Four days in north Poland

We eagerly load our baggage and excessive food supplies into our hired car and part with Berlin for four days of excitement in Poland.

Day 1: The very long drive from Berlin

After several wrong turns, we realise that we are lost, very lost. I am thrilled to find out that the likely reason for this is that my travel companions, largely responsible for the navi- gation side of things, are using a late 19th century map. A 19th century map! Sure it looks pretty but ... I should have known not to trust my friends - both graphic designers, trained in the arts of typography, visual aesthetics and page layout - when it came to choosing the appropriate map. (In all fairness, the lack of road signs isn't helping matters much either).

One of the reasons for our trip to Poland is to visit the town of Gizycko where my friend Micha's grandmother was born. But that was a while back, when parts of Poland and Germany existed as Prussia - surely the map has changed since then. And Bismarck no longer sits in the Reichstag. After our unplanned tour of northern Germany, passing windmills, country houses and old Soviet-style factories, we finally arrive at the border with Poland.

Across the Border

Once across the border, the surrounding area is crowded by roadside stalls selling furniture and food at a cheaper price than in Germany.

These stalls, and the many pharmacies that we pass, are apparently aimed exclusively at the many Germans who cross into Poland to take advantage of the lower prices. A personal favourite was a stall selling a wide range of rifles and army paraphernalia, situated near the shopping mall ATM, where we withdraw some zloty.

After more than twelve hours of driving we finally arrive in the Baltic seaport town of Gdansk.

Day 2: Gdansk

Gdansk, or Danzig as it is known in German, lies in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea. With a population of 500,000, it is Poland's sixth-largest city, premier seaport and centre of sea trade. Gdansk has a long bloody history of occupation. In modern times, during the 1930s, the town saw a mounting wave of Nazism. On September 1, 1939 Germany attacked Poland with military assaults on Danzig, marking the outbreak of World War II.

Gdansk was also the scene of a major Soviet offensive, which began in January 1945. Many who had been trying to flee the advancing Red Army were killed when the ships they were travelling on were sunk by the Soviets.

After enduring several months of heavy bombardment by both the Allied Forces and the Soviets, the city was eventually captured by the Soviets and left in ruins.

The last five decades have been devoted to the rebuilding effort.

We head off along the banks of the Motlawa River to explore the old town of Gdansk. We have arrived pre-tourist season, and the area near the early 15th century-built Crane harbour gate used for putting up ships masts and raising heavy cargo, seems overrun by Polish school children on excursion.

The colourful houses on Mariacka Street are typical of Gdansk.

Their narrow facades topped with intricately designed gables or parapets are worth close inspection. The nearby indoor food markets sell local delicacies including a range of cheese, pickles and various meats. But it's the outdoor food market that is the real treasure. Stall after stall of fresh produce selling everything from the brightest red radishes to plump aromatic strawberries.

Towards Gizycko

We leave Gdansk and make our way towards the eastern border with Belarus.

The winding country road passes farmhouses, endless fields of yellow rapeseed (canola) flowers and children riding home from school.

A group of old men enjoying cigars stand huddled together by the roadside.

A tractor moves along slowly in front of us, blocking the road.

We pass through the beautiful lakeside town of Ostroda. A roadside stall selling locally produced honey proves tempting. Flat yellow fields are replaced with rolling green hills and tree-lined lakes as we enter the picturesque Masurian Lakes district. Our destination for the night is the small town of Gizycko close to Poland's north-eastern border with Belarus.

We enjoy a dinner of pierogi (the Polish version of an Eastern European style ravioli dish), fish soup and a tomato-cucumber salad along the scenic waterfront, which attracts thousands of visitors during the summer months, earning Gizycko the title of "summer capital of Poland." Meanwhile, fishermen stand patiently on the Lake Niegocen's edge waiting for the sun to set.

Day 3: Gizycko to Torun

The morning's itinerary involves visiting the local graveyard in search of Micha's grandmother's grave. But we soon learn that the graves of all Germans who died in Gizycko have been moved elsewhere.

During 1945 Gizycko was occupied by the Soviet Union's Red Army. When the town was placed under Polish administration after the war ended, the German-speaking populace who had not already evacuated was expelled westward.

We drive to Hitler's bunker city in nearby Gierloz. The complex, dubbed Wolfsshanze (Wolf's Lair), served as Hitler's military headquarters for the Eastern Front during the years 1941–1944. It was also the site of the Von Stauffenberg's 1944 failed bomb plot. Stauffenberg's unsuccessful plot to kill the leader of the German Nazi Party led to the arrest of 5,000 people, the execution of about 200 and the destruction of the opposition movement.

Hitler's Ghost

We walk through the forest to the remains of the hidden bunker city which, in its time, included a sauna, barber and casino rooms. Some of the bunkers and fortified buildings bear signifi- cant damage with pieces of them lying 20 or so metres away. The majority of Hitler's personal bunker remains intact, but an adjoining wall is completely destroyed. The Nazi's attempted to demolish the complex in the fear of it being used by the advancing Soviets.

More than sixty years since the end of the World War II, the site exists as an open air museum and also houses a hotel, today guested by a busload of Russian tourists.

Despite a sign reading "Dangerous area - sightseeing only along marked routes," although the remains of explosives were reportedly removed by the Polish army in the mid 1950s.

Apart from the swarms of mosquitoes which plague the site, the area is remarkably peaceful. We take a few steps into Hitler's bunker - a strong draft blows through the main corridor.

Around 9pm we arrive in the central Polish city of Torun where our host Kristof, Micha's old housemate from Berlin, awaits us. On entering Kristof's apartment, his friends welcome us with an array of local delicacies, including cheeses, salamis and pickles.

Day 4: Torun

We begin our final day in Poland with a breakfast of savoury and sweet pancakes in the town centre. We climb Mariachi (Mary's church) to get a view of the Gothic buildings that earned Torun its World Heritage Site designation in 1997.

Torun lies on the banks of the Vistula River and marks the site of the intersection of an important ancient trade route. The layout of the streets in the Old Town has not been changed for centuries and areas of the 13th century-built Castle of the Teutonic Knights (German crusading military order) and other medieval fortifications including the fortress, tower dungeons, gates and moats remain.

To the sound of Polish folk songs on the radio, we drive off into the afternoon sun on the highway back to Germany. The natural beauty, stunning architecture, and kind hospitality of the Polish people have ensured our return.

Text & photos: Zoe Robert