Glogow ---- Lubin

It's a sign: Jan has Irish colours on his apartment block.

We detour through Gora on our way to Lubin so that we can stretch our legs and avoid main roads. Similar landscapes to rural Ireland, but with fewer pubs and more prefab apartment blocks.
Lubin is confusing. Large roads and huge shopping centres are different to the cities we have come to expect in Poland. We are immediately disorientated and call our host, Jan, to come to our rescue.
As we have to come to expect from Polish hospitality, he has been cooking for us and has dinner all ready. "Just like momma use-ta maka", poached eggs in a creamy, parsley sauce, boiled spuds and salad. Never one to shy away from a tour, we hop in Jan's car and cruise the streets of Lubin by night. Lubine is a without a buzzing centre, so we check out the "shooting range". No this is not for guns, but for TANKS. Have a few beers before calling it a night. G

Zielona Gora --- Glogow

Next morning, another banquet to get us on the road and a packed lunch so we don't starve on our 68km ride.
Jacek wants to ride through the city with us and show us the quieter roads to Glogow.
Excited about the prospect of seeing his bicycle: 25 years old,18 speed, old-style arm brakes, standard old tyres, loose bottom bracket ("I tighten it but after 100km it comes loose again: it's the way with old things" - always a hidden message in his words). Offer him a spare pair of cycling shorts, but he insists that he needs to be suitably attired for church right after a long day's cycle. Now we see why he has been so amused at our fully laden bikes - he cycles with sandals, jeans and a smart short-sleeved shirt.
After a final fond farewell and invitations to meet again, we are unterwegs to Glogow.
After Nowa Sol we alternate between eating and throwing apples (jap-ko) with some local kids. It's how they get their kicks in these parts.

Notice the fully laden table of food... not for long

Meet Krzysztof in Glogow. When Andrew asks "Do we lock our bikes outside?", he laughs "das ist einer guten Witz!". Drop our bags and off we go on a journey through the nightscape of Glogow. First stop is a tour of the sports facilities of which he is suitably proud, despite the sports hall taking 20 years to build. Then onto the cathedral that was destroyed during Krystalnacht in November 1938. Then onto a church which had bronze doors depicting the story of the sacrificed children in 1109. To show their resolve against the Russian attack, the villagers killed some of their own children and impaled them on the gates to the city. We saw the pink bridge if tolerance, Pope John II monument (he's everywhere here) and a physical therapy spa, founded by Italians. Krzysztof treated us to a beer in a really chilled out but impressive restaurant. Then at home, we ate his potato gratin mix and baked cheesecake - worthy of note. He was absolutely startled that we ate everything especially as it was after midnight. G

Slubice -- Zielona Gora

Finally get to meet our CS host after she was waylaid on her return hitchhike from Wroclaw. Svetlana cooks us dinner for breakfast, naturally with a cheesecake for dessert. Hit the shops about Slubice for essentials eg a map of Poland.
Route 29-32 is a main road but newly built and the we discover the Polish drivers have been much maligned by the reports we had previously heard in Berlin. They are courteous to us lone cyclists and not much traffic on these newly built roads.

One of the many well-travelled maps

Reach ZG in the evening at sunset where we meet Jacek. Don't think I could possibly meet a more inspirational man ever again. He is quiet and unassuming but has lead an amazing life, which has geared up in the past 4 years. What is worthy of note is that he is now 66. After a banquet, deserving if nobility, he gathers his 30 or so well travelled maps around the table and starts to make our eyes stare in wonder. Some stats: started his long bike trekking rides only after his retirement from being an electrician at the age of 62; 15,000km through Europe and Morocco over 8 months, travelling alone with a tent and minimal equipment. When questioned about his lack of camera and published stories, wise words emanate forth "you learn as you grow older that you do it for yourself" and besides a lot of his friends are "under the earth". His wife, Mila, shows us photos of their son and grandson, canoe, fiat and wedding photos from 40 years ago. Then the treasure chest opens, his travel diaries. The entries are in Polish, brief and astounding. Page after page of notes on distance covered and places visited. We learn he is a new to CouchSurfing after meeting some CSers in Morocco and has never actually been a guest. We are his first surfers. The world needs to know more about this guy.
Obviously this guy flies a glider, motorised hang-glider and has built his own canoe in 7 weeks. But all this information is particularly understated and he highlights the fact that people are generally good. He emphasises that there are "landscapes" that interest him, from gay parade in Paris, smoking hashish in Morocco, to the tranquility of camping alone in the mountains. G

Berlin - Slubice (Poland)

Svetlana in Slubice - first taste of Poland

Hit the road in the afternoon, fully packed with 4 panniers each and a tent. No map of Berlin or Germany so got a bit turned-around several times on the outskirts of Berlin. Marzahn - how and why does it exist so close to Berlin? As we were chasing time, we took route 5 directly to Frankfurt-Oder, despite Andrew's proclivity toward route 1.
Met our hosts, Dasha and Luba, on the bridge between Germany and Poland. This was the most dangerous part of the trip; trying to weave about the roads in Slubice on their tail.
Svetlana, Dasha and Luba have complicated origins. They were born near Minsk - Belarus but have studied in their "university-in-exile" in Vilnius - Lithuania and currently studying in Slubice. Avid hitch-hikers, media and journalism students and super hosts, they are getting the most out of their time so close to Berlin.