We’ve made a list and checked it twice, and as luck would have it, it looks as if we will have time to squeeze in a tour of Prague before our 90 EU days are up. It’s thanks to pushing ourselves a little harder through some drives in Poland, and giving up the opportunity to see a bison in the wild (😔) but it’s paid off.
What it does mean though, is another long day trapped in the car, driving first through Poland’s Wielkopolska’s farmlands
then Silesia’s forests. Note the deer fencing – hundreds of kilometres of it.
Luckily, the drive coincides with a rainy day, sandwiched between good weather. If you have to lose a day to driving, a rainy day is is the perfect one.
It doesn’t seem to stop the deer, we see five very exciting sightings.
We find humour along the way: this truth in advertising amuses me for a while.
And I would very much like to see the final result of this ambitious restoration:
And having wondered where Poland gets its power from (Himself of course, I would never think of such a thing. He also likes to know where north is and which way the wind is blowing. I have no idea why.) we come across its largest nuclear power plant.
Along the way, the German embassy writes back to me about the interaction between the 90 day EU visa waiver rule and the bilateral visa agreement between Germany and Australia. They say this: if we enter Germany within the 90 EU days, the days spent in Germany count towards the 90 day total. To then take advantage of the bilateral visa waiver agreement, you have to leave the Schengen Zone to a non EU country, even breifly, to be able to re-enter Germany and stay for another 90 days. Evidence is required for the exit and re-entry. Given that we are driving, and there are so few non EU countries left, especially those which offer border control (for proof of exit and re-entry) it looks like it’s not an option for us on this trip. But at least now we know the rules.
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to see Poland. Having fought hard for survival and reconstruction of their history, the Polish people are right to hold their heads high with national pride. It’s truly a beautiful country. And the food is awesome.
We bumble along, crossing the Czech Republic border by mid afternoon. It’s immediately different – we see mountains for the first time in weeks.
But it’s here that the day turns pear shaped. A stream of flashing lights and emergency vehicles sees the motorway grind to a halt. We sit trapped, for almost three hours. So close – we were only 35 kilometres from our destination. Mind you, it was easier for us than most. We at least have beds, couches, a bathroom, water tanks and a kitchen at our disposal. Boredom eventually sees me turn the oven on to start dinner. That’s something I never thought I’d do on a motorway. When we eventually move, there’s no indication of what the problem was – I thought accident, but there’s no evidence to suggest it.
The delay means we don’t arrive in Prague until well after 7 pm. We settle by the river with a sneak preview across the way.
I can’t wait to go exploring tomorrow. Can’t wait!!
Miss Baci Travels 