Sunday 29th August mileage 7240 Warsaw Poland

Didn't sleep well, the duvet was slightly too short, and I kept thinking I was being bitten by mosquitos!!  I wasn't because I don't have any more bites it was just the previous bites on my feet were making me very self conscious.   Thinking back I think I got bitten on the feet in Kaunus when I was in the Italian restaurant at night!
Breakfast was three kinds of sliced meat, cheese, tomato, bread and coffee, no choice, it all just arrived on one plate (not the coffee!!).  Tried the meats but didn't like them so just had the cheese tomato and bread.
When I went to check-out I didn't have my glasses and I thought the bill was 182zty which sounded about right for the room and the meal + beer last night, but on closer inspection later realised they had only charged me 132zty in total.  I think the different girl in the morning just charged me 132 zty for the room and didn't realise I had a bar bill as well.  I also managed to forget to hand in the key to room 14 so all in all they did not do very well out of me!!   Ah well it seves them right for having mosquitos in their rooms!!

Set tomtom for Hitlers bunker complex (Wolfsschanze) near Kreztyn in northern Poland (180km) and it took me on small back roads.  I slowly sauntered along, the coutryside is beautiful around here. 

Came across a dead animal at the side of the road so stopped to take photo.  I think this is what was described as a Racoon dog in Estonia, but I stand to be corrected!!

Saw a lot of people congregating at a small village, so pulled over to investigate.  Parked in a car park and a woman wanted 2zty to park the bike, so after coughing up this great expense I was determined to see what this high cost attraction was.   It turned out to be a sanctuary  ( a church!!). 

It was all sheeted on the outside, and there were plackards all about how they were raising 2.8M euro to restore the place. 

It was called the "Sanctuaria Swieta Lipka "  Not being a person who is really interested in churches too much, but remembering the 2 zty car park fee I went inside.  Wow !!!!    The place was packed inside, there was hardly any standing room, and people all had cameras pointing up at one end.   I looked and there was a beautiful golden organ all decorated with angels and trumpeting cherrubs etc.

Then the music started up and WOW again!!  All the decoration pieces on the organ started to move, and the sound of the music was fantastic.  Shifted the camera to video mode and took about 1-2 mins of the moving organ pieces and the sound!!   It was a fantastic spectacle and all the more so by coming across it purely by chance !!

Went on to Wolfsschanze and decided to take a guided tour.  I was shown around by a nice lady called Jadwiga.  She had been involved in the filming that had been done on both the American and German films about Von Stauffenburg the person who attempted to kill Hitler with a bomb here at Wolfsschanze.   She reckons the Ton Cruise film is not too bad, but the German film is more accurate.   She showed me photos of Von Stauffenburg with Hitler (he is on the far left), and also one of her showing around king Carlos of Spain!!  The photo of Jadwiga is at the actual spot where the assasination attempt took place.

It took about 1.5 hrs to get round the whole complex, there are about 20 bunkers.  
There is a model of the whole complex to give a feel for how it was all laid out.

I was expecting the bunkers to be underground, but all the bunkers were built above ground..  The concrete was up to 8 metres thick in places.   The Germans had attempted to destroy the place when they left, but you can imagine it takes a bit of destroying a bomb proof bunker system.  Hitlers personal bunker was the largest and is still quite intact other than the roof having been collapsed, but you can still get a good feel for what the place was like at the time.

The buiding made from bricks is just where the secretaries and typists stayed. Apparently you can afford to lose these and they don't qualify for 8 metre thick reinforced concrete.
Jadwinga  scratched around in the dirt and found and gave me some of the bakelite leaves they had used to camoflage the bunkers, also when she pointed out the electricity cables still remaining I said I was an electrical engineer and she said she has some of the original aluminium wiring, and she let me snip a small piece off to keep as a momento of my visit.  

A really good visit I enjoyed it thoroughly, and thanks to Paul Mercer for letting me know.  I am really glad I went to Berlin and then doubled back here to Northern Poland.

Just as you leave the Wolfsschanze complex I saw this really atmospheric shot of trees in a pond covered with weed.  I thought it captured the atmosphere of the place .

Set tomtom for Warsaw (250km) and decided to go all the way and stay at Nathan's Villas again in the centre of Warsaw.   The road to Warsaw was much better than the road from Gdansk to Warsaw that I took last time.  At one point there was a straight section of road that ran perfectly straight for about 10km.

In Poland there are very deep wheel tracks in the tarmac roads where the lorries have been. 

Partly due I think to the hot weather at times, but also thevolume of heavy traffic and lack of upkeep, and also I think the poor foundations.  Throughout all eastern europe there is loads of road repairs and construction work going on, but I have not seen any roadstone at all.  The whole foundation of the roads seems to be made from sand.  You see big deep sections of made up levels but all in sand. 

No wonder the road sinks over time!!   The ruts can be a problem especially in town when you are going slowly, or having to start and stop.  If you are in the middle section and put your foot down to steady the bike when you stop, the ground level can be up to 6 inches below where you are expecting it!!

Back in Warsaw the streets seem familair, and it was easy to get to Nathan's Villas now I know where it is.

I am in a five bed dorm with 3 other lads.  Cost is 58zty ( about 15 pounds).

Went back to the Saigon Restaurant, but didn't order the coconut (not) dish this time.  Settled for chicken and peanut, and yes it was peanuts and it was delicious !!

Back to hostel to update blog.

More later

TOR