Germany/Poland

Summer 2018

On a July morning, we loaded our tent and equipment onto the roof rack, packed the car up and set off from our home in Antwerp, Belgium…destination Berlin, Germany.

We had pre-booked a campsite – Hotel Und City Camping Nord. A 6 hour drive via Belgium and Holland, we arrived at our campsite with a very warm welcome. To our delight, the camping was sandwiched between a busy river and a quiet backwater in a beautiful green setting and our plot for the tent was on the water’s edge.

Berlin is a grand city with many huge impressive buildings and landmarks. We particularly liked :-

The Brandenburg gate :-

Built between 1788 and 1791 by Prussian King Frederick William 11. It was built as a key entry point to the city of Berlin. On top of the gate is a statue known as ‘Quadriga’, the Goddess of victory, driving a chariot pulled by 4 horses.

Checkpoint Charlie :-

The best known border crossing between East and West Berlin, first set up in 1961, US and Soviet tanks faced each other. In October of that year the American and Russian tanks engaged in a face-off following the USA’s intervention to defend the fundamental rights of Berlin’s occupying power. Many times a scene of demonstrations and escape attempts, on 17th August 1962 an 18 year old man, Peter Fechter was shot as he tried to cross the wall, he was left to bleed to death before the eyes of the world.

Berlin Wall :-

Erected on August 13th 1961, all East – West connections were cut off. The wall stood for 28 years, 2 months and 27 days. During that time more than 5000 people escaped across the wall by various means including modified cars, a mini submarine and hot-air balloons. Sadly, 80 people lost their lives attempting to cross the wall. On 9th November 1989 the German Democratic Republic announced the decision that ‘travel abroad for personal reasons may be unconditionally applied for’. Hours later the border personnel could not cope with the crowds of public and let the people through. This became the fall of the wall. Earlier this year, 5th February 2018, marked the date when the Berlin Wall was as long ‘gone’ as it was dividing the city, thus 28 years, 2 months and 27 days.

Moving on….destination Miedzyzdroje Poland.

A 3 hour drive from Berlin and driving between dense forests, our first visit to Poland was a pleasant surprise. Along the roadside as we neared our camping site in Miedzyzdroje, we passed many campesino’s/country folk, selling local honey, homemade jams and pots of freshly picked berries.

Our campsite – Camping 24 was nestled next to a forest and approx. 500m from the beach. A fairly good sized camp with modest facilities, TV room, games room and play park, we set up our tent ready for a relaxing beach break. Miedzyzdroje is a small town bustling with visitors, ample B&B’s, a main street and a promenade running alongside the beach. Walking from the campsite towards the town’s pier via the promenade, we passed the usual tourist masses of ice cream parlours, take-away food stalls, souvenir shops and amusements and we took in the smells of roasted meats, smoked fish, pizza’s, hotdogs, piping hot corn cobs and delicious local delicacies, a real treat for the senses.

The beautiful soft sandy beach was packed as far as the eye could see and the Baltic Sea, although rather chilly was very welcoming to cool off from the 30C heat. It was possible to walk quite a distance into the sea and still be below waist deep and there were many bathers as well as water sports and boat trips. Stunning scenery and beautiful forest walks combined with the seaside and all it’s attractions made for a wonderful holiday and the sun was shining on us!