Moose on the Move!

In the wee hours of Tuesday 4th July we staggered into a town called Bartoszyce and found ourselves banging on the doors of what seemed to be a closed hotel. Luckily for us, a cleaner was inside and called someone down to reception. Trying to summon all my German to mind and then make it understandable was an effort (hampered somewhat by the fact that the harder I tried the more Danish came out) evenutally I made myself understood and then ducked out to the car to bring in Papa, Mum and our luggage.

When we got up to our rooms Chris and I headed straight to jump in the shower. It was a dark alcove and after several strong tugs on the cord haning in the corner we discovered that it was an alarm cord and not the light cord as we had expected. We spent the rest of the shower expecting the door to be smashed down as the calvary burst in to rescue us. We found out in the morning that Mum and Papa had pulled their alarm cord as well!

First stop when the rest of the world had woken up that morning was to find someone to fix the bent rim on our tyre. We left the wheel there with him and headed for the Wolfsschanze - Hilter's eastern wartime headquarters. It was an eerie place, huge concrete bunkers loomed between summer green foliage and it was difficult to get a good view of any of the buildings whole, party because of their size and partly because many of them had been badly damaged by explosions. It is quite a big complex and was elaborately designed and concealed. There was a failed attempt on Hitler's life here in 1944, Hitler used it as an excuse to get rid of anyone who was involved in the plot as well as anyone he didn't trust. In the end 20,000 were either killer or sent to concentration camps. The plot.

Swieta Lipka is quite possibly the most hilarious church I have every been in to. It is a beautiful Baroque stlye building that has been a place of worship and miraculous healings for centuries. "Built in 1721, its baroque organ has figures of saints and angels that can be put in motion by a special mechanism. The angel on the central tower plays a mandolin, while the cherubs turn around." In fact one of the angles, I'm certain, was head-banging. Sound slightly bizarre to you too? I don't think I was the only one trying hard not to laugh out loud!

After getting the wheel back from the mechanic in Bartoszyce we headed south towards Krakow (having decided to give Warsaw a miss this trip). We stayed near a place called Plock (except that the 'l' should have a little line through it, a bit like a 't' and sounds like a 'w'). We were chasing a little tent symbol we could see on our map but it wasn't very specific and the women in the local grocery store didn't know anything about a campground. They did smile though when Papa asked for a Polski Ogorki (cucumber). Actually we had many giggles driving around talking about 'Polski Ogorki' (does anyone else know that brand of pickles?). I'd have bought a T-shirt with Polski Ogorki on it if I could have found one.

The next day was a big driving day but we made it all the way down to Krakow where we found a really lovely campsite called Smok (Dragon) just outside the city centre. We set up camp and took it easy that night.

The following morning we caught a taxi into the city and after wandering through the huge covered market in the centre of the main square (the biggest main square in Europe measuring 200m by 200m) we walked to the North end of the city centre to see the Barbican. This is the old entrance to the city and is basically a circular gate house that visitors would have to drive through to get into Krakow. They were esentially trapped in there until they were either admitted or expelled. It was a really interesting building - lots of places to throw things from!

From there we walked back down through the centre of the city, stopping to buy some pretzels. There were several old ladies sitting along the side of the road selling what looked a bit like pastries or breads. We asked what was in them and the woman smiled and said 'cheese'. Ok - so we took one. It weighed the same as a small iron brick and when I tried to break it open I realised that it wasn't filled with cheese, it was cheese. We had just bought a half kilo of smoked polish cheese for lunch. Oops.

We carried on and made it to the South end of the city where Wawel Castle stands on a hill. It is a huge complex and beautiful although it was full of toursits while we were there. One drawback of visiting places in Summer is the tourists. Still it was lovely and Mum and Papa went down into the Dragon's Lair to find out about the history of the Wawel Smok (I think the story involved damsels being offered for sacrifice...)

We caught a taxi back to the campsite, our driver's name was Henry, although that may have been a pseudonym (do taxidrivers have pseudonyms?). He lived in Sydney for about a year and was super excited when he found out we were Australian. He kept turning around to look at us all and would drive for long stretches looking at Chris instead of the road. He also had the habit of letting go of the steering wheel to wave his hand about wildly in the air, emphasising the point of his stories.

While Chris took a nap that afternoon, Mum, Papa and I headed out of the town to visit the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine. It has been worked as a mine for 900 years, is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site and is worth a visit if you're in the area. The visit begins with a descent some 65 metres below the surface and after walking about 2km you end up at about 135 metres. In total there are about 200 km of passageways most of which are well below the depth that we visited. They stopped working the mine commercially in 1996 but still produce a small amount of salt each year from the briney water that must constantly be pumped out of the mine to stop erosion and collapse.

That evening we went back into Krakow to have some dinner and take the city in by night. We burnt a lot of our photos onto CD and I bought a few traditional nesting dolls for friends at home. The city is beautiful at night, it was warm and was lit spectacularly. We took a few photos of St Mary's Basilica and the Town Hall Tower - "Built of stone and brick at the end of the 13th century, this massive Gothic tower stands 70 meters tall and leans just 55 centimeters, a result of a strong wind in 1703." Cool.

The following morning we packed up camp and headed away from the city. We'd love to go back to Krakow at some point, unfortunately two days isn't really enough - it's just a taster.

We had decided to visit Auschwitz, perhaps the most notorious of Nazi concentration camps. It is in a town called Oswiecim, and it is from this Polish name that the Nazi's derived Auschwitz. We visited two parts of the camp - Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau. Both were truely haunting places to visit. I spent most of the tour trying hard not to cry. I felt like such a fake, crying at the plight of these people who were tortured over 60 years ago and none of whom I knew. The stories we were told by our guide were heart-wrenching and horrific.

We were guided through rooms full of the shoes and suitcases of those killed there. There was a room 20 meters long full of the hair of inmates (some of it was used to create blankets and coats). I think one of the things that I found hardest about it all was the cold calculation with which it was all carried out. People are killed in wars all over the globe everytime there is conflict, but rarely is it so carefully planned and carried out. Many Jews were told they were just being relocated to different areas in Poland etc, some were even sold their train tickets for the trip. They were told there was a limit on how much they could bring so they only brought their most valuable items and money. It's horrific. It was an emotionally exhausting day.

It wasn't far from there to the Polish/Czech border, although we were reprimanded when we left because we were apparently meant to have bought a permit for driving on the motorways in Poland. Oh. The border guard made us buy one on the way out!!

Heading towards Prague, the day passed quickly and we ended up pulling into a little town just off the motorway, called Humpolec. Funny name. Nice town. There was a very noisy wedding reception going on across the road from the first hotel we tried so we went a little further up the road and found a great hotel where the kitchen made us a spectacular dinner despite being officially closed.

Saturday 8th July, with less than a week before Mum and Papa were flying from Heathrow we left Humpolec headed towards Germany and Papa's sister Ulrike. We had organised to meet her the following morning in Heidelberg but reckoned that we had enough time to stop in Prague, at least for a couple of hours. Afterall, it's a place most of us hadn't been to before and who knows when we'd be back here.

It was packed with tourists but is still a fabulous city. It was amusing how many people were walking around doing their best to look bohemian... I have to admit that I too was wearing my loose red skirt! Within a few minutes of wandering around a huge market in the city centre I found a stall selling locally made glass beads in all kinds of fabulous colours and after pooling all our cash together I bought seven 250g bags of beads in assorted colours. Already my mind was ticking over with ideas about the things I wanted to make.

We spent a lovely couple of hours walking around the old city centre. We saw the main square, Franz Kafka's house from the outside and crossed the Charles Bridge looking at all the art and crafts for sale there. Unforunately we didn't have enough time to visit the palace, something saved for next time.

That afternoon in Germany we visited the picturesque village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was really a flying visit but apparently this is a specatular place to spend a little longer in.

We had trouble finding a place to stay that night. It was the final game between Germany and Portugal to decide who was awarded 3rd place in the World Cup Football. We watched the final part of the game in our room and when Germany won absolute mayhem ensued outside! There had been a small group in the pub under our hotel rooms and as soon as the game was over they were our on the street playing drums and dancing. In the next twenty minutes the crowds started leaving the huge screening in a nearby town and parading up and down the street outside our room with car horns blaring and flags waving. It was amazing sight and great fun to watch!

The next morning we finshed the drive to Heidelberg and managed to find our way to Ulrike's place, her landlord had recently painted the house a vivid purple which made it really stand out in the little street. We took a little walk to a small restaurant where we tried Flammekuchen - basically a really really thin pizza. It was good. We set up camp in a campsite right on the Neckar River and then the five of us climbed up about a million steps from the town centre to the Castle. It is a fabulous structure, really evocative and with great views down the valley and over the city.

That evening we found ourselves a place in a Bar in the centre of town to watch the Final of the World Cup. France vs Italy. We were going for the French team, mostly because it was Italy's acting skills that helped to ensure Australia's eviction from the competition. Unfortunately Italy won. Oh well - it's only football!

We dropped Ulrike at home and made our way back to our campsite - only to discover that they had locked the gate on us and we had to leave the car (with all our luggage) out on the road. Ah the joys of living out of your car!

Monday the 10th July we left Heidelberg heading north. We crossed the Rhein (famous German river) on a tiny little ferry and found our way to a little village called Undenheim. This is where Papa's family lived when they left Konigsberg, East Prussia, and we were treated to various stories about his early childhood adventures. "Here was where Ulrike fell into the stream" (she swears she was pushed), "Here is where the geese attcked my brother", "Here is where we used to toboggan down the hill - aiming not to hit the building at the bottom", "Up there's where the tracktor fell on he and that's how I got this dashing scar on my face". In true Monty Python style, life was hard and cold and hungry in Germany in the middle of last century. These are stories I've been brought up on and it was really nice to see the places in 'the flesh' if you will.

Chris was in charge of navigation at this point and there was some confusion because of all the -heims. Undenheim, Udenheim, Gabsheim, Kongernheim, and so on. Eventually we made it to Hahnheim where Papa's cousin and childhood trouble-maker Volker and his wife Marianne. We spent a lovely afternoon with them, visited the family grave of my Oma's parents and sisters, went to see where their great old house used to be before the block was subdivided. That evening we shared dinner and lots of wine. There was a lots of reminiscing and laughter... although some of us understood much less of what was going on than others!

Leaving Hahnheim the next morning we followed the Rhein north past dozens of castles and some really beautiful scenery. At St Goar we stopped for a leg stretch and Chris was quick to get his kit off and get into the river. "This is the river where I learned to swim" was Papa's contribution, it was much cleaner and nicer back then though, of course!

We made our way up to the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) in a place caller Koblenz which ironically is no where near any of the corners of Germany. It is the imposing point where two great rivers combine and flow together - the Rhein and the Mosel. It is the sight of a great battle in history and is now a signficant tourist spot. It was here that I decided to try out the Bum Bum icecream we had seem advertised elsewhere. It was pretty horrible, tasted like bubble gum and had a bubble gum stick. All a bit much really. Still it made us giggle... hee hee... I ate a Bum Bum (actually we all tasted it and Papa finished it for me).

From there we followed the Mosel back up stream past some really beautiful valleys and vinyards on increadibly steep slopes. We stopped in at Trier to see the roman ruins of Porta Negra (black gate). We camped that night just near Trier and Chris and I went for a swim across the Saar River, there was a bit of a current and half way across I started to imagine monsters in the deep...

Wednesday was something of an odd day - we had breakfast in Germany, lunch in Luxembourg and dinner in France! Luxembourg was quite a dramatic city, none of us had realised how spectacular a location it was in. Part of the city centre is surrounded by a very steep sided and deep valley called The Grund. We explored a little around the city, saw the Duke's Palace and burnt some more photos to CD. The rest of the day was a driving day to get us up to Dunkirque for the ferry the next morning. Thank goodness for audio books! By this point in the trip we had already listened to two other books - White Oleander by Janet Fitch and Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett - now we were listening to The Falls by Ian Rankin. It was a good book and we toook it in turns clarifying who was who, what the heck was going on and what we thought was going to happen next.

That night we found ourselves a hotel not far from the ferry terminal. It was in an industrial area, with smoke stacks all over the landscape (some with flames shooting out the top) and a really awful smell in the air. Ironically (or perhaps hopefully) it was called Best Hotel. What a joke. It was located directly below huge powerlines that you could hear buzzing from the carpark.

On Thursday the 13th we caught the ferry at 8am and had breakfast right in the prow of the boat where we could sit and watch the White Cliffs of Dover grow on the horizon. As we pulled in to the dock we could see that the baby seagulls we'd seen in their nests on our way out were mostly still there and quite a bit bigger than they had been a few weeks earlier. It was a little odd actually, being back in the UK after all the amazing things we'd seen on the Continent. We drove up through Canterbury and checked out the old town centre - it seems lovely - and then made a final mad dash towards London and the M25 to get Mum and Papa to Heathrow in time for their afternoon flight to Canada. We got them there in time and I'm pleased to announce that there were no tears until we actually got out of the car by the terminal. Of course, when we did get out, there were tears galore and a bit of sobbing. Goodness me!

It was sad to say goodbye and it seemed to have come upon us so suddenly... but I guess that's the way it happens. What an amazing trip! So many great memories and about a million photos (you know I'm not exaggerating - much). I guess it will only be about 6 months or so before we're back in Oz for a holiday and to see everyone.

So while Mum and Papa winged their way towards Canada, Chris and I headed into London City to a hotel for a few days before we went home. The day after we got back tot he UK was our second Anniversary and we figured that London was a great place to spend it. We took it easy, went to Camden markets, the Tate Modern, to see a Chigago in the West End and to the Tower of London. It was a lovely few selfish days together before we drove back down to Devon and normal life.