Crosses and Crowds, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

Zagan the motorhome’s sat on cropped lush grass at Camping Number 39, a km or so outside of Kazimierz Dolny (N51.3313, E21.9585). Thanks to Julesey and Ian for the recommendation, the second winner they sent us, ta! You can read about those guy’s travels here.

Camping’s proving pretty cheap here in Poland – last night’s site was 108 Zloty for two nights without leccy – £9.45 a night. Cheap enough for us to camp it up for a bit anyway, before the wildcamping-athon we expect in the Baltics and Scandinavia. The sun’s established a foothold in Poland by the way! Despite intermittent resistance from the clouds, it’s pushed the air up to a dog-panting 28°C. The birds are singing in the forest to my left. The site is a small family affair, effectively we’re sleeping in their garden, although it’s a big old garden! Our hosts were very welcoming, using German which enabled us to at least communicate a few words, badly…

Zagan at Campsite Number 39, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

Poland’s growing on me. One thing seems certain: we’re getting an authentic experience of the country, even if it is from the perspective of a Polish tourist. Everyone in these smaller towns we’re visiting is, as far as I can tell, Polish. Not a single busload of elderly Japanese folks or groups of stag parties to be seen, woo hoo! And there have been tonnes of Polish folks out and about this weekend, enjoying the summer weather (I’ve decided it’s summer, shorts are back on).

Kazimierz Dolny and the Vistula River

The drive up here was an easy one. As we pulled out of the campsite onto the busy dual carriageway, we found it wasn’t busy, not like Friday. Today being a Sunday, we half-joked everyone must be in church, but as we drove through the villages north, it seems that’s exactly where they were. Polish families in Sunday Best ambled along pavements or stood outside churches already packed with those quicker off the mark. Roman Catholicism is alive and well here in Poland, as in fifteen Red Bulls and a bungee jump off a cliff level of alive. You can’t drive 100m without someone’s garden or business sporting a crucifixion or a Mary.

Storks are considered lucky here in Poland

I’ll fess up here: I’m an atheist and always have been, but I’m not fussed if someone wants to peacefully follow a religion, as longs as they’re tolerant to those who choose other beliefs. Religion to me is of outside interest – I’m fascinated by how it’s interwoven with a nation’s psyche. For example: communism has been ‘traditionally’ against all religion, since it’s seen as ‘controlling’ the workers. So how come almost everyone in Poland is Roman Catholic, despite many decades of Soviet-dominated rule? It’s fairly obvious why there are very few Jewish folks left here (half of the current town we are in perished in WWII) but why didn’t the regime manage to wipe away Catholicism, or even cut away any of its support? Perhaps because Poland’s been through the mill – having been systematically physically destroyed twice (Sweden in the 17th Century, Germany in the 20th Century), and in between the two carved up by the surrounding empires. Perhaps Catholicism is the only thing which has stayed constant throughout the centuries?

With so little traffic on the road, the occasional stretch of patched-up bumpiness didn’t cause us any problems, just reminding us Poland’s roads haven’t always been snooker-table flat. The countryside fluctuated from hedge-less fields, to orchards to forest, to the tall poles for hops. At one point I lost concentration and missed the W-shaped road surface at a level crossing, necessitating a cupboard check for smashed glass or a scrambled fridge. Got away with it – phew.

Check for smashed glass proves negative

Pulling into Kazimierz Dolny both of us let out a few squeaks at the amount of traffic which suddenly appeared. Car parks were packed. Luminous vests of wardens swarmed about. Folks pulled off daft reversing-into-the-road manoeuvres as they spotted ‘Full’ signs on their chosen area, being forced a few more metres from the town centre. We’d info saying we could kip in either a car park, or the campsite, but the car parks were heaving so we just rolled in here, the owners looking a bit surprised to see us. Since we’ve arrived a German-registered van’s also pulled in, so we’re certain we’ve not ram-raided someone’s garden party.

Huh? It’s more expensive when it’s busy? Nah, ‘busy’ means ‘bus’, we think…

Having parked up and eaten, we headed for town, doing the same as everyone else. Walking the bank of the fast-flowing Vistula, sitting in the Renaissance square (rebuilt since WW2 smashed much of it up), people-watching (I enjoy watching the Roma work the square – tough people the Roma), eating ice cream, eyeballing the art on sale, supping over-priced soft drinks and watering a super-heated Charlie.

Kazimierz Dolny has a reputation for being an arty town – although some it’s a wee bit dodgy

A fair few Polish bikers in town today

Touristing it up in Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny square, busy on a Sunday in May

Someone’s got a good vantage point over the square

Fab wooden-roofed ice cream and waffle flogger

Just outside the centre, not all roofs are in such good nick…

Door of the day! Some of those are a bit tired too but have stacks of character

And last but not least, here’s a picture of Charlie who, despite his diminutive stature, manages to control flow of human traffic between Zagan’s lounge/bedroom and the kitchen area, by plonking himself in the only tight space between the two – his new nickname is pinchpoint. Clever boy!

Cheers, Jay