I will start with a confession: we are cheating, I am writing this from a studio apartment that we rented for 4 nights instead of sleeping in the van. The last couple of nights have been really, really cold and when the outlook was even colder (and rainy), we gave in.
After the last couple of nights in Madona we headed directly to Lithuania. As a proper goodbye most of the roads we took over about 2 hours were unpaved, so trailed by a huge cloud of dust we bounced out of the Latvian country side. In Biržai, Lithuania, we had a look around and sampled lots of beers and snacks from a local brewery. We did the responsible thing by sleeping in their parking lot afterwards. Then we went to Vilnius, where we spend only an afternoon to drive to and camp outside the castle town Trakai. Vilnius was fun, bigger still than the other two capitals. It seems very active, with lots of local events and theaters. Now that we have seen the three Baltic capitals, we think we liked visiting Riga the best, as it has the prettiest architecture and the most to do.
The morning we walked across Trakai, though the cold made it challenging. It was barely 7°C and the chill wind cut right through our 4+ layers of clothes. To us it feels like we stepped right into a Dutch winter now. Next we want to get moving south, so we crossed into Poland and headed towards the Białowieża National Park. Białowieża is another one of the few primeval forests of Europe and is know for the bison population (re-introduced in the 20th century). We visited the 'show reserve' (a kind zoo, that just made as a little sad) and walked around some. But most access is forbidden, as you need a licensed guide to enter. The day after we moved to the other end and did a nice hike through the accessible forest instead. We had high hopes for Białowieża but in the end we got a little disappointed.
By now we are sleeping inside our down sleeping bags, underneath the regular blanket and 2 fleece blankets. This is okay and the evenings aren't so bad, as cooking dinner and us moving around warms the van a little. But when we wake up the temperature inside is typically around 4°C, which sucks. We start by boiling lots of water for tea, hot bottles and coffee and then we can handle it. Of course when we need it the most our cooking gas runs out again. And even the spare stove is running low. So enter a two-day hunt, first for a replacement of the small bottle and then for the main tank. We only find this in the outskirts of Warsaw, but when we arrive it's already closed so we sleep outside the city to handle it in the morning.
With that done we decide to skip Warsaw and instead head directly for Krakow. So the third day in a row of mostly driving, but we are covering a lot of distance. Now we're about half-way between Estionia and the Netherlands. In the city we stay in an (expensive...) campsite to enjoy some very hot showers. The next day we spend with yet another free-walking tour and a lot of wondering around by ourselves. Next we sleep in a shabby parking lot instead of paying a campsite, but we don't suffer the cold as we stay out in an awesome craft-beer cafe. The next morning we wander around more, now in Kazimierz (the Jewish Quarter) and end our visit with lunch at a "Bar Mleczny", a "milk bar". It's a traditional canteen-style restaurant, with very basic but wholesome and cheap food. In the place we enter are only locals and the lady behind the counter doesn't speak a word of English. But we manage to order (vegetarian!) dishes and for about €10,50 the two of us have soups and main dishes. And it's awesome.
The same afternoon we dive the Zakopane, the mountain town before the Tatras mountains. Here we find a cheap studio to stay in instead. That evening we quickly hike up the hill to enjoy some of the views, as the next days the weather might be terrible. We're already loving it, it feels amazing to be amidst the mountains once more. Though with a large amount of snow higher up and the weather forecast, we might not get so far. No matter, it's awesome being here!
