Parts of Italy, Kosovo, Nth Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Poland and Germany.

[VPS]

Ahh some of those photos are beautiful. So many places and so little time

 

[RB]

Ahh some of those photos are beautiful. So many places and so little time

Yes saw some great spots & know there are plenty we haven't seen. Enjoying being home but also looking forward to another trip somewhere

 

[Cossie]

I did want to try for Albania, etc, next year, but this thread has made me seriously think about Poland, the boss has some history there, although her father was German, her surname is very Polish.....
Now if I can just fit it in with a rally!

Thanks again, for a great TR.

 

[RB]

I did want to try for Albania, etc, next year, but this thread has made me seriously think about Poland, the boss has some history there, although her father was German, her surname is very Polish.....
Now if I can justbfit it in with a rally!

Thanks again, for a great TR.

As mentioned it was 25 yrs since our other visit & we were super impressed by Poland. Excellent transport for us, quality stays, good food choices and nice people offering good service. We thought the people were generally a bit reserved at first but then good once engaged. Mind you we also had a great time in the parts of Albania we saw.

 

[RB]

Wroclaw to Swindica
A bit over an hour on a full suburban train with minimal legroom and it seemed not many tourists were venturing here. More of the same rich rural scenery along the way, with the agriculture, level crossings etc. but we did see some distant mountains to the south east (Czech). We briefly passed what I understand to be a railway museum. We were off at the end station then an easy 5-10 minute walk to our apartment.


Apartment No.5 City Centre Swindica

Apartament No. 5 City Center, Świdnica (updated prices 2025)

A great 2 night stay in a quality apartment with excellent communication by the owner, features as described and all facilities working as expected. A superb location with easy access to all the sites we were seeking and a short walk to an excellent restaurant. Excellent & highly recommended.










Complimentary wine










Views- no traffic noise inside the apartment

 

[RB]

Around Swindica

Świdnica - Wikiwand

Not much on the agenda here for our 2 night stay but the Church of Peace (UNESCO listed) was a priority and it’s nice to spend a couple of nights in a real Polish town that hasn’t changed for the tourists. It seemed there were not many tourists & most of those seemed to be on day tours. Swindica was first mentioned in the 11th Century as an important trade centre. There have been a few changes of occupation - Bohemia, Hungary, Hapsburgs, Prussia & after WW2 back to Poland.

The Church of Peace (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) rates right up there & is a must do if visiting. It was allowed to be built outside the city walls with no steeple or bell tower so it didn’t resemble a church from the outside - but on the inside it held 7,500 Protestants and it's magnificent. It also had to be made of only wood, sand, straw and clay (assuming it wouldn't stay up long).

We received a printed guide on entry that certainly helped take in some detail. It is the biggest wooden church in Europe but we were confined to the base level as ongoing maintenance takes place. Some amazing wall & roof paintings, excellent high altar, galleries, nave, special boxes for the elite, amazing organ- in summary a sensory overload.

Within the area there is a German cemetery, the bell ringers house, the bell tower (heard a very unique and beautiful ring while there) a former school, and a watchman’s cottage.

First stop of the day but almost forgotten after visiting the Church Of Peace






Now a gallery but formerly the Hodge House


Bell Tower


Plan of the site


Some external views




Now inside

 

[RB]

More of Church of Peace
















I thought to photograph the info brochure (limited English versions) that were returned on exit.- unfortunately 1 page out of focus!

 

[RB]

Last of the Church of Peace




Very difficult to get photos of the rambling cemetry with all the shade


Another side










Below link should play an aerial video of the church
Church of Peace in Świdnica. Poland, Świdnica

 

[RB]

We then wandered back towards the main square & walked the cobblestone streets and past beautiful townhouses. Our other highlight was the Town Hall Tower - relatively new and another perspective to view. The top is reached via 2 separate lifts then a couple of staircases (not explained to us at entry).
As we walked the streets we noticed a London Second Hand shop, where we popped in to see a variety of gear on sale, dresses, tops, shoes and noted a woman at check-out with her basket being weighed to calculate the price (her haul included a fur).
Sighted another jail adorned in razor wire & a warning that no photos were allowed - didn’t notice any policing of this though and visitors were being admitted after checking in at a little window in a brick tower.
Both nights we ate at the repurposed historic old water tower - good service, great Italian food, and outside dining where it had cooled down nicely on both nights.








Different view of St Stanislaus

 

[RB]

The Jail


Converted Watertower




Sold as Neapolitan style pizzas


Another view from apartment

 

[RB]

Swindica to Gorlitz

Looked to be a bit of a challenging day connection wise, but it worked out fine. A walk back to Swindica station & then a train back to Wroclaw but on a different service line - again plenty of agriculture, level crossings & some beautifully maintained homes & gardens. Planning showed we had a 11 minutes between trains at Wroclaw & they were to arrive & depart the same platform. We arrived 4 minutes late at a different platform but managed to scramble up & down stairs & then join the throngs pushing on to the service to Zgorzelec on the Polish/German border. Quite a comfortable ride, we had room for our bags in racks above us & 3 seats for the two of us. More of the same viewing but a bit more cotton being grown & a couple of small solar “farms”. Noticed a huge GLP transport logistics setup near Domaslaw Poland | Commercial Real Estate | GLP Europe and also a huge Amazon fulfilment shed Amazon.pl launches in Poland

I was also too slow on the camera to catch a photo of a batch of military tanks loaded on a train near Weglinec- not sure of the background of that but some interesting detail here Poland Is Gearing Up To Become a Tank Superpower

When we arrived at Zgorzelec Poland, the service terminated and we walked across the platform for an 4 minute train ride across the Neisse river to Gorlitz Germany- no formalities for the border crossing and we just walked out of the station & walked our way to our accommodation.

Irena Sendler - Wikipedia










Bit of tree farming happening

 

[RB]

Sylvias Ferienwohnung Gorlitz

Sylvias Ferienwohnung Nr.3, Görlitz (updated prices 2025)
We decided on this apartment as we would be sharing with another couple for one of the 2 nights. Probably a 15 minute walk from the railway station but walking along broad avenues & through huge squares. Off-street parking available in a pretty afflunt area. Up stairs but not too challenging. A bit of a strange layout suited to groups. Two bathrooms & 4 bedrooms & a mix of new & olf furniture & facilities. One of the least reliable Wifi services & the curtains/blinds needed some attention. Two fridges but one of them not working but still taking up kitchen space. It was pretty fascinating to see two antique radio sets (one working) Vintage Nordmende Fidelio Stereo - Antique FM Radio – Typewriter World
Despite multiple reviews commenting about the linen, we still found it hidden away in a hallway cupboard.
Overall a comfortable stay with no great concerns.

Old but comfortable


Balcony for a beer






1 bathroom


then this


Leads to this, the other bathroom

 

[RB]

We were upstairs in the end closest to the camera



Rather nice place next door!

 

[RB]

Around Gorlitz

Görlitz - Wikipedia

We had a 2 night stay in this beautiful, small city that was untouched by the destruction of WW2. It was a bit of a positioning spot towards the end of the trip, but plenty to see & fascinating to see the Polish/German co-existence.We had the first night by ourselves & then late on the 2nd day we were catching up with distant relatives from the German side of Mrs RB’s family. MB is involved in the mining industry with an emphasis on closing and rehabilitating old mining sites, energy, and water & waste management, while SB is a medical practitioner. They are still very busy but now empty nesters so this was a good get-away for them.
Gorlitz sits on the German side of the River Neisse, and Zgorzelec on the Polish side. Since it's Serbian settlement in the 11th century, it's been under German, Polish, Czech and Hungarian rule. It became part of East Germany from 1949 until reunification.
There's a bridge between the 2 small cities and a nice waterfront restaurant on either side displaying which country they belong to. It's easy to walk from one to the other as we did this morning to exchange some left over Zloty.
Because of it's rich architecture and it being spared the destruction of WW2, it's sometimes used for movie sets including a favourite, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Our apartment is in an illustrious neighbourhood across from the Statdpark and just a short walk to the Old Town with its cobbled streets and little restaurants like Spundloch (otherwise known as The Bunghole!) with its great beer and 15 different ways to have pork schnitzel.
Again very easy walking, not great numbers of tourists and very friendly interactions with people we encounter. Not perfectly rectangular streets within our wanders but easy to find your way around.
Found ourselves back in Poland for dinner with our German pair & ended up drinking Chilean wine! Finished the night back in Germany listening to a great group of jazz musicians at a jam session

We had planned on a light luch but the kebab didn't end up that way-an excellent version


Elizabeth Square


One of the 2 Grammar Schools in town Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium - Wikipedia




Looking towards Upper Market area Upper Market Square (Görlitz) - Wikipedia


Museum of Cultural History




Cream mushroom version


The croquette version- both versions tasted great


Quite a view while we ate ,Reichenbach Tower Reichenbach Tower (Görlitz) - Wikipedia

 

[RB]

While venturing back to Poland by foot




Simple instructions for drivers crossing the bridge from Poland


The view as we walked the bridge into Poland- a small protest was happening with the Poles not happy with the Germans stance on refugees



Bridge is dedicated to John Paul


Back in Gorlitz Marie Curie - Wikipedia




German colours above the water on the left & Poland over on the right


St. Peter's Church - a landmark of Görlitz


Old Town Hall


Silesian Museum Silesian Museum in Görlitz – Wikipedia. One of the oldest Renaissance buildings in Germany






Repurposed cash register






Town Hall clock tower