Still cycling east! Or we hope we are! Left hotel this morning which was situated on the edge of a forest we say red poles and siskins. On the ride we passed a number of storks nesting on top of the telegraph poles and we saw a couple of harriers. We have seen a number of butterflies but nothing very exciting the odd peacock.

Our hotel a converted castle!

As we cycle through small settlements people seem to have one cow in the front garden!

Storks

Heading for the border...

Four more days and we hit Chelm....Alan and Pauline are setting off tomorrow (Weds) from Felsted in their van and Chelm is where we'll all meet up (Polish-Ukrainian border) Friday evening.

As we head further east, the likelihood of internet connections lessens, yet we've been pleasantly surprised at the hotels we've landed up in - Poland is a country in which an amazing amount of investment is going on.

But if we're off the radar for a couple of days, its lovely to keep receiving your comments, and your prayers are really important. God bless, Garry

Liz and I have just spent 45 minutes with the phrase book deciphering the Polish menu for Garry and Jamie -went to order only to be asked would we like the English menu!!!!!!!

19/July

A day of road works! Started well and a really wonderful smooth track so I decided to photo it and send it to David Cameron to show him what the Poles do for cyclists! However later in the day we cycled through a large town called Sierradz the whole place was one huge road work! We had to navigate over a half made bridge with no railings! Indeed the barrier was lying on our pathway so we had to climb over it carrying the tandem! All part of the adventure Jamie tells me!!!
The fields are much smaller in this part of Poland more strip farming - a strip of wheat, then beet, then of course cabbages, courgettes, and big glass houses full of tomatos.

And sometimes the cycle paths are horrid!

Sometimes the cycle paths are very very good........

Hi this is Liz . Borrowing hubby's log in to do a sneaky update.

Jamie and Judy are really going well, and we play catch up and occasionally doing a few miles in the car to get in front of them (on the pretext that we need some diesel or something).

Had a wonderful Polish breakfast this morning. the idea was that both Garry and I would come back significantly slimmer after our efforts but it's not happening. Maybe the chicken nuggets and chips we had yesterday have something to do with it.

On the other hand, it is great being able to do a couple of extra miles in distance every day, but our efforts simply make us realise just how awesome Jamie and Judy's stamina and fitness are!

This really is a great trip - and the daily experiences and sights are fascinating. We got invited to see bands at the Rock festival last night to see Gossip and Flogging Molly (Two British Bands). As it was on until 1.30am we decided to decline (shame).

Lovely to get the comments, news from home would be good, too. love from Liz

A tough end to Day 11

Well, we have arrived in Sieradz, Poland, but with horrendous road works for final few miles making it difficult for those on bikes.

Were in a v nice hotel whose various consonants and vowels are the usual jumble, but which Liz has entitled "Hotel PolitBuro" as this seems the closest. Polish is a difficult language, with no recognisable syllables or word shapes for us to latch on to.

Rained quite a bit today, and its in the mid-20s so easier to cycle in (in fact , pleasantly cool in the morning), but still very muggy and humid.

Bring on the mosquitoes (again). Gazza

18th July

Fairly easy cycle from Glowgow to Jarocin today covering about 72 miles. We picked up Route 12 which will see us all the way to the Ukraine border next Saturday, indeed we have even seen signs to Ukraine. We cycled through an agricultural area - big fields growing wheat, rape and rye. Infact we saw one huge field growing courgettes! Not so many kites spotted today but saw a number of storks - yes real ones and plastic ones! One deer spotted in the forest .
Now in Jarocin where there is a large music festival taking place - the Glastonbury of Poland. We were offered tickets for tonight but felt it was more important to get our beauty sleep!

Day 10 - Jarocin - our graffiti !!!

we left our mark on the graffiti wall !

How about that for a pizza?

Day 10 - Jarocin Festival

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of punk rockers enjoying the 30th Jarocin rock Festival - the town is mobbed by people with tattoos and Mohican hair cuts, having taken over the whole town square, its bars, etc, and the sound of throbbing music just a couple of streets away. This was the graffiti wall - see post avove where we left our mark !!!

Day 10 - A lorry from Chelmsford at Piaskiwlk

Day 10 - Wow ! The roads are empty, and we pulled into a remote village for a break - and there was a lorry from Chelmsford ! Small village of Piaskiwlk, just after Gostyn, Poland

Day 09 - Bytom Odrzanski

Day 09 - Bytom Odrzanski, after morning coffee has revitalised us...and the names are becoming harder to pronounce !

Day 09 - in the forest near Lasocin, Poland

Lindsell's of Poland - each small town has a shop like this packed with stock, veg and meat laid out in boxes on the floor!

Day 9: Glogow

We have made it to Glogow in Poland having cycled 72miles. We crossed the German/Polish border early this morning and have been cycling through forests all day seeing hundreds of Swifts! Liz thought she spotted the first Polish stalk of the journey but it turned out to be plastic, very boring. We are all a bit shocked by the poverty of the small Polish towns compared to the affluence of Germany.

Oh and the hotel we are staying in has a dance on from 8p.m. until 3a.m, could be a late night!