Day three is the start of the parting of the ways.
John and Marlene are heading off to Paris and Jenny, Barry and Lynda are heading home departing Berlin.
Paul, Pam & Katherine along with Jo and I are attending the bbq at Kasia’s parents and then Jo and I are starting our bike ride going to Szczecin.
We packed up from our hotel and drive to Kasia’s parents we were planning to leave the car, we hadn’t realised that this would add an extra 30km to the ride so arranged to leave the car back in Gryfino.
The late morning / early afternoon was lovely weather for cycling, blue sky and not too hot. After eating a light lunch and declining the local Vodka we said our good byes and drove back to Gryfino.
After setting up our bikes and testing them out (I had forgotten how heavy a loaded bike was) we headed off. I had read that the roads in Poland weren’t very good and after only a couple of kms I realised how bad they really were. Along with rough surface and potholes there were also cobbled streets, making progress rather slow.
Within about 30 minutes it started to rain and then the sky opened up with a terrific flash of lightening and crash of thunder immediately overhead. We managed to find some shelter and waited out the storm. Eventually the rain eased and we headed back out on the road, well pavement actually, as this was smoother than the road. This lasted about 10 minutes until the next downpour hit us. Luckily we found a bus stop to shelter at only to find that the passing trucks threw up great masses of water from the puddles that had formed in the ruts soaking us more than the rain.
The storm quickly passed and we were back on the road again still cycling on the pavements. Eventually we were forced back onto the road and I began to think that this was easier than pavement cycling. Keeping an eye on a car waiting to pull out as I passed I decided to stay on the road. I then heard a loud crash behind me. My first thoughts we fuck that car has just pulled out and knocked Jo off. I stop and look round Jo is sat on the pavement and her bike is laying in the road. I park my bike and rush back to her relieved that she hasn’t been hit by the car.
I make her sit for a while before attempting to get up, this is when she reveals that she tried to get back onto the pavement and failed to see a raised road stone. This had caused her to crash off, going over the handle bars. With a badly swollen leg Jo managed to get up and rest on the garden wall while I go and retrieved her bike.
After a short rest Jo manages to get back onto her bike and we set off again slowly.
As we get nearer to Szczecin we can see signs of the storm that had passed by earlier with large puddles filling the side of the road and in a couple of places the road is completely flooded forcing us to cycle along the middle of the road. As we are unsure of the state of the road surface below the water we are forced to go slowly hoping there aren’t too many pot holes.
We manage to contact Paul and he books us a room at the hotel where they are staying, at least we have a bed for the night, if we ever get there.
Eventually we arrive at Szczecin. What should have been an easy 2 hour ride turned out to be a very difficult 3 1/2 hours, forcing us to make the decision to abandon our Polish cycle ride and head for easier terrain.