Sunrise: 4:26am Sunset: 8:53pm
I switched my light out at 1030 last night and set the alarm for 6am. Woke up shortly after 5am so got out of bed. I went down to breakfast just after 6:30 and left the luggage out when I went down. After breakfast, went back to my room to get the carry-on and check that I haven’t left anything behind, then down to the coach for our 7:45 departure.
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| The view from my room in Gdansk. |
Our local guide from yesterday was with us this morning, as we called into Malbork castle on the way to Warsaw and she took us through there. The castle, on the banks of the Nogat River, is a stunning example of a medieval fortress and the largest brick Gothic castle in the world.
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| The sun was in the wrong direction, so not a good photo and that is not all of the Castle area. |
On the way there, we passed through an area where storks breed and at this time of the year, the young ones are learning to fly. On one nest, we could see 4 young storks surveying the surrounding countryside. I was on the wrong side of the coach to get a photo.
Malbork Castle is huge.
This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.
We arrived there around 9am and departed the Castle at 10:30.
We stopped around 11am for our lunch break at a service area . The meals on offer were traditional Polish fare and it all looked delicious but it was Iced Tea only for me.
We departed there around midday.
Greg gave a talk about how he started in the travel industry and it was quite interesting and also funny. He put the movie “The Pianist” on around 12:30, as it was relevant to the 2ndWW and Warsaw in particular.
Gentle rolling hills again when looking out the window, after the flat agricultural farm areas of the past couple of days.
1:30pm and the rate of progress has slowed right down. We are off the highway and have passed through a village and the limit through that was 70. The slow down didn’t last too long.
Farming country again and also wind farms. I can see corn growing and wheat that has been harvested. Some of the fields have a few cows grazing in them.
The cloud is building up a again, after a lovely warm & sunny morning.
We had a 20 minute break at 2:15 and Greg had donuts for us to nibble on this time.
A very pleasant 25c outside.
3:25 and we have just passed theWarsaw Modlin Airport. Their main airport is the Warsaw Chopin Airport.
3:35 and we have just hit the outskirts of Warsaw.
Arrived at the hotel around 4pm and were checked in very quickly. For some reason Nicole & I had our rooms changed but that only took a few minutes. We are upon the 18thfloor.
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| View from room 1813 |
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| View from room 1813 |
Might have something to do with us joining the 2ndInsight tour, though John & Kathy are also on that tour, and their rooms weren’t changed.
Carolyn had been going to the optional Chopin Concert but pulled out of that and joined Nicole and myself for a walk up the street, looking to see what restaurants are around, before settling on one just across the road from the Westin.
The food was delicious, as has the majority of the food so far on the tour. While we were eating, Karen & Monique also came in for a meal.
After that, we 3 came back to the hotel and had another drink at the bar, before heading for our respective rooms for the night.
I’m doing the optional tomottow morning to Wilanow Palace, which is departing from the hotel at 8:30am and as it’s a quarter after midnight here, I’ll say Goodnight.
Steps walked today 5,585
Hotel: The Westin Warsaw.
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