Friday 14 May 2015. Chrewt-Polana to Chmiel. Late afternoon.

After 25 kilometers and more than seven hours of walking the dogs were a bit weary. Here they wait for another two or three raisins or cashew nuts. They did not need much...   

 

At last, River San. Separating two bear and wolf areas. 

Springtime sparkling. Cherry trees. Almond trees. Apple trees. Like fireworks in the green.



 

At the end of the day I was worried that the dogs would tread on the tar from the on-going roadwork. Plate sized spots all over the road. We had to zigzag...

 

Finally, we reached Chmiel and my Agroturystyka for the night. Since the dogs did not volunteer to return they were simply tied to the owner's iron fence. They did not object. Four hours later a woman came and fetched the dogs bringingand them back to the vicarage in Polana. The priest was said to be elsewhere all evening...

 

In this area, south of Ustrzyki Dolne, and at this time of the year, tourism is not yet there and accommodation of any kind, hotel or agro, was hard to find. The previous night in Polane I was denied paying for the dinner (delicious soup and chicken), for the room, for the breakfast - it is "gratis", they said. Thank you, Babicia and family Pietrowicz!

Now, in Chmiel, the situation is again normal in this respect. For dinner (delicious soup and dumplings), for room, for breakfast I paid 100 zloty.

 

 

The fire I was allowed to make in the evening from birch and beech wood was a true









 

The breakfast. The big jar is not with applesauce but  ...HONEY! :)

 

Excellent treatment. Thanks Macjul and Josefa! 

 

Bye, bye, my dear doggy friends!

 

 

Tisdag 5 maj. Hästskovägen. Mulet men vindstilla.

Bara tandborsten återstår att lägga ner i ryggsäcken sen färdigpackat, 6 kg. Buss 65 från Mariedalsskolan och tåg från Trollhättan till Göteborg fvb Landvetter och med Wizzair i eftermiddag till Warszawa. Hotell bokat.

Nära till det nyöppnade judiska museet Polin imorgon (www.polin.pl).

Sen vidare tidigt torsdag morgon med tåg och buss via Lublin till Jaroslaw och vandring 21 km söderut mot Przemysl som jag når på fredag efter ytterligare 24 km. Lagom inledning på min sjätte och sista etapp i Polen. Något jag ser fram emot.

Hoppas få kommentarer under vandringen från mina följare!

It cannot wait. I just need to put these pictures on display.

15 May. From the Pietrowska family in Polana village (Chrewst) through the Hulskie Nature Reserve to the village Chmiel in the River San valley. All the way some, 28 k, these German shepherd dogs a male and a bitch (wrong vocable for such a beauty...) followed me, guarded me. Indeed, as of a miracle, they offered me a long walking day with much comfort. What were their secrets? I was told that they were owned by the priest in Polana.Not even wearing collars.  ???

 

 

 

The area is wild and practically empty of habitation, people and traffic. Although half way into the mountain between the valleys we met with Ania and Lukasz, working for the Lukowiska's forest revier. And soon after, to my surprise, we faced two black persons - and I mean black - they were charcoal burners. Totally black. I was so stunned that I forgot to ask for their permission to take a picture. What a pity.

 

 

 

 

Having walked up the hills for three four hours the dogs seem all too happy to turn back to their village. We are soon entering the Hulskie Nature Reserve with many restrictions. Certainly stray dogs (they don't wear collars) are not permitted or any dog for that matter. When a fallow or red deer crossed the road a hundred meters ahead of us, the dogs had already felt the scent and flew, when they saw it, like rockets into the Wood. But. What could I do? They are not my dogs.



I was asked to be alert if there were bear babies around. If so, the bear mother could prove a real danger to both me and the dogs. Let's see what we soon would face.

 

 I the soft forest road, suddenly, I spotted this foot print. A bear?
Well, why not - the size and the shape of it? More to come...

 In the wet muddy ditch dirt an unmistakable trace of a bear. No doubt. And fresh.

 No close encounter with the bear. Good outcome. We have reached the road along the river San and my watch dogs can take a rest. 



 Here we met two men from Gdansk who seemed to have no idea about the true wilderness that they were in.

 

I hoped that the dogs should walk with them back to Polana but, no, they fancied me and we soon walked on.

 

 

 to be cont'd
   

9 May. The fortress town of Przemysl.

My leg with quite some sratches and bleeding - I felt obliged to look for a doctor.

In the 19th century under Austrian-Hungarian rule Przemysl town was strategically fortified into a dubble-ringed stronghold to prevent Russian invasion. During WWI sieges and battles were many between the two super powers at the time. And from the fall of the two empires - with their Kaiser, Tsar and all - Poland rose out of the ashes as a free nation Przemysl prospering in its south centre. Today, the town is only five kilometers from the Ukrainian border which has damaged its economical potential quite badly.  Thus, you will find here and there very poor housing conditions.

However, Przemysl is a friendly place. I failed to find any GP facility open since it was Saturday and I had to take a cab up to Szpital Miejski on Monte Cassino. With my EU insurance card I was registered in a minute and within the hour I was treated - a needle in my arm with tetanus vaccine. The young couple helped me translate to Polish.

The hospital did indeed live up to its own motto

"From door to needle within the hour".

 

Back in town and across the river San with many restored houses, churches and other buildings...

Tillbaka i stan och över floden San med många vackra, pietetsfullt restaurerade bostadshus, kyrkor och andra byggnader 

 

 and in the midst of a surprisingly quiet presidential election campaign
och mitt i en för övrigt överraskande stillsam presidentvalskampanj

 

I visited near the Przemysl Dworzec PKP and PKS the new local museum

besöker jag det nya stadsmuseet nära Przemysl Dworzec PKP och PKS

Maria, the guide gave me a swift presentation before closing time. Her own family story was as interesting as the exhibits...  Thanks Maria!

 

The most famous about Przemysl is the double-ringed fortress but since I am no tourist I did not rent a bike for the suggested  bike tour along the outer ring Learning all about the two sieges in September and October by the Russians that ended by Austrian surrender in 22 March 2015 of the stronghold. A hundred years ago.



to be cont'd