Monday, April 29 Week 01

Today we are starting our second tour of the year. For a long time the weather forecast for the direction we were planning to go didn't look so rosy. But that has changed dramatically.

We start the engine and head off towards the northeast.

Poland and especially Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are waiting to be discovered by us!

With the weather getting better and better, we drive almost 400 kilometers to the huge parking spot at Brombachsee. If you can do without electricity, you can find lovely, cozy spots!

We deserved dinner in the beer garden after the long drive.

Tuesday, April 30

Our goal for today: visiting family in Greiz! The parking space by the outdoor pool is just perfect for our visit. We ride our bikes to the market square in the middle of town and are warmly welcomed by Gisela and Bruno. We spend a cozy, happy evening with a delicious dinner.

The digestive walk then takes us to the fire that is lit on Walburgis Night to drive away evil spirits.

Later in the evening we return to our Pfüdi by bike.

We don't leave Greiz so quickly. We enjoy a hearty breakfast with Gisela and Bruno.

Thank you both for everything.

But then we continue our journey. In this beautiful weather, however, we don't want to drive too far.

After 135 kilometers we stop in Dresden around lunchtime.

The parking space is very busy. We find a shady spot and after a small lunch we unload the e-bikes and ride along the Elbe. Since there is a lot of traffic on the cycle path, we turn off at Radebeul, cross this beautiful town, which also has a lot of road construction at the moment, and after a bit of an uphill climb we reach beautiful views.

For the first tour, 18 kilometers are enough – our bottoms thank us.

Back at the parking space, the traffic light is RED, which means the space is full.

We fire up the grill and enjoy the evening.

Thursday, 02 May

We reach the Spreewald. A new area for us and it is the 1st May weekend.

The first parking space we came to was full!

The second one is not as modern and has no showers, but there are still a few free spaces.

Today, in this summery weather, we are using the e-bikes again and cycling through the Spreewald and along the rivers.

Today we'll be doing 22 kilometers and our bottoms are still very happy!

Friday, 03 May

We don't get very far today. We chug along comfortably through the Spreewald and soon reach Beeskow.

The parking space at the small harbor is empty.

There is a phone number at the gate. The nice harbor master says that if they've already finished mowing the lawn, we should just park somewhere and he'll come by later.

We are lucky, the lawn has been mown and we are already standing in the most beautiful corner.

Today's little bike tour takes us into town. The impressive church is open and of course we have to go in.

On the market square right next door, a quaint restaurant tempts you to have lunch; we can even sit outside.

We stroll through the streets a bit, but are back at the motorhome early and enjoy

the weather and the afternoon.

In the evening the first raindrops of the trip fall!

Off to new shores! Off to a new country for us – Poland!

First stop shortly after the border at the first motorway service station.

There's an ATM here. We need zlotys!

Although credit cards are widely used in Poland and euros are occasionally accepted, we always feel more comfortable when we have some money in the local currency.

Today we land in Lagow, a small, pretty town that is almost bursting at the seams today, Saturday. There's a lot going on here! Visitors are streaming through the main street, the restaurants (there are many) are almost full. We climb the castle tower and enjoy the view of the area, the rivers and lakes.

We also came into contact with locals today. At the small, simple campsite, a nice man helped us and called the manager for us, who then came to collect the money.

There were also restaurant tips and the advice to take it easy.

There was an entrance fee to climb the castle tower. A young man was in charge. We paid the 20 zlotys with a hundred-dollar bill. The little rascal gave us 70 zlotys back. He was a little embarrassed that we noticed his little fraudulent "mistake".

A good start for us, a good arrival in Poland.

And we continue on the motorway heading east. The traffic is very pleasant and the motorway is in excellent condition. Hmm… Germany could learn a thing or two from that!

Our parking spot today is near a former sugar factory – now a hotel, a cool bar, three restaurants, a beach bar on the lake and the parking spots are also at the front of the lake.

But part of the complex is also a lost place. An interesting and ingenious mix.

The restaurant we visited used to house power generators; the interior reflects this with every detail and the food is excellent.

By the way, since we left Germany the motorhome density has dropped rapidly!