Biking from Poland to the next country [BCL366 – Episode 9 – PL/CZ]

We’re Traveling by Bike for ONE YEAR.

In this episode we’re cycling from Krakow to Auschwitz and then to the Czech Republic where we reach the mountains again.

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This series is produced entirely by us – Didi & Henry – we’re two normal people, maybe a bit to the adventures side 😊, but we’re not sponsored or financed by anyone and rely solely on YouTube, social media and algorithms in our attempt to get these videos out to the world.

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Thank you very much for being here – it means the world to us.

(The events shown in this video happened during the months of August and September 2022).

Thanks to our trusted review team – you know who you are. And thanks to Adriana and Alain for the French subtitles. And a special thanks YOU – you also know who you are 😉

A Film by Henry Bech. All rights reserved.

Two months ago, in the Arctic Circle, we started our one year journey, planning to go halfway around the world. We have left that original plan behind, and are now just exploring day by day. We have seen beautiful places and met nothing but wonderful people. Our faith in humanity

Is at an all time high. When we leave Krakow on the morning of day number 64, we can go in several interesting directions. The most obvious is straight south towards the city of Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains. It only takes five seconds of google’ing to confirm what we already suspect.

It’s beautiful down there. That’s not where we’re going though. During breakfast at our host Paulina’s place, we made a decision to go west, towards the city of Oświęcim. There is something important out there we need to see. Before we get that far, Paulina suggested that we stop for coffee at this ancient monastery.

You had us at coffee. We’re riding around 80 kilometers today on an almost completely flat path. Sun is shining and we even have a tailwind. We basically just have to follow the Vistula River and we will get to our destination. And yet we managed to get a little lost.

When our wonderful path joins a bigger road with more traffic, we decide to go straight on this grassy, almost a path. And it’s nice and peaceful and suddenly the path disappears. Some fumbling and turning later we are back on track and our destination is right around the corner. We grab another coffee

And take a deep breath. The city Oświęcim is better known under its German name. Auschwitz. From 1942 to the late 44, freight trains delivered mainly Jews but also Poles, Romani people and Soviet prisoners of war from all over occupied Europe. To the gas chambers here at Auschwitz.

How can the feeling of horror, despair and sadness survive for 80 years and remain a force so strong that upon entering this place, I instinctively point my eyes towards the ground? And yet, after a while, a masochistic curiosity takes control and I start to study the attention to details that has

Gone into the construction of this camp. It’s a sickening feeling to understand how efficient this place must have been. To realize that during construction choices must have been made based on how effortlessly a human being can be killed. To understand how powerful the desire to commit this genocide must have been,

Makes me just stop and stare into this abyss. We’re here to remember and pay our respect to the 1.3 million people sent here. 1.1 million of whom were murdered. When we wake up on the morning of day number 65, we still feel a little heavy after our visit to Auschwitz yesterday.

But we pull ourselves together and get going. Didi is inside this very Danish institution. It’s called Nitto. I think the only thing we need is like an energy drink. I think we’re both a bit tired. Things are still really, really cheap. Cheaper than in Denmark. It’s very autumn’i and a bit cold.

I’m wearing the windbreaker. So look at this. It’s times1,5 to get Danish kroner. So this is like less than five kroner. 70 km today, heading to the city. Split in the middle and I’m sure it’s gonna be a good day on the road. Weewee location. Pszczyna Pszczyna – We are 26 kilometers

Into the 70 kilometers today. Seems someone is celebrating something. And the sun’s come up. Got some mountains in the horizon. I don’t know which mountains but they look nice So what’s up with that split in the middle city? Our Warmshowers hosts from Warsaw, Dorota and Michal mentioned this city that’s divided by the

Border to the neighbouring country. We have never been to such a city before, so we definitely want to go there. – We are one kilometer from the border. – And the aroma from this barbecue has been wheeling us in for the last mile. – Which beer do you want?

– The best one. – Which beer is the best? Cheers. Cheers. – Thank you. Final dish of Polish food. – It’s potato pancakes. – With some beef stew. – Okay, Poland. This is it. Thank you very much. You have been great. – Thank you. – It’s a nostalgic goodbye to Poland.

And at the same time, we are excited to see what the Czech Republic will be like. After the coolest border crossing of our journey so far, we’re off to a pretty good start. Will the Czech Republic pass the supermarket test? Will it beat Finland in supermarket quality? – My favorite.

– Tap water is drinkable in the Czech Republic. – It was expensive compared to Poland. – Just realizing now I have never seen a Czech in real life. Today we’re riding towards those mountains we could see on the horizon yesterday. and we’re expecting to get a fair amount of incline.

This kind of incline, we haven’t seen them since Norway. And that’s, what is it? A month and a half ago? It’s nice. But it’s rough too. Let’s see what Didi think. Pop quiz, did she miss it since Norway? Or is it not a nice reunion? I missed the view.

No I still, I think it’s really, really tough. Reaching the mountains marks the next chapter of our journey. And judging by this place, it’s going to be a fairytale. It’s gonna be 12 kilometers and 600 meters of altitude. It’s gonna be very, very great. This is really difficult.

The view is spectacular.