Berlin to Helsinki Day 8: Kaliningrad (Калининград)
Our last stop in Poland on our way to Kaliningrad was in Frombork, the birthplace of Copernicus (who confirmed Galileo's theory that the earth and everything else revolves around the sun).
You can still visit his observatory, which is pretty much the only touristic draw in the village which is pretty remote be about 5 miles from the Russian border - and it was teeming with tourists and groups.
Mylène next to the large statue of Copernicus in front of the huge observatory grounds (complete with a cathedral as well).
We briefly toured the enormous palace-like grounds and went up to the top to view the observatory which had exhibits highlighting the exploits of Polish scientists and astronauts throughout history - unfortunately none of it was translated.
A view of the route by which we came from Elbląg, totally covered with forests (plus you can't see all the hills we climbed!)
After a little more riding we finally arrived at the reason we spent hours running around Berlin to get a 3-day visa in our passport. The Russian border!
There is a huge advantage to being on a bike since we skipped the whole line of cars which seems to be moving at a pace of maybe one every 15-20 minutes. We passed through without incident but the border officer was very surprised when asking about my travel plans in Russia to learn that I was traveling by bike. He told Myléne that she was crazy for letting me talk her into going, but it's nothing we didn't know already.
Mylène negotiating the terms if her stay at the Russian border.
Upon entering Kaliningrad, we didn't immediately find anything too different about the landscape and houses, probably because most of the structures and fields were built during the USSR when both sides of the border were controlled by Russia.
We rode another 60km in the rain before making it to the city (and promptly getting lost while finding our host).
Our host is Boris and his girlfriend, Dacha. Tomorrow we will spend part of the day with them as we make our way around the city. Part 2 coming tomorrow.
You can still visit his observatory, which is pretty much the only touristic draw in the village which is pretty remote be about 5 miles from the Russian border - and it was teeming with tourists and groups.
Mylène next to the large statue of Copernicus in front of the huge observatory grounds (complete with a cathedral as well).
We briefly toured the enormous palace-like grounds and went up to the top to view the observatory which had exhibits highlighting the exploits of Polish scientists and astronauts throughout history - unfortunately none of it was translated.
A view of the route by which we came from Elbląg, totally covered with forests (plus you can't see all the hills we climbed!)
After a little more riding we finally arrived at the reason we spent hours running around Berlin to get a 3-day visa in our passport. The Russian border!
There is a huge advantage to being on a bike since we skipped the whole line of cars which seems to be moving at a pace of maybe one every 15-20 minutes. We passed through without incident but the border officer was very surprised when asking about my travel plans in Russia to learn that I was traveling by bike. He told Myléne that she was crazy for letting me talk her into going, but it's nothing we didn't know already.
Mylène negotiating the terms if her stay at the Russian border.
Upon entering Kaliningrad, we didn't immediately find anything too different about the landscape and houses, probably because most of the structures and fields were built during the USSR when both sides of the border were controlled by Russia.
We rode another 60km in the rain before making it to the city (and promptly getting lost while finding our host).
Our host is Boris and his girlfriend, Dacha. Tomorrow we will spend part of the day with them as we make our way around the city. Part 2 coming tomorrow.
60 km in the rain? poor you! In Gdańsk it was sunny all day ;D
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Szymon
(why can't i write anonymous comment? : ( or at least without login?)