Warsaw, Poland -> Berlin, Germany
592 km dep: 08:45 arr: 20:05
Date: 09/08/2012
Weather: Cloudy
Contrary to what those French girls said at the hostel in Vilnius, Warsaw is a very beautiful and lively city in which I would have gladly spent more time. The Poles were also very nice people, outgoing and welcoming. I did not see much in terms of museums but I walked around the city for a whole afternoon and could really tell it had a glorious past (so many palaces) and is also moving towards a rich future (lots of construction).
For the rest I will be quick because I am heading to restaurant with my girlfriend and frankly, there is not much to say. The route in Poland was just an ordeal from beginning to end. The roads are long, straight, traverse a countryside devoid of anything but fields and pass through villages that are quite ugly and without character. Add a lot of trucks, some reckless drivers, a string upwind and you get a recipe for an unpleasant day. Every gas station has a bar, so I would not be surprised if a lot of people are actually drunk at the wheel.
The moment I hit Germany I was back on the idyllic roads I got a taste of during stage 4 and in no time got to Berlin. I will be spending four days in this city, a very welcome break that will finally allow me to properly visit this city.
Je ne suis pas aller en Pologne mais je l’ai visité dans les romans de Gunter Grass. Il en dit long et tristement sur les ravages des allemands en Pologne.