Day 6. Friday 26th June. From Wroklaw Poland to Frydec-Mistek, Czechia.

Another very different day. On the road earlier, by 9.30am would you believe..:)

We have a dilemma, of sorts. Take the shortest route to Romania, and we go via Ukraine. I’d love to do that, even if to show a tiny bit of support. But her-indoors has other very different ideas, not that she doesn’t support Ukraine, but she is worried we don’t have a visa!! I’m sure it would be no trouble at all to get one at the border, but just in case there is another motive, I’ll accept that…:)

A new direction.

This morning before leaving our very agreeable campsite, we programmed the sat-nav to avoid motorways and toll roads. This has taken a slightly more southerly direction that sees us cross into Czechia. Tomorrow we should be close to the Romanian border.

The driving has been more relaxed. More stop start but through some lovely countryside and small rural towns. Stopping for lunch down a grassy track off the main road amongst a cool forrest. The temp. Is around 33deg and the sun fierce. It seems to be always on our right and my right arm and leg around the knee, are turning deep brown.

In an effort to avoid the Ukraine border we turned more southwards direction but at one point the sat-nav wanted us to keep going around the block in a small town! On the second time around a halt was called and we reverted to google maps to resolve the conundrum. They are amazing things, sat-nav’s, but when they go wrong, and with no map covering the area we were in, its as well we had an alternative source of guidance!

Czechia, or the part we have driven through, has a slightly different vibe to Poland. Poland seems to be going from strength to strength economically. A huge amount of new light industry being built or recently built.

Once across an invisible border into Czechia, we passed a series of coal pit head derricks and a huge derelict, rusting industrial complex reminiscent of say, an earlier industrial Britain? Czechia seems to be slower in shaking off its Soviet cloak. Knowing nothing of its political structure or leanings. It is of course, one of the three new countries formed out of the old Czeckoslovakia. Itself created from the older Austrian-Hungarian empire which collapsed after WW1 in 1918.

Tonight’s camp.

The only camp we could find tonight was 25k’s past the city of Ostrava, as mentioned, in Czechia. Again it’s beside a lake and the camp is heaving with people. Luckily, the owner found us a site sheltered from the sun with trees. It’s 6.40pm and Jen’s preparing dinner and I’m ready for it. There are groups of people opposite us who seem to be enjoying a drink or two. Could be a noisey night!!

Tomorrow is going to be another hot day and the following one, 39deg! Not a problem when driving

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