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Poland and Czechia - the Polish Baltic coast

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 Up in the top left corner of Poland is the border town of Swinoujscie, a big working port, ferry terminal and yacht marina.It also makes money from Germans coming over for the much cheaper fuels and foods, and as such eagerly accepts payment in Euros or Zlotys.  The campsite was in the grounds of the marina, and using the marina facilities. The town itself was fine, with that little edge of seediness that ports seem to have, but it was sad to see some grand old houses now basically in ruins The next town along was a surprise. Our initial thoughts on driving through to the site were Blackpool in 1963 - shops selling the standard seaside fare of lilos, buckets and spades, fridge magnets etc etc. The fair was also in town, adding that certain smell of candyfloss... However, at the top of the town, on the beach, it suddenly turned into a more cultured French promenade vibe. Quite pleasant really.  I don't know why I didn't take any photos. Gdansk is a beautiful city, well at...
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Poland and Czechia - Northern Germany

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 We've taken three nights to cross Northern Germany, stopping for the night in Oldenburg, Stade and Wismar. Oldenburg was another university town, full of cycling students, and quite pretty. The site was a small free Stellplatz (Aire) designated for three vans, but actually seven squeezed in - the Germans like living cosily it seems, and the town just a short walk away. Stade was a small town with a nautical feel to it, full of authentic buildings and cobble stones and our first Bierkeller. The pleasant campsite was totally automatic, but instruction on how to use the entry machine were in English. The third town is called Wismar, but I cannot write anything about it. Today is Ascension Day, and absolutely everything, except petrol stations, is closed. There are no buses today, and we didn't fancy an hours walk each way. So today is an admin day in a reasonably pleasant site. Tomorrow we have a long drive to the Polish border, right up in the top left corner to a town called Sw...
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Poland and Czechia - Groningen

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 On Sunday we took a leisurely drive to the town of Winsum, avoiding the motorways if we could. This meant about four hours of driving, but it was through pristine Dutch countryside with views of flower fields, orchards and some amazing lifting bridges over the canals. Driving in Holland is pleasant enough as the roads are in excellent condition, but they have these strange roundabouts which seem to be a roundabout within a roundabout. Difficult to explain, be we just kept to the inside lane without problem. What is confusing though is knowing when cyclists have priority, and when motorists do. It seems a bit arbitrary. However nearly every road has a two lane cycle path running beside or very close to it, and they are all well used. Winsum is a neat small canalside town with two working windmills - or at least operating if not working, but is nice to be in.                           This morning we took a train into ...
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Poland and Czechia - Rotterdam

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 On Friday we drove west, pausing in a Belgian town called Eeklo. Nothing much to it, but we both picked up parking tickets! €25 each for that one, but eventually found a way to pay it online. It had a pretty church though. Our stop for the night was in a very well kept farm site near to the town of Phillipines, which was a well tended small town with a surprising number of fish restaurants. Inevitably there was a pretty central square, lined with sweet chestnut trees all in blossom. Walking back to the site we saw a robot planting chickory seeds, and picking up stones as a side job. All battery and solar powered so was very quiet. Today, Saturday, we drove into Rotterdam, and an unusual site close to the city centre. A bus from there into the centre was very efficient, electric and comfortable. Rotterdam itself has some very modern architecture, and is very cosmopolitan and integrated. While the city was pleasant enough, I'm not sure I could recommend it as a place to visit. Tomor...
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