Page 3 of heraclio Travel Blog Posts


Europe » Poland » Lubusz » Kostrzyn nad Odra September 8th 2009

18 km. east of Kostrzyn, 27-07-2001. For the last two days I have been back to my solitary life style, sticking as much as posible to the back roads, looking for the green patches on my map that indicate fast tracks of forest. Totally alone to myself, to the dusty corners of my chaotic mind while my lungs heave, my calves protest and the perpiration covering my skin like a fine wed blanket, dripping into my sneakers... Whenever I return from my voluntary retreats to the farther corners of my mind and look around at the here and now surrounded by the fastness of Mother Nature I feel besieged by the stories Nong told me last winter in Thailand...the spirits of the earth ruling the lives of us lower beings...not too difficult a concept to grasp ... read more
another inhabitant of the...

Europe » Poland » Greater Poland » Poznan September 6th 2009

In the forest near Poznan, 25-07-2001. With only four hundert kilometers to Belin and five days of holiday left, there is no reason to hurry, no particular moment of doubt about the end of this trip. I can take the back roads through the dark green pine forests so abundant in Northern Poland. Maybe even cycle the remaining six hundert kilometers from Berlin to Amsterdam instead of using my return ticket by train. Would certainly improve my status as a super-wanderer among my alley-cat - bicycle messenger in Amsterdam speak - amigos back home. Not really the way I see it though...just enjoy being in motion, enjoy experiencing new emotions, discovering the newness of things, meeting new people - not all of them nice but then neither am I. New cultures and traditions change the moment ... read more
Owl on the hunt

Europe » Poland » Kuyavian-Pomeranian » Torun September 2nd 2009

Torun, 24-07-2001. Torun surely has charm, a soul reaching touch of clasic admosphere that breaches the charactre of this ancient realm of the Teutonic Knights, small cobble-stoned streets overshadowed by mighty churches which ghotic appaerance makes me feel small and insignificant... A ring of powerfull looking walls surrounding the inner city is testomony of my first visit to this ancient place. A light rain drizzling down on my head while I push my overloaded iron lady through near-empty streets, my sweaty and rained upon head trying to make an owl's turning, trying hard to take it all in. The omnimous darkness of the thunderstorm as yet awaiting me ignoring, I look for a small bar for lunch...back to tasteless Polish froth that the locals gobble down like it is a bowl of Red Wine with the ... read more
My camping place

Europe » Poland » Pomerania » Malbork August 31st 2009

Malbork Castle, evening. Now that I know the gipsy story, how they ended up here in the Northern Poland Lake District, waiting for the European Union borders to open up once Poland will join this big European economic powerhouse, keen on their part of the dough, social money free of charge and the respect of outsiders they mostly despise... So now I really like to get the background story of the two dozen or so Africans living on this badly mantained camping in old tents, taking turns on sleeping time and spending most of their time, when they aren't doing odd jobs for nearby farmers, on the camping drinking Polish beer and chewing grass that reminds them of their native QAT... Five of them inhabit an old army tent near the lake. The sour acid smell ... read more
Mashmour

Europe » Poland » Pomerania » Malbork August 27th 2009

Malbork Castle, 23-07-2001. I slowly walk the cobble-stoned narrow streets of Malbork Town with the looming shade of the Malbork Castle above me, a Teutonic strong-hold of times past and nowadays a prime tourist destination for people the wolrd over - my ears besieged by a multitude of languages...though most of my attention is on Salima, Miss Gipsy Magician's grand daughter who is explaining the Gipsy Plight to me... Salima grew up in a small gipsy community near the Bulgarian/Turkish border where they were the frequent victims of Turrkish speaking Bulgarians who themselves were repressed by non-Turkish speaking Bulgarians...a never ending feud with both sides as poor as church rats...young Turkish speaking Bulgarian females selling their young bodies to the "enemy" for a as little as a tooth brush in the nearby town of Burgas. About ... read more

Europe » Poland » Pomerania » Malbork August 26th 2009

Malbork Camping, 22-07-2001. "Wie heissen Sie dann, lieber Herr aus Holland", A strange question for someone who claims to be able to predict one's future by merely looking at your palm. I mean asking for my name just after one quick glance at my hand that after nearly three weeks on the bike has become severely callused...a bit like trying to read a crumpled old newspaper I guess. a parchment-like skin heavenly wrinkled by time and a long life time of living outside, olive colored skin with pink patches and despite the owner's advanced age notwithstanding she has long raven black hair with not a single stray of grey, coming out unruley from a brightly red bonnet, her piggy coal black eyes are locked on mine no doubt trying to overcome my scepticism...after all she claims ... read more

Europe » Poland » Pomerania » Malbork August 23rd 2009

Malbork, 21-07-2001. I sip my coffee slowly while sitting on my sleeping bag in front of my tent watching the early rising of the sun, the darkness of the night slowly surrendering to the first rays of the sun - when you live you life like a solitay vagabond wild camping in the forest trying to survive on a bare-bread budget, it seems easy enough to understand the devotion early mankind had for the sun, even turning this massive hot sphere into a GOD... Mister Maribu is still out in the lake standing in shallow water on his long black legs which are presently invisible due to the morning forest fog hanging over the lake's surface. His buddies, the water sifting spoonbills are nowhere to be seen, probably left before first sun light in search of ... read more
My trip...
wasps

Europe » Poland » Warmian-Masurian » Olsztyn August 21st 2009

In the forest 10 km. before Stanica Wodna, 20-07-2001. It's only 10 more kilometers to Stanica Wodna, an easy 20 minutes with the late afternoon sun slowly sinking in the west but the shape of a huge but strangely formed bird out on this small lake stops me dead on my pedals, my hands gripping the brake handles in a death hold... It takes me a few precious seconds to get my small binoculars out of my daypack - a prized birthday present from lovely Amanda back in Amsterdam. For a short moment I search the lake's dark blue water before seeing HIM again, surrounded by spoonbills that sift their weirdly shaped beaks through the water hoping for small aquatic life, wading slowly through the water on incredibly long legs, his wings standing slightly up giving ... read more
My trip...
Mister Maribu 's friends

Europe » Poland » Warmian-Masurian » Mikolajki Lake August 19th 2009

Mazurski, Wedland Biosphere, nighttime. I return from my 20 km. hike through the Masurian Lake District late afternoon, dead tired and hungry like a grizzly after a severe cold and long winter of hibernation. Typical camping life sounds greet me while I struggle to my tent, bend on the bottle of Chilean Red Wine - a luxury I couldn't really affort but surely deserve after my long day alone hiking purposefully through dark green forests. There is something really magical about trees, let alone a forest full of them and ancient at that - I love to spend my nights under a tree after a long day on my rusty iron lady, enjoying a beer and barbequeing my stupid German Bratwurst over my little fire - don't even like to set up my tent but instead ... read more
Enfield
same bike

Europe » Poland » Warmian-Masurian » Mikolajki Lake August 17th 2009

Mazurski Park, wedland biosphere, 19-07-2001. My breakfast in this buzy litte eatery is Russian and the name henceforth totally unpronouncable to me though it came highly prized by the cook. I am unsure how to tell him my true feelings about this, though no doubt highly nutricious meal considering the sheer amount of veggies and egg yolk, but still very bland Russian morning enhancer. Have to admit though that the ´Vodka On The Rocks' - as it is named on the biligual menu, Russian and Englsih but no Polish - included in the breakfast deal, does give my morning a serious start. Despite the early hour the Russian yacht crowd is having a ball ordering the most exclusive on the menu, a huge bottle of Don Peringon arriving at the next table resting in a silver ... read more
my trip...




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