I get up and my knee is still bothering me, so I decide it will be a train day. I pack everything up, and go down for breakfast. Since I’m at a hotel there’s a buffet. I eat cereal, scrambled eggs, toast with jam, and two rolls with meat in them. I carry my bike back down the two flights of stairs. I set off.
I spend the next hour looking for the train station. Finally decide that it’s freight only (or other case I missed it and the next train isn’t for hours).
So I give up and set off, shortly realizing I have a tail wind. Glorious day. I continue to route myself to just stay in front of the wind, and realize all the traffic is gone too. Humming right along, the road ends… at a 3 car ferry. On the other side. I decide to wait to see what happens, as they’re unloading.
Another car pulls up on my side as the ferry heads our way. When the ferry docks, the car disembarks but the gentleman on the ferry shoos us away. The other waiting passenger determines the ferry only crosses every 30 minutes, so I pull out lunch and talk to the other passenger a bit.
We load up and the ferry crosses (using no engine btw). I continue forth. Tail wind continues. Still no traffic. I arrive in Gora where I had thought about stopping but its only just after 3 so I continue onwards.
I arrive in Rydzyna and hunt for the castle. It’s in the process of being restored and converted to a hotel, but for 5 zl I can wander about. Done!
Its now after 4 but now I’m in range of a hostel on the map. Of course I have yet to actually find a hostel from the marker on the map in Poland. What the heck, the area is wooded and I have water so if I can’t find it I’ll just free camp somewhere.
I pull into the town and take a look at the town map for the hostel. Not marked, but a campground is. Sweet. As I stand there trying to make sure I can remember how to get from “here” to “there” a car pulls up. Not uncommon – it’s usually someone asking if they can help me find something.
Its an older gentleman who speaks no English. I tell him I’m looking for the campground. He asks if I have a reservation? One person? One night? OK! Follow me!
So off we go, down the winding streets of town, him driving so I can keep up and waiting at the top of the big hill. I catch up and he turns into … the hostel. He calls his son, and we pass the phone back and forth with his son translating (barely) in the middle.
Cost of train – 0 zl.
Cost of hostel 30.5zl ($10)
Touring in Poland – priceless