Along The Tsar’s Road
I took these pictures as we drove along the Tsar’s Road to return from the far North-East of Poland towards Warsaw.
A few points.
- There is no Wikipedia entry to the Tsar’s Road, but as I understand it, it was built through the marshy land, so that Russia could move their troops easily.
- The memorial is to Kazimierz Glinka – Janczewski. I think this page gives more details in English.
- The lunch stop was excellent and is called Dwor Dobarz.
- The only wildlife we saw was a few shy moose.
- As ever in Poland, there was quite a bit of information.
We visited in winter, where conditions are challenging and different, but if you’re thinking about a summer visit to the area, start planning.
A Barbecue In The Snow
I’m not generally a lover of barbecues, as I’m not a lover of burned underdone meat. But in my time, I’ve had a few good ones, where a whole animal has been properly spit-roasted.
- At University in Liverpool, during Panto Week, a team roasted an ox on the steps of St. George’s Hall. It had one of those tastes that you’ll remember for ever.
- A farmer, once roasted a pig for members of Ipswich Flying Club.
- Once, we were driving back from Crete to London through Yugoslavia and when we stopped for petrol, found that a sheep was being roasted in a service station. It gave a whole new meaning to motorway food.
When it was suggested there would be a barbecue in the snow, it was something I could take or leave, but my heart rose, when I saw that a wild boar was going to be spit roasted.
I’ve had wild boar in the past and on most occasions, it would have been better, if it had gone through a food processor first, but this method of cooking brought the meat to the same sort of tenderness and quality of previous experiences of spit roasting.
So don’t ask me to a barbecue unless you’re spit roasting a whole animal.
A Sleigh Ride
We went for a ride on a sleigh pulled by two horses.
The more I look at the horses, the more I think that they have a lot of Suffolk Horse in them.
I also took a video.
I’d like the opinion on the horses, of someone, who knows their Suffolks.
The railway bridge is one of many in the area and was probably built by the Germans as part of the Prussian Eastern Railway, that used to connect Koningsberg and East Prussia to Poland and Greater Germany.
High Seats In The Forest
There are high seats in the forest from where you can observe the wild life.
Unfortunately, in my two hours in the seat, we only managed to see one rather skittish roe deer, despite it being a clear, moonlit night.
Others were more lucky and saw several wild boar and a raccoon dog.
In The Steps Of Kaiser Bill
The area of forest in which we were walking had at one time been the private hunting forest of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The stone commemorates the shooting of his two thousandth stag. I find that rather excessive!
At Poland’s Border With Russia
After the Second World War, all the borders in the area we were staying changed dramatically.
Koningsberg, which had been German before the war and was largely destroyed during the war was the capital of East Prussia, and all the land around it became Russian, as did the previously independent Baltic States. What remained of the city, whichhad once been one of the largest and most cultured in Germany became Kaliningrad.
We were actually staying in the old East Prussia to the east of the town of Goldap, not far from the border with the Russian enclave that is surrounded by EU territory.
These pictures were taken at the border.
It doesn’t appear to be a very heavily-defended frontier.
Although none of us did anything that would threaten the Russians.
Turpentine Grows In Trees
Do you know where turpentine comes from?
Despite both my father and father-in-law being good decorators and users of turpentine, I didn’t!
Until I saw this and took these pictures.
The Russians used to grow forests especially for its product. I think it is true to say, we had found ways of making an alternative synthetic product.
Off To Krakow
I’m leaving for Krakow in a few minutes on easyJet from Gatwick
My overnight schedule is as follows ;-
Wednesday, June 10th – Krakow
Thursday, June 10th – Krakow
Friday, June 12th – Prague
Saturday, June 13th – Dresden
Sunday, June 14th – Dresden
Monday, June 15th – Osnabruck
I’ll be on the last Eurostar out of Brussels on the 16th
Obviously, all of the trips in the middle will be by train.
If you want to get in touch, text me on 07860-243707 starting the message with Krakow.
Why We Shouldn’t Mine Coal
I’m sixty-seven this year and all my life, every year or so, I’ve heard reports of the deaths of coal miners.
Now today, there are reports of a serious mine disaster in Turkey.
When I was in Poland, I shared a train compartment with a lady going to Katowice. I remember the city for a mining disaster in the 1950s, which was nearby.
Isn’t it about time, we stopped mining the filthy stuff, as it just creates grief for the miners and their families? And of course there’s always the issue of global warming.
Planning Another Trip
Since my return from Gdansk, I’ve been thinking about another trip to Poland.
I would go a bit more southerly and probably start with two nights in Krakow. I would probably then go to Prague, possibly spending a night en route at either Wroclaw or Poznan.
From then it would be on to Dresden, a city I’ve always wanted to see. From there there would be an intermediate stop before Cologne, where I would run for home using a Eurostar ticket, as I outlined in this post.
So the trip would look something like this.
Day 1 – Krakow
Day 2 – Krakow
Day 3 – Wroclaw/Poznan/Other (?)
Day 4 – Prague
Day 5 – Prague
Day 6 – Dresden
Day 7 – Weimar/Nuremberg/Other (?)
Obviously, nothing is cast in stone and any suggestions would be gratefully received.
The Anonymous Widower 