Next Leg of the Journey: North of Poland

(4th sequel to our summer journey)

At last, a land came into view as the ferry reached foreign waters. Hubby told me to go up the deck to see something awesome. I went up to find many already standing by the railings looking out to the distant island. Wow, what amazing white cliffs set in forests of greens! No wonder some had their cameras busy zooming in to shoot. This is the island of Rugen off the north coast of Germany. After the stretch of cliffs emerged an amazing vista of the city of Sassnitz in Rugen.

We docked in the port of Sassnitz at past 5:00 pm, then proceeded right away eastward to Poland's northern coastline. The patched road in this part of Germany struck me like a checker board, which made me smile. But what charmed me most were the tunnels of trees in many sections of the road, trees like chestnut, oak, maple, beech or a combination of them lining both sides of the road. Similar tunnels graced Poland's coastal roads, which were interspersed with vast agricultural fields.

We reached Poland late in the night. All the way along the coastline were small villages equipped with camping sites for tourists. We located the camping site that hubby found in the internet but unfortunately, the reception had been closed. So we looked for another, which turned out to be right in the heart of a village called Dziwnowek, along with many other camping sites and hostels. The name's Bialy Dom, a big, neat and a relaxing place. The only problem is that the receptionists can't understand English. Most campers came with their housecars while some slept in tents. Many of these were Germans.

the camping site we planned to stay

we checked in here instead

nearby camping site 

Before getting on with my account, I'll state the reasons why we chose Poland for this year's summer holiday considering its unpopularity. We could go instead to any of the more attractive travel destinations in Europe which is within our reach and budget.

First, hubby's roots are in Poland, and it's been aeons since he was there. I had been wishing to meet his remaining relatives there, so this was my chance, as they also wanted to meet me.  Second, hubby showed me the google images of the crowning beauties of the country which appealed to my unquenchable wanderlust. So, I thought these were good reasons to visit this country.

Back to the camping, we settled on hiring a little cottage instead of setting up our tent at this late hour. Anyway, the cottages were so, so cheap compared here. We had a snug and adorable cottage with a little bedroom and dining room equipped with a little ref and an electric kettle. The service center was just a few steps away, with great restrooms and bath. The kitchen/dining room was out of function that time, so we couldn't use it. But who cares about cooking when the foods at the restaurants are incredibly cheap and tasty as well?

our little cabin

bedroom

dining room

service center

bath room

bath room, taken from the opposite end

one of the souvenir shops

a pub

amber jewelries

The main attractions in this place are the wide sandy beaches, though no one dared to swim at that time on account of the whooping waves that kept crashing through the shore. Some of us just stood there, watching, being awed by this unconquerable force of nature while others walked about or reclined on blankets laid over the sand.

The beaches here also yield ambers which the locals gather in the small hours of the morning. Amber has always been one of my favorite gems, so I was excited to go picking along with many others. I was so elated when I thought I'd picked several pieces, thinking, "wow, is it that easy?" When I showed them to hubby, he said those were not ambers. Aww...my heart sank! It was not that easy at all. So I ended up buying amber jewelries from the souvenir shops along the street. But I collected tons of smooth pebbles of various textures and colors.

Lighthouses fringe the coastline, which also attract the tourists. Fortunately, we were able to visit one of them.

The weather during our three-day stay was sort of on-and-off, sudden rain, then sudden sunshine. Still, the beaches were frequented by visitors, even while the sand was blowing. Anyway, just being here was quite relaxing.

Before I forget, cherries were also abundant and super cheap. I've never eaten so much cherries in my whole life!

After three days of staying in this camping site, it was time to pack again. Then we proceeded on our journey southward.

I've read from some blogs that it's good to take a photo of our feet on the ground of the places we travel. So I took this.  

(to be continued)

For more outdoor sights, visit A Southern Daydreamer
For skywatchers, view amazing sky shots at Skywatch Friday

Sunshine and Heavy Rain

Something funny happened a while ago. At 30 degrees Celsius, the sun was scorchingly hot and the sky a clear blue. Hubby was sitting under our patio umbrella. I joined him for a few minutes, sighing over the withered grass that would have been green.  It hadn't rained for quite a time and most vegetation is drying up. As I came back into the house, I uttered sadly, "There's not a drop of water at all". Within a minute after I said those words, strands of rain suddenly started to fall until they multiplied to make a heavy downpour!  The sun kept shining intensely amidst the rain with only a patch of gray clouds hovering in a corner of the sky.

That pleased me enormously since it could at least relieve the ground of its aridity. Isn't rain a blessing?

Have a fantastic weekend!

Next Stop-over: Malmö

(3rd sequel to my summer holiday account; since I have lots of flower photos here, I'm linking this with Today's Flowers)

We headed down to Malmö the morning of 16th through the Vättern coastline highway down to Helsingborg, then to Malmö. This was my second time to be in this country's 3rd largest city located in the southernmost province of the country, Skåne. My first visit is recorded here: Flying South ... to My Dream Fields

on the way to Helsingborg

a fortress in Helsingborg

and a bank

Malmö's twisted building

This was only a two-night stop-over, just to take it easy before launching forth on a formidable drive through the European super highway. Once again, we stayed in the house of hubby's older brother who lives alone in that cute house and therefore was so excited to have us there. This time, though, we didn't go around sightseeing but just stayed home and relaxed. "Relax" for me means walking around the vicinity in search of diverse flowers blooming in every garden and lawn, then preserving their colors and lustre through my camera.

Walking some few meters from my brother-in-law's house, I could see an awesome view of the renowned Öresund bridge which connects Sweden to Denmark.  This bridge has bedazzled me ever since I laid eyes on it, and my fascination with it has never worn off. Intially, I didn't know that it terminates right in the midst of the Öresund Strait leading to nowhere. I personally noticed this while we were up in a plane that was about to touch down, which kept me wondering. I found out later that from that truncated point over the sea, the passage stretches out as an underwater tunnel to Copenhagen. Ok, "mystery" solved! This time again, I stood there, letting the same unspeakable trance wash over my whole being.

Öresundbron, view from Denmark side (photo borrowed from google images)

We did go out one afternoon to an "African safari" park roamed by animals made of cement. Hubby's brother thought we were bored being in his house the whole day (but I was not), so he took us there, dropping by some spots to look at things.

Departure day finally arrived, 18th of June. We travelled down to Trelleborg and boarded a RORO (roll-on/roll off) passenger ferry bound for Sassnitz, Germany. Standing on the deck of the ferry looking  out towards the harbor, I said a silent farewell to Sweden. For a time. Then I watched the waterfront diminish until it faded away.

rolling our car on the ferry

The ferry had over four hours to sail across the Baltic Sea to the German island of Rugen. Four hours to lounge away amidst the torquoise sea.

Coming up: beaches, lighthouses, ambers, etc.

Polish figurines from my brother-in-law's house

The Night of the Supermoon 2014

At first, I wasn't aware of the upcoming supermoon. Somehow, I've missed the news. I just went on with my usual habit of checking out the development of the waxing gibbous. And sure, I took pictures too.

On July 11, I read a blog about it and thought that the moon that night was the supermoon. My, I had taken pictures of it sans knowing that it was the supermoon. Later on, though, I read the official news that the real one would appear on July 12. Good, I still had the chance to view it.

The afternoon of July 12 turned cloudy, which thickened in the evening. As the gray clouds thickened in, my hopes of seeing the supermoon thinned out. As the night went deeper, though, the clouds began to clear away. And then I saw this vertical splash of rainbow which gradually lengthened to form a whole arc across the sky. It was like watching an invisible hand painting this piece of art on a gray canvas of sky. Ah, the hand of the Greatest Artist!

After about an hour, the sapphire sky emerged, revealing a warmly glowing face that smiled beautifully. Finally, the supermoon!

What a marvelous night! Glory and honor to our Creator!

Linking with Skywatch Friday