Tuesday June 26, 2007

DATE: Tuesday June 26, 2007
ROUTE: Kaliningrad, Russia to Olsztyn, Poland
DISTANCE: 76 miles --- 30 on bicycle
TIME: FOREVER
CEG: Flat
WEATHER: Rain, Rain, Rain

Wouldn’t you know it --- the sun is shining! The sky is blue with white, puffy clouds. AND we changed time zones so we have an extra hour to dry out, clean up, wash clothes, and imbibe in our favorite beverage.

Our start was delayed until 9:30am due to the thunder and lightning. And RAIN. Water-spout-fire-hose-don’t-look-up-or-you’ll-drown rain. None of us looked forward to getting out of the busy city in this mess. By 9:00am plans were made. The 4 precious spots in the van were immediately snapped up --- Dan having the only permanent spot until his ankle gets better. Others decided to take a taxi the 30 miles to the border. The remaining 11 would ride together with Toomas in the lead and Rick riding sweep. I’m in the riding group. Some of you, maybe all of you, may question my sanity but, after all, I came to ride. Compared to yesterday, I was feeling pretty chipper. We set off gingerly in a respite in the storm. Even though the rain had abated, we were soon soaked from pot-hole puddles and car/truck/bus backwash. Yuk, yuk, yuk! Then it started REALLY raining. And it did not stop. Reed hit a deep pot hole and went flying off his bicycle. He is sore and scraped but OK. We soldiered on …. and on …. and on ….

Everyone congregated at the border in a roadside café/shack where a group was celebrating (it’s now noon) with food, beer, music, and dance in one room and women were stuffing cigarettes into plastic bags in another. Surreal, indeed. We said good-bye to Toomas who will return to Estonis, his wife and baby, and his bike shop. He was an indispensable help and great fun to have around.

We approached the border all together with the van and crossed without incident. When you cross a border, you actually go through two inspections: one to leave the country from which you just came, and one to enter the country to which you go. There was more standing around and shivering but everyone, including the van, made it through in under an hour.

Monica had already called Seco, our new Polish guide, to ask for some transportation from the border to Olsztyn. We met Seco, and our long-lost Polo, at a café just across the border. We were so glad to see Polo and hear the story of his $700 taxi ride. Seco had found a bus to take everyone in to Olsztyn --- we love him already! No one took the option of riding his/her bicycle the rest of the way. We drank tea and coffee while we waited for the bus. It rained the entire 50 miles through the lovely Polish countryside This is Poland’s “lake District”, an area heavily glaciated in the last glacial period..

Right now I’m happily sitting in my room at the hotel --- warm and dry. And the sun is shining!

more pictures