Poland 1991 #2of5

(Except Gdansk, Kraków, Oswiecim, Poznan, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wieliczka, Wroclaw.)

We detoured through Gasawa and saw a church with vertical wide boards as its siding. We wave to people all over Europe, and here in Poland we usually get a response. A couple of young girls waved, and when we didn’t respond fast enough, they waved again. This vehicle has a German license, in other years, when we drove an RV with a large “USA” sign, we received an even more enthusiastic reception, many places. We have never had even the slightest problem with anti-American expressions, in any country, in any year.

As we drive, we see little eating places at rest stops, and often at a place wide enough for customer parking, there will be a trailer with an outdoor bar-b-que cooking sausages. Many times there are people selling clothes and other things.

In several towns, and especially in Gdansk, we have seen a lot of large pipes above ground, very ugly, but we were told they are carrying heat from a central plant to buildings throughout the town or city.

After a visit with friends in Gdansk, we headed toward Warsaw. We stopped in the town of Malbork, to visit The Castle, “… one of the grandest tourist attractions in Poland.” It dates from the late 1200s, and as true for most of Poland, has been under control of the Poles some of the time, and Germans at other times. Saint Mary’s church (in the castle) was completely destroyed in the war, and was rebuilt by 1965.

This castle, while huge, had more of a homey atmosphere than many buildings that are called castles. The building is almost completely made of red-brick, with several courtyards, and with many windows and other features built in the Gothic style. In addition to a museum that contained exhibits of Amber, some as large as many pounds each, there was a store where Emmy bought an Amber broach.

We shopped in the nearby town for groceries, and bought bread, three eggs and milk for less than a dollar. Food is much cheaper in Poland then in Western Europe, and when we consider their wages, if food wasn’t low priced, these people wouldn’t be able to eat at all.

At the nearby campground I was told, “No charge.” There were only two or three other campers that night.