2006 Eastern tour, going to Russia. 1st step: Poland

Russia ... ... ... a country that has always fascinated us, but we could not and we did not want to go alone this nation, this is unfortunately not yet ready for travel "do tea", there is no stopping areas equipped for camper and even camping, there is still too much bureaucracy on the borders, you lose hours and hours, the signs are in Cyrillic few times we have seen written in English, the police can stop you for nothing and if you do not pay the bribe, sometimes you just need a bottle of wine, it makes you very afflicted with considerable loss of time, very few people speak English, to them, for now, tourism is not interested.
For this trip was already enrolled four years ago at CC La Granda, who was one of the first clubs to campers to organize trips for this destination, unfortunately I found at that my passport had expired and I did not have the time to renew it.
This year after many postponements, we decided: we turned to the agency with which we were in Libya, the Girocamper, spending was fairly high share of € 3460, departure and arrival Tarvisio, duration 30 days.
After sending the reservation and the balance in June, 15 days before departure the agency warns us that not having reached the minimum number of participants, the tour will not be, but hijacking in the corresponding Russian (sanpietroburgo.it) that gathered all the various pieces of other clubs or agencies can complete the required number to make the trip.
Tarvisio Instead, the departure will be at the border Terespol Polish / Byelorussian and will end at the border Narva Russian / Estonian, only in this part we followed and assisted by guides: one Italian and one Russian speaking Belarusian, Russian and Italian speaking, all the price of € 1750, almost half have been accepted, the route before and after the Russia we will do it by yourself by visiting the same sites mentioned in the program Girocamper.

This trip I have broken down by nations, Poland, with Krakow and Wieliczka, Czestochowa to same and the return, Slovakia, Belarus, Russia divided between Moscow and Golden Ring and Sanpietroburgo with residences and finally Estonia

 

0 / 539 - Vienna - Autogrill WHO towards Bratislava

Departure 7.30 am
Highway to Osoppo and we are still left.
Princess, as usual, he vomited at the start and sketch it and afforestation under the front seat of Tina and was released after 100 km. Then get used again and calm and make the big sleep.
On the border with Austria purchase stickers for 10 days at € 7.60
With normal traffic diversion before Graz normal road for about 40 km mountain road, the beautiful landscape but with curves and controcurve, interspersed with long sultry squalls and storms, the Austrians very diligent when it rains should be at 80 km / hour, hours We stopped for the night in the un'autogrill WHO, after supplies of diesel and petrol (now conditioner worked without a break) we have placed in the place reserved for caravans, dinner with pasta al pesto: Before leaving I gathered all basil and following a recipe I filled two jars of this wonderful condiment.

329/868 - Dolny Kubin - Tatra Mountains - Parking in the square

Quiet but sultry night.
It includes the A4 to the more free traffic then, exit n ° 43 in direction Bratislava, normal road, the highway being built beside the border, we pay the cartoons (sk.150 = € 3.50), € 50.00 change .
Once in Bratislava almost impossible to park in the center, we found a parking lot below the castle, near the bus terminus, convenient for both the center and visit the castle.
Under a dense and persistent rain we visit the beautiful old town, small but very interesting, we return for lunch in the camper with the idea of visiting the castle in the afternoon, with 15 having regard to the persistence of bad weather and the impossibility of seeing the magnificent views from 'top of the ramparts, and renounce start, I also hurt his foot and I feel the walk, I was only the sfacchinata this morning.
Leave Bratislava rehearsing the bridge and taking up the E75 in direction Nitra / Trencin / Zelina then on E70 in the direction of Martin / Kralovani, motorway road early then normal to two lanes, we could not overtake disparities between three machines have buffered blocked traffic for some time, despite the rain, you can admire the beautiful woods in a succession of mountains and hills.
Now we are still in a square in Dolny Kubin, very quiet, we have dinner with spaghetti with fish sauce, prepared before you leave and put in sealed jars, cherry tomatoes in salads, fruit and sweets for the end.

176/1044 - Krakow - Parking

Yesterday evening, very tired at 22 we were already in the world of dreams, this morning starting at 6.30, mountain road through forests and small villages, past the border without problems, with Poland, landscape changes: less plants, more meadows, across the street papered, a vibration continues ....
After the border is not finding a bank to change, we have supplies of oil with the euro, hence the gas has cheated: there was a change 1 to 3 when it actually was 1 to 4.
Before we visit Krakow Wieliczka with its salt mine (40 +40 +10 for photos), very interesting, the visit lasts two hours, the guides are only in Polish or English, here are the photos waste, I did about 60 shots , many then have to eliminate, you take the line for the ticket, then waiting for the time indicated to enter the group with the guide and then waits a long time to go back on top in two lifts of the miners of the time, I wonder ... .... in August when there will be more traffic: how do?
Among the various tourists we met two couples who will do the tour in Russia with us, in the afternoon we left the parking lot, we will meet again later, it is their intention to visit the concentration camps of Auchwitz, a place that does not attract me.
We looked for the camp indicated by our new friends, but not finding, we placed in a parking lot (90 sl. For 24 hours) next to the castle in front of the Sheraton on the banks of the river, very beautiful and close to the center .

176/1044 - Krakow - Parking

Yesterday evening, very tired at 22 we were already in the world of dreams, this morning starting at 6.30, mountain road through forests and small villages, past the border without problems, with Poland, landscape changes: less plants, more meadows, across the street papered, a vibration continues ....
After the border is not finding a bank to change, we have supplies of oil with the euro, hence the gas has cheated: there was a change 1 to 3 when it actually was 1 to 4.
Before we visit Krakow Wieliczka with its salt mine (40 +40 +10 for photos), very interesting, the visit lasts two hours, the guides are only in Polish or English, here are the photos waste, I did about 60 shots , many then have to eliminate, you take the line for the ticket, then waiting for the time indicated to enter the group with the guide and then waits a long time to go back on top in two lifts of the miners of the time, I wonder ... .... in August when there will be more traffic: how do?
Among the various tourists we met two couples who will do the tour in Russia with us, in the afternoon we left the parking lot, we will meet again later, it is their intention to visit the concentration camps of Auschwitz, a place that does not attract me.
We looked for the camp indicated by our new friends, but not finding, we placed in a parking lot (90 sl. For 24 hours) next to the castle in front of the Sheraton on the banks of the river, very beautiful and close to the center .

104/1148

Last night at some point the car park was empty and we spent a quiet night, this morning with umbrellas and anorak we ventured in a dense rain toward the center, a city with very nice site and very interesting characteristic, the museum Czartoryskich (33 sl.) we could see and admire "The Lady with Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as tickets or to pay for the camera, it was useless because you can not use the flash and the glass cover the most important paintings reflect and keep you from making the picture.
On the large square was a stage set where they played the talented children and magnificent costumes in folk dancing.
After lunch, without the rain, visited the castle (sl.) with its imposing cathedral.
In return, starting from the parking lot with a little problem at the time of payment (90 sl.) The person asks us a ticket of entry, upon arrival there was not been given, probably for a forgotten them, after a small discussion accepted 90 sl. give us no receipt and we started at a time of Terespol.
Rebuilt the bridge in the opposite direction to, turn right where the signs for Terespol at one point, a site with its deviations and the lack of information has made us lose the way, after so much walking we suggest the right way. Patched road sometimes alternating with smooth asphalt, but always with the furrows of the trucks.
We stop for the night in a yard of a gas station.

395/1543 - Terespol - Camping Pod Deboni (40 sl.)

Eventful night, before a company of young fracassoni and then un'autotreno with a load of very noisy cows.
Continue the path to jump to a distributor I am full of diesel and water, then found the bad quality. Weather beautiful.
Along the way we open a supermarket (LIDL) Sunday though, we have supplied fruit, vegetables and canned foods for cats, there was everything: salad of southern Italy, peaches Romagna, Castles and wine of the many other things to a paltry, it was useless to make large stocks before the start, here is everything.
TIP: Do supply of food in Poland, which spends a ¼ in Italy and there is everything.
For a parking lot are three other teams that are part of the group, we decide to go together and not go directly to the parking lot indicated by Sanpietroburgo.it but stop to camp on the outskirts of the city. Quiet in a large meadow with pine trees, the attack power, water, fidandomi not what I had previously loaded into the tanks have emptied, washed and filled again, dined together in a shed and good night.

6 / 1549 - Terespol - Parking (40 sl.)

Having placed the camper, which graze the cats, we reach the car park for the meeting with all the others, with loading / unloading, current and water, to our arrival there were already three other campers, unfortunately one of them has already had a bad experience to the carpark, where we were we, in Krakow, has been a theft at the camper, having forced the door they removed the camera, mobile phone and PC ... ... begins the evil around them!
During the morning they arrived several campers, we are alarmed at the beginning, it seemed too much, then it was clear the fact, are two groups, ten belong to a club that will go with them and will guide a tour of our deferred , our group of 15 campers, the evening arrives Hugo, our guide, which explains in detail the itinerary and the various problems that we encounter and the common rules that have to comply to the success of the tour, lots assigns numbers column, has happened to us the number one, tomorrow we will be the first and the last days, it will rotate.
We and two other crew members in the Giro Camper asks a difference of € 110, because the pre-dinner were quantified with the figure per person and not a couple, we happy to accept the mistake, knowing that these lunches or dinners sometimes not the best but staying together in the company and pays the poor quality or quantity of food served.
Good time today.

10/1659 - Brest - Parking Hotel Intourist

Starting before 8 in the customs entry at 8.30 in Belarus at 14.30, all the time under a scorching sun, I switched on the generator for the air-conditioning for a little more cool for all the cats whose fur was not the maximum , lunch boxes as it had from time to time.
For the customs Hugo asked us all the photocopies of documents, some did not and he promptly managed to make them.
TIP: Do at least 5 copies of all documents, passport, book circulation, international driving license and normal and possibly the health of animals.
After the border we met with Belarusian girl Alessia Hugo in accompanying which will help in this round.
5 km and the first supply of diesel fuel, pays for everything Hugo will make us the cost

Here the route continues on "BELARUS"

513 / 6298 - ITALY - Majano - CASA

After the first part still under construction in Vienna take the motorway that will lead us home quickly, the interruzzione found there was more to same.
The journey to and from Russia is over, it was a beautiful experience, we visited interesting places and countries, in Russia, a nation so big and wide we have seen only a part, I hope that in future we can easily see it in the long and off without so much bureaucracy and various constraints.




TOTAL COST of JOURNEY

Agency sanpietroburgo.it "€ 1750
Control Mech. Oil, filters 138
Diesel 755
Gas 88
Tires (2 Front) 70
Food 747
Restaurant 124
Maps, guide 68
Newspapers 24
Highway 20
Souvenir 160
Revenue museums. 80
Parkings 48

TOTAL € 4072