Southwest of Kalingrad

Departure: N51 44 02.5 E20 13 54.0 (south of Warschau, Poland)

Arrival: N54 15 06.2 E23 04 27.9 (southwest of the Russian enclave of Kalingrad)

Distance: 421 km

Good evening from 54 degrees north of the equator!

Did you know that Naboomspruit is “only” 24 degrees south of the equator and Cape Town “only” 33 degrees south of the equator?

Today was a good riding day. Four years ago on my ride to the Russian border I got hopeless lost while riding through Warschaw. I left this morning before seven to tackle Warschaw. As it was a religious holiday day in Poland today, and as trucks were not allowed on the roads today, and as I reckoned that Polish people would sleep later this morning I thought that I would have all the highways for myself.

And so it was. I even found a bypass skirting the city edges. Within an hour I was from south of the city right around it and on my way north. I sang for quite a while under my helmet.

It was again a long day of riding. The lasting impression however was the Polish people and how religious they are. I admire them for that. I passed big churches where people were standing in front of the doors as there was more no place inside. I rode through towns and villages where the roads were closed while they were busy with the processions to different prayer altars in town. In one town I witnessed how nearly a thousand people knelt down in prayer. I felt His presence on that town square.

While riding in the cold weather through forests I was struck how many prostitutes were standing in their short dresses waiting for customers. After reading Bilheam se donkie this morning I felt such a pity for those women who do that for survival. There is no way that I could judge them in any way. Poor ladies.

(And while riding on I thought again of Bilheam se donkie and double standards and I wonder whether there is a difference between a person selling his/her body for money to survive and someone marrying for money and not for love. Please, no comments, these are only the thoughts of someone who has to keep him busy on a bike for many hours)

The more I travel the more I love God’s creatures.

And my supper tonight was a tripe soup. I love tripe and the soup was worth the R 14!

Tomorrow I ride into the old Soviet Union. First to Lithuania and then to Latvia.

Sleep well!

01 riding through a polish village

02 i could imagine spending the next winter in this house with a fire place and a olga

03 another interesting small house

04 have a break have a kitkat and cappucinno

05 today was a religious holiday day in poland and the people took it serious with praying and kneeling down

06 beautiful little pippa with her dad at the church proceedings in the open

07 another street in another polish town

08 my supper tripe soup and it tasted well

09 7 june mapsource

10 7 june route profile

11 7 june google earth