with local river authority man and fisherman.*

We arrived at the campsite in time to pay and shower. I threw a load in the included in the price machine. So I’m now on load 3. It’s included in the canpsite price. We’re here for 4 nights, so I reckon I’ve one load to go!!!

We caught the bus and tram into the centre, after a 2.2km walk to the nearest bus stop. I’m sure the campsite website implied the stop was nearer. Ho hum. We met Simon, J’s no. 2 son, who has just taken a job here. Another bus into the old town and a lovely meal in the square. It was an Uber home. 30 mins by car, over 80 mins by bus and foot. At £8.50, it was a no brainer!

On Saturday, we were up and at ’em. J skipped breakfast! Walk, bus, and tram into the old town to join a 10.30 old town walking tour (free … tips). We had time for breakfast … croissant eggs benedict. A large tour group but the diminutive guide had good voice projection. And a very dry sense of humour. She’s managed to convince us that whilst Warsaw it is not as pretty as Krakow, it fought and was flattened in WW2. Funnily enough, she didn’t mention Gdasnk which is stunning and was flattened.

In the afternoon, Corrie went home with Simon and crashed out. J and I visited the Jewish Museum. Well, only half it. An audio guide was included in the price, but we still got confused as to how Jews integrated and were accepted or not through the centuries. It’s a massive museum and despite folding chairs you could carry around with you, it was tiring. We aborted by the time we got to the interwar period. It really needs two bites at it.

*Modern structure with the symbolic chasm*

An Uber back to Simon’s apartment for J to have a nanny nap and watch the England v Chile rugby World Cup. Then supper out and just a few wines in an Irish bar for the much better Ireland v South Africa game. J’s two daughters were there for this game and Sarah’s husband is from South Africa… can imagine the banter.

*Corrie in the Irish bar … an enthusiastic rugby supporter.*

Uber back to the campsite. Just as well one of us was sober to get us home … and I wouldn’t dare say which of us that was!

On Sunday we caught bus and trams to Praga. It took longer than it should as I wasn’t paying attention so we over shot an interchange. Praga is over the Vistula River. It used to be a no go area but has been cleaned up. Not much there but a good cafe vibe.

*Late* C19 Russian Orthadox Church built during the Partition years when Poland didn’t exist. The bells were removed for smelting during WW2 but were the wrong sort of metal, so patched up and left beside the church. It was the busiest church we’ve seen this trip with worshippers in groups and solo, and cleaners.

*The Catholics built this just down the road in response to the Russian one!*

Simon had told us about the free Chopin concert in the park. We missed a bus and then got dropped by the bus right over the other side. Part of our route to the concert was barred by road works. And then we were evicted by a park official … no dogs in this park! We walked around the park, up the hill which Simon’s running club uses for hill training!, to the park’s main gate. Late and barred, we sat on a bench outside and listened.

We met Simon after and went for a drink. Lovely view over the park we’d been barred from (have I mentioned that before?!) and of the Legia football stadium. We had passed loads of supporters walking to and around the park. And nearly as many policemen. And a squad of riot police with gas, shields and batons! Simon explained that Poland still has football hooliganism. Strange given how safe it is.

*View of the park we were barred from. Football stadium over to the left.*

*Whilst we had a boring Uber home, Simon has a scooter. Soooo much fun.* *I want* *one as well as a canal boat!*

Our last day in Warsaw. We had booked at 10 a.m. Jewish history tour. That was cancelled as we would have had to leave before 8.00! Booked a 1.30 WW2 instead, which gave us time for a light lunch. Good tour covering the Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Uprising. But to be honest, we knew most of the content by now. The sheer numbers of killed are just staggering. For instance, 100,000 Jews died in the Ghetto from starvation, homelessness and disease alone. After the Warsaw Uprising, the Germans systematically looted and then blew up 85% of the city. In 1939, Warsaw was the 7th largest European city with a population of 1.3 million. When Russia took over, Warsaw only 6% of the population were attempting to live in the ruins. We walked a bit more around the old (reconstructed) town before Simon joined us for supper in the old town.

We really enjoyed our time in Warsaw. Definitely want to visit the museums on the next trip. But it is a big city and doesn’t have the charm of Gdasnk or Krakow. We are sooo citied out that we’ve made the decision to skip Poznan.

We are now on the long road back to the UK to empty and clean Jez and pick up the Greek car.

Gdansk

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Clunegapyears

19-20/09/2023

We stayed in our shopping centre car park for 3 nights. Not the quietest of places at night as one store was having a refit, and they worked into the small hours. And of course, large expanses of tarmac just invite wheelies! But it had a huge Auchan and a 30 min bus into the city centre. Oh, and it was free! We would normally park further out or use campsite when visiting cities. But Poland just feels safer than most countries.

We caught the bus on visit 1 by the skin of our teeth. Expected to be able to buy the ticket from the driver. No, he wafted his hand over to the other side of the road to the ticket machine. Grr … it’s 30 mins till the next bus and he wasn’t going to hold the bus for us. A passenger rummaged and offered us one of his tickets … 3 passengers helping with translations and checking J was free. I recently read a post about Glimmer moments. When you are unexpectedly pleased, happy, grateful etc. This was a glimmer moment. The next day had no glimmer. We missed bus 1. Got evicted from bus 2 as the jobsworth driver told us we needed a muzzle for Corrie. Not had to use one so far this trip. I fetched the torture apparatus just in time for bus No. 3!

We were wowed by Tallinn. More so by Gdasnk. The mediaeval centre was largely bombed and burned in WW2 … the target being the ship yards. Instead of rebuilding as was, they went for Belguim / Dutch style. And the buildings in the centre are taller than we’ve seen … 5 storeys. Making them more elegant and imposing.

And detail also sets Gdansk apart. Detail in building decoration and structural.

The C14 crane is wooden, with brick pillars either side. It is operated by a hamster wheel. Actually a human man wheel! Destroyed in 1945 it was fully reconstructed including the mechanisms. It can lift 2 tons to 27m.

*The former prison just got a* *new inmate.*

*Church of St Mary is the largest medieval brick built church in Europe. It really is taaaall! Lovely astronomical clock.*

Day 2 was a Shipyard free tour.

We rewalked the long market street, just as it is so beautiful. Then, we joined a free (tip based) walking tour of the Gdansk Shipyard. The guide covered 2 main topics. This history of the ship yard and how the unions contributed to independence.

We saw where Dreadnaughts had been built, followed by groundbreaking turbine engine U-boats. It was the production of these that drew the Allies bombs. The shipyards had been Imperial German, Russian and stripped of all their technology by the Russians. So when independence came, production stopped. The main market, post war, had been merchant ships for Russia. An attempt was made to revive the ship building, but now the site is largely derelict with small scale yacht building.

We heard how small local unions had been repressed. How after the 1950s, people stopped armed resistance. How many people were either paid or blackmailed to work for the secret service. How in 1971, the government tried to put up food prices overnight by 20%. 1971, the government tried to put up food prices overnight by 20%. How rationing was reintroduced in 1981 due to food and transportation inefficiencies. How if you were caught for being a member of a union, you were sacked, and there was no state support. How various uprisings were crushed with oversized force. How in 1980 Solidarity was born in Gdansk, but their demands were for the whole country. This led to Solidarity being the first legal union. But then, having identified the union members, a year later Solidarity had to go underground and many members were imprisoned, certainly sacked.
A fascinating tour, especially given it is recent history.

*This press was used for about 150 years.*

*Solidarity was the first union (illegal) to ask for nationwide reforms. This was their 21 demands.*

So Gdasnk is definitely our top recommendation for a city break, followed by Tallinn. And it’s the main Amber centre … would have been a shame not to … yes, I’ve a fabulous new necklace. Always sweetened by a 50% for cash discount. Leave you to guess who played good cop and who played bad cop!

*Interesting way to decorate the bathrooms.*

Wolf’s Lair

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Clunegapyears

18/09/2023

An early start … we were on the road at 7.30. There was over 6 hours of driving ahead of us with a stop on the way … Hitler’s war time bunker complex. We had been told the Masurian Lakes were attractive, and had we not run out of days we, we would have stayed. Lots of water, trees and gentle undulations … perfect for exploring on bikes. We had noticed that as soon as we left Lithuania, the landscape became more interesting, i.e. less pancake iflat.

At the Wolf’s Lair we parked in the dedicated motorhome bays, with EHU. Not that we bothered connecting as, with the fridge not working, all we have that can go off is milk. It does … but only after 2 days. We had an early lunch as even J was hungry; he’d missed breakfast, and all we’d eaten was a packet of biscuits. Normally, I batch make and freeze soup so we can vary the flavours. The fridgeless state means I’m buying jars of soup. Bit of a lottery as to the flavour unless I Google translate them. They’re OK.

The audio guide was good. Another one that is gps triggered and tells you where to walk. Hilter and his wartime government lived and worked here from June 1941 to November 1944. And why here? It was part of East Prussia and was close to the Eastern Front. Far from roads and towns. Accessible only by rail and light aircraft. And why the Wolf’s Lair? Wolf was a self adopted nickname of Hilter.

Hitler arrived on June 24th 1941, two days after the start of Operation Barbarossa. At it’s peak over 2000 people lived and worked here. He spent 800 days here continuously at one point. The bunkers were expanded and reinforced mid 1944. The works were never completed due to the rapid advance of the Red Army. Hitler fled to Berlin.

*Huge bunkers. The whole site was camouflaged with grass on roofs*, *fake trees and netting.*

*The whole complex is damaged*, *as sappers on January* 1945, *set huge bombs inside, leaving some walls* *leaning* *and* *massive concrete slabs with twist*ed metal.

*Hitler’s office. Plain decor as he didn’t think he should live in luxury whilst soldiers were fighting. The bunkers were very unpleasant to live in. Airless with the noise* of *ventilation and artificial light.*

There had been numerous attempts on Hilter’s life. He had food tasters in case of poisoning. The July 20th 1945 attempt nearly got him. Recognising that loosing the war was inevitable, a group of officers and civillians plotted. Staff officer Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg volunteered to carry a bomb hidden in a briefcase into one of the daily military briefings usually held in the bunkers, in the hope that the heavy reinforcements of the bunkers could be turned against the Führer through the shockwave of the blast reverberating off the heavily reinforced walls of the room and certainly killing him.

However, on the day of the planned assassination, the location of the meeting was unexpectedly changed to a light brick hut due to Hitler’s complaints about the immense heat within the bunkers that day. This change in venue, along with other factors, such as Hitler unexpectedly calling the meeting earlier than anticipated, would contribute to the eventual failure of the plot. Despite this change in plans, Stauffenberg went ahead with carrying out the plot. He carried the briefcase containing the bomb into the conference hut, making a request to be placed close to Hitler on grounds that he had trouble hearing due to his injuries sustained while fighting in North Africa, which would ensure that the bomb would be close enough to Hitler to be effective.

The bomb exploded at precisely 12:42 p.m., with Stauffenberg having excused himself from the meeting a few minutes before. The interior of the building was devastated, four officers were injured and would later die of their wounds but Hitler was only slightly injured. This was due to the fact that one of the other officers present at the meeting had, for his own comfort, moved the briefcase from where it had been put by Stauffenberg close to Hitler and placed it against one of the legs of the solid oak table being used for the meeting. The result of this innocent action was that the thick, heavy table absorbed most of the blast and this, along with the collapse of some of the hut’s thin walls thus dissipating the shockwave, saved the Führer‘s life. Four men died from the bomb. Most of the conspirators were shot.

*The conference centre where the assassination attempt was made*

There was a display about the Warsaw Uprising. Angered by the attempt on his life, Hilter ordered the complete destruction of the city and population.

It is doubtful that the Allies knew of the location as it was never bombed. Indeed, the Russian army only stumbled on it as they advanced west.

Another longish drive to Gdansk. We re-routed after a 10k stretch of shocking road where I was down to 25mph. Fortunately, we were driving into Gdansk as the roads leaving were completely stationary. It was like Operation Stack: mostly trucks with a few cars. Note to self, leave Gdansk late. Very late.

Parnu Walk and Lunch

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Clunegapyears

17/09/2023

Whilst most folk visit Parnu for a holiday, or at least a weekend break, we broke a long driving day here. Having walked along the river and round to the beach we could see why it is a top tourist destination. A local, a Finn married to an Estonian, told us the town swells by 25,000 during high season.

*A monument to the MS Estonia which* *sank claiming* *852 lives* in *1994*. *We saw another monument* in Tallinn.

*The town itself was pretty unremarkable compared to the historic cities we’ve been visiting, but it had a chilled vibe. Well, now it’s out of season*!

*Lunch was a recommendation from the* *blogger we met in Krakow … https://manvannoplan.co.uk/*. *Almond crusted chicken … couldn’t eat it all. Good value at €10.*

*We drove on for a further 3.5 hours to a parking just off the main road. All the radio masts belong to a logging processing plant. No idea why.*

Top Tallinn

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Clunegapyears

13-14/09/2023

Well, we definitely saved the best Baltic capital till last. By accident rather than design, as we had no expectations of which city would woo us. So much so we stayed a second day. This is despite getting absolutely drenched on the first visit, which you would have thought would have dampened our enthusiasm.

Day 1 we’d booked a free (tip based) walking tour. Our guide gave us a similar potted history to Latvia’s …except the Danes were first here. Then the Germans, Russian empire, independent between wars and then swinging between Germany and Russia during the WW2. With only 1.3 million people today, it is truly a small country. About 30% of the population are native / 1st & 2nd gen Russians … brought over to work and ‘Russanise’ Estonia. Like in Latvia, they go to Russian speaking schools and live and socialise only with each other. Our guide said she’d only recently made a Russian Estonian friend as their paths just do not cross. One has to wonder how many would welcome a Russian invasion.

Estonia lost nearly 18% of it’s population due to USSR deportations. The chap we met the other day told us his grandmother had been deported as a young girl with her parents and two sisters. She was the only survivor. Our guide explained that her grandfather had fought with the Germans during WW1, meaning his name went on a list, so durung Russian occupation post WW2, he went to hard labour camp for 3 years. His wife and son (our guide’s father) were sent to different Gulags. It was many years before they returned.

*Wet misty first view of the old town wall*

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built late C19 as part of the Russanification. During the inter war independence, Estonia planned to pull it down. They didn’t have the funds for such a huge demolition project, so it survived.

*What was the castle is now the Parliament*

*A wealthy inhabitant decided there were insufficient statues in Tallinn and commissioned the* *monks,* *which* *now* *grace* *the Danish Kings* *Garden*

Freedom Square. The cross monument was built early 1990’s at huge expense and the glass sheets need annual repair. According to our guide, this and a public toilet are good examples of early independence corruption. It wasn’t until the turn of the century when Estonia was chasing joining the EU, *that corruption* was stamped out. EU and NATO were 2004. Euro was 2011.

*Lots of viewpoints, but oh, so misty in the stair rods. Tallinn actually has a proper hill in the city, making for views and a* *more interesting layout. Bear in mind, Estonia boasts the highest of the Baltic states mountains … at 318m. To p*ut into perspective, *Sca Fell Pike is 978m* *and* *Ben Nevis is* *1345*m.

*Cold and wet we splashed out on a lovely* *meal, including pud and a bottle of red!*

Our wet weather gear had been no match for the torrential downpours. We were cold and wet. On the way home, a small bottle of brandy was purchased … stiff Irish-ish coffees back at Jez! However, on the 30 minute train ride back to the campsite, we determined to visit for a second day.

Day 2 was sunny. What a difference a day makes. We left shoes etc drying outside Jez. I spent the morning grappling with some admin for one of our rental properties … the site had good wifi. We used gps.mycity again to follow a route to see most of the sites. Whilst we felt one day was just OK in Vilnius and Riga, as we can’t go into museums etc with Corrie, Tallinn definitely justified a round 2.