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England to Poland
CZECH REPUBLIC Frazer Valerie Monika and Ivan We set off from Plymouth en-route Portsmouth for the 22.00 hours sailing. The 200-mile journey was completed in three and a half hours. Our personal belongings this time restricted to the essentials, which obviously included Monika’s hair dryer, five dresses, hers not mine! And a spare continental tyre secured to the tyre frame, which by now for journeys such as these protrudes horizontally from the rear panniers.
GERMAN BORDER Embarkation on to the Portsmouth - Caen ferry was a familiar routine, and it was not long before we were making new acquaintances onboard the ferry. We met a nice group of bikers in the ferry bar from the London VINCENT m/c owners club.
VINCENT M/C - NICE BUNCH OF BIKERS
FRANCE VINCENT M/C CLUB - For the first time GSCLUBUK BANNER ARRIVES IN EUROPE! Four men and one lady all dressed in traditional leathers from the fifties and sixties which has to be said, complimented their motorbikes the oldest being over 45 years old. They were en-route due south into middle France, whilst our journey took us due east for a scheduled meeting with Mike Coan then onwards, to the CZ and Poland. We departed the ferry at 05.30 and after a coffee and a continental breakfast in a Harbour cafe we departed for Paris. We had six hours to travel one hundred and fifty miles to our pre planned meeting point, which happened to be directly underneath the Eiffel tower.
The weather by now was a constant downpour so we made the decision to stay Paris the night and continue our journey the following day. We passed the evening in an Italian Restaurant which in it self caused us problems because at the best of times back in sunny blighty, I struggle to make sense of Italian menu’s, spaghetti bolognaise being the exception to the rule! So here we where in the restaurant being explained the contents of the Italian menu by a French man whom could not speak English, if you follow that? Mike Coan and his wife Su have been on the road consistently now for two years there is not a region on the planet that this couple have not visited on their bike, and it was a privilege to be sharing the same company, if only for one evening. We listened on in envy about their worldly travel tales, which first commenced over thirty years ago. I wondered to myself if age would temper their enthusiasm for riding and travelling, only to find a short while later, not a chance of it! When in passing conversation Mike informed us that they would pop down to visit us in the Czech Republic for a couple of days, a round journey of nearly 2000 miles! We set off early for our next destination, which happens to be a famous bikers hotel in Austria. I have read in numerous travel magazines how bikers from Europe stay here so I thought I would investigate. We arrived at 11pm after a pretty tedious journey; a tight schedule forced us to make speed across the autobahns of France then Germany. Not a preferred choice but we did cover 650 miles in 13 hours thus achieving the aim.
MONIKA (AUSTRIA) We followed the guidebook directions to the hotel and when we arrived the smell of Frankfurter was thick in the air as a BBQ was in full swing and the beer was flowing, so without much persuading or even an invitation, we joined in the socialising, as they say, It is always best to unwind after a long journey. Five hours later and at four in the morning socially confused, we retired to the hotel room for a well-deserved nights sleep.
BIKER HOTEL AUSTRIA
The tour of the hotel in the morning confirmed this hotel was geared for bikers as they had a dedicated drying room for bikers clothing, and a huge secure car park at the rear. The hotel lobby wall was covered numerous Route Maps where every garage and café had been pencilled in. Numerous contact cards where left on the bar and coffee tables by biker guides offering their assistance for a small daily fee. A short walk from the lobby was the entrance to Sauna and Jacuzzi, if only I had time! The rooms where spacious and the bar was friendly and inviting. I had to agree with the guidebooks that this would make the perfect base location for a few days or more.
RUSIIAN MIG'S !! It was 11 am before we departed for the final stretch, which took us through Wien (Vienna) and then North into the Czech Republic. The drive from Austria in the Czech republic was laboured, as we were both now beginning to feel the victims of our heavy schedule, combined with the hard ride and play routine, which had been ongoing now for the last three days. We arrived in Brno mid afternoon under the heat of a scorching sun and the purpose of the visit here was to see Monika’s family who reside in the general area and after a light meal a couple of beers we retired early for a good nights sleep.
CZECH REPUBLIC FRAZER AND HIS GS1100 (GSCLUBUK LOGO DESIGNER) ROZNOV CZ It was agreed, it would be best for all concerned if Monika’s family came to visit us in our home at Roznov where it is more spacious and suited for a family gathering. We left early for Roznov the beautiful spa town in the eastern Czech republic. Situated only an hour’s due south from the polish border and just forty-five minutes west from Slovak border. After Prague, Roznov and the surrounding Besydy region is famed for its natural beauty, which includes rolling hills lined with huge trees and miles and miles of walks, which encompasses the best scenery, and traditional customs the Czech has to offer. In essence the long rolling roads and very cheap prices makes this the perfect location for every GS owner. We had a free day before Monika’s family arrived so we set off early for Poland to visit the concentration camp called “Auschwitz”.
POLAND It was only a seventy-mile ride from ROZNOV to the camp and it had been almost two years since our last visit. We were intrigued to know how much of a change there had been in the last twenty-four months. The border routine was European as we passed threw in minutes and it wasn’t long before we could see that the western influence had taken hold especially in the towns and cities. For the most part the dull grey shop exteriors had been cosmetically fabricated to reflect a new modern era. The most obvious difference albeit simple, was the signs on the entrances to shops and petrol stations, which now display signs, stating they except VISA, MASTERCARD etc. The reality is we could not find one business that actually did, and this included McDonald’s the famous fast food chain. We are still unsure if they adopt a cash only policy to visiting tourists due to the large amount of credit card fraud now commonplace in developing countries. It was thirteen miles prior to Auschwitz before we saw our first sign directing the way. The last eight miles of the route took us threw s all villages where to us the passing traveller it looked like nothing had changed in the past hundred years and in sharp contrast to the developing cities which by now had been gripped by the capitalist hand of influence. One could not help thinking as we drove every nearer to our destination how this now quiet landscape would have been effected by the horrors of sixty years ago.
ENTRANCE TO AUSCHWITZ We arrived at the entrance to the camp and drove straight into a large car park occupied by at least thirty coaches and over two hundred cars. It had taken nearly two hours to arrive here and my first impression as we par ed up was the large amount of people standing still, isolated, and simply gathering their thoughts. We opted to pay a small fee so that we could join an English-speaking guide group, but first we had to view a short introduction film. The film lasted thirty minutes and on completion there were waiting shuttle buses, which drove the short distance to the main camp. We followed by bike and it was only a matter of minutes before we sighted the famous entrance to the camp.
TRAIN ENTRANCE One large tower surrounded and joined on each side by guardrooms, which extend 100 meters to the left and right respectively. The main tower encompassing the entrance to the arriving trains where they drive underneath and into the camp itself. This one isolated building two hundred and fifty meters in length did well to hide the bulk of the camp situated to its rear. It was only after passing threw its entrance did the shear size become clear.
View from the main watch tower Watchtowers spaced every sixty meters surrounded the camp joined together by a ten-meter high voltage electrical fence, which disappeared into the distance. The camp was separated to the left and right of the railway line, which extended for another mile finally ending at the foot of the gas chambers.
Sleeping Bunks 28 bunks of three often housed nearly 500 people. The accommodation huts housed sixty bunk beds each bunk bed intended for three persons, yet each accommodation housed in access of five hundred prisoners the majority being non-Jews as their final destination was to be the gas chambers at the end of the railway line and immediate execution.
Entrance to Gas Chamber then to the rear the crematorium. The only Jews to survive murder at the first instance were the fit and able. The guide lasted one hour but on completion it felt somewhat impersonal, so we strolled the grounds again and laid the some flowers at the memorial now situated between the old gas chambers and crematoriums. We departed after a full afternoon in Auschwitz and it is hard to believe that man can be so insane to fellow human beings. It is a graphic reminder to what we are capable of and the reality is words could never explain the full horror of what the Nazis did, but if you ever get the opportunity you must visit Auschwitz to remember the victims of the holocaust.
Main entrance from within the camp
Toilets !
Monika and the International Monument within the camp.
Confined to history but never forgotten |
No
excuse for getting lost or misinterpreting the meeting point. We arrived at
the tower five minutes ahead of schedule, so typically English, while Mike
and Sue arrived 20 minutes later. After a few pleasantries we were invited
to lunch at a favourite restaurant of theirs in the old Paris suburbs. I
asked Mike would it take long drive there conscious of the increasing
rainfall. He replied, “Not long at all if you drive like the French!”
Curious at his reply, we set off in the heavy traffic in a westerly
direction. It was only thirty seconds into a short journey when all became
clear. There was to be no riding between the congested lanes of traffic,
this was about utilising the horn and full beam and making use of the
one-way system and pedestrian walkways. All be it, ignore the no go signs
and ride as the crow would fly irrespective of braking the law. It was only
about a five-mile journey, but as we made distance overland I couldn’t help
reminiscing about the film the ITALIAN JOB staring Michael Cane. It has to
be said this short journey has been the highlight of our holiday to-date. I
am not sure if all the pedestrians we encountered as we passed them driving
the wrong way up a one way streets or startled them as we breezed down
pedestrian walkways, would share our enthusiasm but needles to say, we were
seated and eating within minutes of leaving the tower.
