We awoke to another beautiful sunny day which belied the fact that it was minus 7C degrees.

We packed our belongings into the car to drive back to Berlin, about a 5 1/2 hour trip. Driving through northern Poland was still wonderful with the snowy scapes and minus 10C degrees. 

When we stopped for petrol, Scott had to call Sixt because they stopped the car from starting once he filled up because his chosen 6 day hire was complete. They can control the engine from head office! Once sorted we drove on closer to the border to order some lunch. 

The whole trip was amazing as there were absolutely no clouds in the sky. We hit traffic once we were in Berlin but we were happy to be back.

Guten Nacht. 

It was a cold morning and the sun started peaking over the horizon highlighting the snow covered vista outside our villa. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that an impressive fire had been created by my travel companion for our comfort. The landscape outside was awe inspiring.

The plan was to go to Hel today. Hel is at the end of an isthmus in Northern Poland which was an important strategic location for the Polish Military during WWII. 

I needed my sunglasses today as we drove past cold white fields covered in snow. The roads were lined with trees devoid of leaves and snow was cleared to the sides of the streets and foot paths. 

The area is clearly a holiday destination these days with camping grounds stretching out along the coast covered in snow and ice. There were many new developments and apartments catering for tourists as well. The Baltic Sea was frozen for a few hundred metres from the shore and of course there were lots of birds enjoying the weather!

Hel can also be accessed by train from Gdansk or Gdynia and there were people travelling this way as it was a Sunday. We parked the car and negotiated the ice paths to get to the Esplanade and the Baltic Sea. I was surprised to see a group of about 10 people swimming in the freezing waters!!!!

We admired the view before seeking warmth and some lunch. The Fala restaurant was just across the icy road so we settled in. We enjoyed Borsch soup,  Flounder and fried potatoes and then a Pierniki gingerbread cake that was so moist and boozy, it was a hit!

We wandered around the town and perused the souvenir shops but these are cheap knock offs and not authentic Polish crafts. We even went past a bar dedicated to the Australian band AC/DC, apparently the owner is a fan!

We drove around the frozen waterfront and marvelled at the amount of snow everywhere.

The sun was a red ball near the horizon as we were driving out of the isthmus but unfortunately we could not capture this in time…. And getting out of the car was a major effort in the snow and cold wind.

We stopped at a Jabka store on our way back for supplies and looked forward to our fireplace in the little villa. 

Apparently the massive snow piles and icy conditions have not been this severe for ten years. Our villa has a projector and screen that we took advantage of to watch the next episode of The Night Manager.

We were just enjoying the magical fairyland created by this weather. 

Dobranoc

The beds were comfortable and we had a good night’s sleep in our little beach house. 

The ferry back to Poland needed a check in by 8am so we had early showers, packed the belongings and headed for the ferry terminal. It was cold and foggy but we were better at navigating the process to board the boat this time. Check in involved scanning tickets and passports before being directed to our designated rows.

This time our car was parked on the outside deck of the ferry amongst the trucks. The trucks and cars were assembled on the decks like a Tetris puzzle Walking and negotiating the path to the reception was cold and exposed to the weather. 

This ferry was much smaller than the Peter Pan and our cabin was on level 5. There was a pet’s lounge on this ferry like yesterday’s. Our cabin was not quite ready so we settled in the cafe section and enjoyed a coffee and water. 

We retired to our cabin once the boat started sailing and relaxed as best we could. The ferry WiFi was not good once we were on our way and my Optus data roaming also decided it would not work! 

So we relaxed in the cabin with small excursions to the shop or cafe for a drink. The cabin was very warm and the beds were very comfortable. 

We had to leave our cabin 30 minutes before docking and settled in the reception area. We watched the ice floating across the lagoon as we were waiting to get back to the car. The doors to the outer deck were unlocked 15 minutes before docking. We walked the cold path to our car and sat there for over 30 minutes until we were moved off the ferry.

Scott had a long drive ahead of him to get to our next destination – nearly 4 hours. The highways are great and we’ll sign posted. 

We stopped at a roadhouse for some supplies and ate a Frankfurt each for dinner. There was a KFC store here too! 

We drove on and found that it must’ve snowed quite heavily a few days before as the streets were lined with ploughed snow. We stopped at a Zabka store in a small town and noticed that the ploughed snow wall was more than a metre and a half high.

Our accommodation for the next two nights was accessed through snowy streets. Our hosts already had a fire burning and there were lovely trimmings such as Wawel chocolates and a fresh range of fruit in a bowl. We felt very welcome and looked forward to settling in.

It was a clear night so the stars were twinkling in the cold night sky!

Dobranoc

Woke up at 3am to prepare for our 6am ferry to Trellenborg. Once on the deserted streets a couple of police appeared from nowhere and Scott was breathalysed. Lucky he passed the test! 

We drove to the Check in terminal. We were very early and sat in the car wondering what next. There was a lovely man who spoke English and he assured us that we had everything we needed to get on the boat. Passports are checked and online bookings were scanned before we were given boarding passes for the ferry. These passes contained the cabin number designation and a free drink each at the bar…including alcohol.

So we waited for about an hour before things started happening. We got our boarding passes and then queued in our cars waiting to drive onto the ferry. It was dark and foggy and when the driving started, we followed a Swedish BMW, thinking that he knew where he was going. But no! He just stopped in the middle of the wharf area and about 10 cars were behind us. Finally we saw cars turning around and we found the correct route to get onto the ferry.

We parked the car and found our family cabin on the boat. It was very spacious with 4 beds, a sofa and a bathroom with shower and toilet. 

We made our way to deck 11 where the restaurant served a buffet breakfast for €16:50ea. 

We settled for a while in the restaurant and then made our way back to the cabin to catch up on missed sleep. 

The fog was lifting so we could see more of the water. We took ourselves out on the deck which was not as cold as expected.

About an hour before the final destination we were told that guests have to leave their cabins in half an hour. 

The level three car section was unlocked about 15 minutes before arrival.  The ferry was emptied and it was quite a drive to exit the terminal. 

We drove straight to our little beach hut on the Baltic Sea. It was very modern with nice trimmings but we were disappointed that there was no firewood for the fire and the place was quite cold as the evening wore on.

There was a path leading down to the beach. It was cold but the ducks in the surf didn’t seem to mind. 

We drove into the main part of Trellenborg and checked out the shops before finding the supermarket. We stocked up with local goods for our dinner and drove back to settle in for the night. 

We also bought a loaf of rye bread and some tomatoes. We had been transporting eggs we’d brought from Berlin and decided to hard boil some to eat on the ferry ride tomorrow.

God Natt

After a good night’s sleep it was time to make a fire  to warm the residence again. 

Scott went to find the animals and make friends with the donkey. It was overcast again and ice covered the grass areas and fields.

Check out was 11am so we packed our belongings and begrudgingly left this wonderful quaint accommodation. 

Onward to Swinoujście for an early lunch. We settled into Restauracja Polska where we were given complimentary shots of cherry liqueur plus bread slices with schmalz and pickle. I chose the Rosol (chicken soup) with a Margarita and Scott ordered the Beef Goulash with beer.

After lunch we drove to the beach. It was an unusual sight for us to see snow on the sand and the shells crunched and shattered as we walked over them.  Although many people were walking along the beach, it was clear that it was a good hangout for the birds! The cold wind kept this visit short before we wandered back into the touristy part of town to buy some wares. The area seemed to be the ‘Gold Coast’ of Poland with its many luxury apartments, walkways and tourist activities. 

We then went for a drive across the border to find petrol for the car in Germany but the Sixt app misinformed us and Scott had to pay for the petrol this time. Teresa went over to the Biedronka supermarket for some supplies and bubbles.

Our apartment in Swinoujście had check in at 4.30 so we found another warm restaurant and ordered drinks and hot chips. We were next to the city centre and watched as people admired the Christmas decorations and went about their daily activities. This restaurant also gave us complimentary shots of cherry liqueur if we promised to leave a positive review on Google.

The sun had set at 4:30 as we wandered to our apartment for the evening. It was on the 9th floor and had a great view of the harbour. 

We went bed early as we had to catch the ferry to Trelleborg at 6am the next morning. 

Dobranoc

We woke up to a cold rainy day so I went and chopped some kindling from the logs of wood outside the house. We managed to create a magnificent fire to keep us warm.

The plan was to drive to Swinoujście, a north western town of Poland about a half hour drive away, in order to investigate the where we could get a ferry across the Baltic sea to Trelleborg, Sweden.

The Oder river had sheets of ice moving along with the current with birds hitching rides on the floating ice.

We stopped at a Zabka store, which are a general store franchise throughout Poland. Scott would ask staff if they could speak German or English. Of course German is common because of its proximity to the border. Apparently there is a viral trend for people to eat a Zabka frankfurt which is served in a cylindrical tube of bread. It was quite delicious.

After searching the roads for a while, we finally found the terminal for TTferries and Polferries. We were told that it would be best to buy our tickets online, so we decided to do that at the end of the day using Scott’s laptop.

We then drove back to Szczecin to find the Stare Miasto (old town) and find a nice restaurant for a late lunch.

After walking around and admiring the buildings we settled for a meal in Harna’s. 

Zurek soup, placki with goulash and pierogies were ordered.

We had to take a detour on our drive out of Szczecin to find the massive cat mural in the suburbs.

On the way home, the clouds had cleared away and we could see the stars. Our accommodation is very rural so the night sky was impressive when we finally finished the day. We built an impressive fire to keep us warm for the evening.

Dobranoc

Scott collected a Sixt Peugeot for our adventure into Poland. The advantage with Sixt is that the share car becomes the hire car … you can take it out of the city and drive across borders…..makes so much sense!

The weather was a bit warmer so the roads were slushy and dirty. Cars look dirty because of this slush. 

The road out of Berlin was covered in a light fog which melded into the white snow on each side of the road and the view was just white. Our trip expected to be about 3 hours to reach our destination.

Scott noticed that the petrol was low and it was disappointing that we did not have a full tank to start with. After contacting Sixt, they explained that if we went to a partner petrol station we could fill the tank using the app and not have to pay ourselves as long as we did this in Germany. It was a great system.

Once close to Szczecin in Poland we needed to find somewhere to have a late lunch. The cold snowy weather encouraged us to find traditional polish soups and food.

We found the Karczma Pod Kogutem which was a traditional timber restaurant with cultural trimmings. We ordered the Hunter Soup each and meat pierogis and cheese pierogis to share. There was a self service station for bread, smaltz (pork fat) and pickled cucumbers. It was all delicious! 

Then it was time to drive the extra hour to find our farmhouse accommodation in Brzozowo. It was dark already and off the beaten track, we tried to locate our own hut but took a wrong turn. Trying to turn the car around, Scott backed into a ditch….we were bogged in snow. I had to get behind the wheel while he pushed the car. Success!

A lovely fire was keeping our farm cottage warm. It had all the comforts of home except for a television. It was decorated with traditional Polish designs and Knick knacks. There was WiFi so we could use our devices for entertainment if needed.

Scott chose the loft bedroom and Teresa had the comfortable bed in the downstairs bedroom.

We prodded the fire and tried to keep it going but realised that our fire experience was lacking and did our best.

It was lovely to go to sleep in the absolute silence of the countryside. 

Dobranoc

The second season of the Night Manager dropped yesterday! The first 3 episodes were available and then more will be added each Sunday. It’s as good as ever!

It was the perfect day to stay in the warmth and enjoy the entertainment. Scott popped down to the local supermarket to get supplies. I was particularly impressed with the frozen chocolate coated mango pieces. Herrings, pickles and caviar were also purchased along with Prosecco for an Aperol Spritz. Lunch consisted of the left overs from Kramer.

At 2:30pm it started to snow, lightly at first then increasing to a pleasing scene. I needed to get some spikes for my boots so I could walk in the snow and ice more confidently so it was decided to go to The Mall of Berlin for some retail therapy. Scott booked a share car and we drove through the snowy streets to the mall.

I purchased the spikes for my shoes and Scott bought new shoes for himself. We wandered around and purchased some other items before walking out into the lovely Potsdam Plaza with its trees of lights.

The most challenging thing about getting a share car is to find a parking spot within walking distance of your destination, especially at dusk when people have finished work. We managed to find a good park and walked through the snow to the apartment.

Dinner consisted of a selection plate of bread, herrings, ham, pickles and humus. I settled in for the night and Scott ventured to the gym.

Guten Nacht

Teresa is off to Berlin again, leaving a Sydney heatwave to join the extra cold European winter.

The check in opened at about 3 1/2 hours before the flight. I did not check in online (silly mistake)so the attendant did her best to get me the best seat available, which was a middle seat but in the upstairs economy section. She assured me that there were less children up there and a more spacious configuration of 2 seats by 4 and then 2.  

At Sydney airport, Qatar airlines has an alliance with Air New Zealand, so I headed up to await my flight. The lounge has a nice outlook over to Botany Bay and a good selection of wines, spirits and beers. The food was varied with hot and cold offerings. 

When we had to line up for the aircraft I needed to remember that I have priority no matter the zone allocated. Once boarded, I had a man on each side of me, with the one on the right being a big bloke. I resigned myself to the crammed conditions. 

Luckily, about an hour into the flight, the big guy’s chair would not recline so the crew moved him downstairs. This was such a relief as it gave us a spare seat and a more comfortable sleep. It is a 14 hour flight to Doha from Sydney, so any extra space was welcomed!

Qatar Hamad airport is new, clean and spacious and easy to navigate. Once off the plane we had to go through security again before I found the Qatar Gold and Platinum lounge to wait in until my next flight to Berlin, a much shorter journey. At 4:30 am, it was quite dark and I was looking forward to daylight so I could see the landscape.

They did ask for my physical Velocity Platinum card to confirm the expiry date, although my boarding pass did say the I was eligible. After going through the app and website trying to find the expiry date, they finally said that I could go through. I think there are still some teething problems with the new alliance of Virgin and Qatar airlines. 

The Qatar lounge had the usual offerings of hot and cold breakfast foods, coffee and tea plus alcoholic beverages. It was comfortable, clean with a pleasant environment.

The lounge was near the A1 gate and I had to find C7 for my flight. Once I got there, boarding had already started. I found the priority queue and handed my boarding pass to the attendant….and it was flagged with a ‘seating issue’. To my great excitement I was upgraded to Business class for the Doha to Berlin part of the journey! First time ever….apparently they had overbooked economy seats so frequent flyers like me were upgraded. Score!

Needless to say the hospitality and extra luxuries that Business class offered were a nice surprise. The ability to lie flat for a sleep was welcomed too! 

Arrived in Berlin to see it cold and covered with snow. 

It was so cold that the canals at the end of Bouchestrasse were frozen…. And the Berliners were out with their sleds and ice skates. I was apprehensive at first but there were so many people enjoying the ice that I had to trust that it was stable enough to walk on!

Back to the warm apartment we had some warm soup and champagne and Rosé bubbles. I had to adjust to the fact that although it was dark it was not time to go to bed as it was only 4:30pm. When I finally went to bed it was for a welcome night’s sleep ready for my next adventure.

Guten Nacht

The sun was out again. 

We strolled along the promenade towards Camp Bay. The sun was warm and the sky was that insane blue. A cool breeze kept the temperature comfortable. 

People were swimming in the cold waters of Saunders Rock beach. 

We caught a BMW X3 Uber up the incline into Camp Bay where we walked along the beach and watched the ducks waddle around under the date palms.

We perused the market wares and dodged the hard sell of paintings, bead sculptures and wood carvings. 

We made our way up the incline to the Country Club which housed the stylish Bungalow restaurant.

It was a lovely al fresco setting overlooking Camp Bay and Table Mountain. We chose a seafood platter for one (Teresa wanted the langoustines) and Scott ordered the Crispy Skin Sea Bass. We ordered cocktails but they were the icy ones and then changed to MCC and sparkling water. 

Our Uber home was a black C class Mercedes. Scott went for a swim while Teresa prepared for the trip home tomorrow.

It has been the most amazing place to visit, the sights were spectacular, the people were so lovely and the services generally outstanding. A visit to this country is full of surprises and highly recommended!