Had a coffee with Jürgen and then breakfast with Julia before packing the bike up. A quick photoshoot with Ella and I was on my way.
First stop Hein Gericke, then Louis, Polo, and finally an Army Disposal store to find a bag large enough to fit the tent and chair. 4th time lucky.. From there to the Brandenburger Tor for a couple more photos and then out of Berlin around 2pm – only 4 hours later than planned!
Lovely ride through countryside to the Polish border (unfortunately no opportunity to stop for pics at the border). The roads had gotten progressively worse, especially in the towns coming up to the border. Just over the side was a run-down little town consisting mostly of cheap shopping. Just pastthe border the roads in Poland got a lot better and despite a rain shower I quite enjoyed more countryside and forests. A lot ofthe towns remind me of east Germany with tumbledown houses and factories mixed in with newly renovated or built houses.
Stopped for dinner at a roadside restaurant just on the E28. Borschtsch and Peroggi. And a beer! Still aiming to get to the coast tonight..But nowhere near as far as planned. At least it’s dry, if chilly.
The E28 was a great road. Quite open compared to the windier roads earlier and more traffic but brand new surface. Lots of modern amenities all along it. The dense forests from earlier were replaced by rolling countryside and rapeseed fields.
I finally turned off the E28 onto the 203 to get north to the coast and the roads were wir a mixed bag again from new to little more than a patched up bit of tarmac over a dirt track.
I made it to the town I had put in to the GPS but there was nothing much there so I went on to the next town which was even sign posted. Jarosławiec turned out to be a bit of a holiday town with tons of little shops and cafes, although almost all were closed by the time I got there. I asked in a souvenier shop about a hotel as the tourist info was also closed and the lady rang someone up who runs a hotel on the other side of the street. A short while later the guy, Andy, cane over and offered me a room with breakfast for 120 zloty, or about £22! With seaview. Needless to say I took it.
After a quick cuppa I had a short still through town and down to the beach but not much to see – I’d just missed sunset by half an hour or so.
Bedtime! On to Marlborg tomorrow.
