Poland – 21 to 26 July 2008

Czesc to a flat, fertile nation surrounded by conquest-happy empires that saw the country grapple with centuries of invasions. The Polanians (people of the plains) date back to the middle ages and prospered until united with Lithuania in the 14 th century when they were Europe 's largest state. The 18 th century saw Russia and Prussia repeatedly divide the territory until Poland vanished by 1795. Only after WW1 when the old imperial powers were dissolved, was a sovereign Polish state restored – that's until the Germans invaded in WWII with the subsequent Soviet domination up to 1990 when democracy arrived.

Having left the Baltics, after what seemed like a whirl-wind tour - 3 countries in six days, we had no idea of the length of our stay in Poland and would be guided by the visa processing time for Romania , Iran and Pakistan. The countryside still has a feel of the communist era but roadworks and construction is evident everywhere, transforming the landscape and reminding us in many ways of Africa. We were surprised how green the land was and the abundance of indigenous forests, especially south towards the Tatra mountains . Our first night was spent in the parking area of a filling station one hour north of Warsaw after crossing the unmanned border from Lithuania .

Basic camping 123 in Warsaw was our base for the next 2 days as we researched middle eastern visas and at least obtained the Romanian one within a 24hour period. GR3 then headed to the SA Embassy where they insisted the Globeriders return in 2 days time to meet the Ambassador, while GR1 started their sight-seeing tour of Warsaw. The bustling capital best exemplifies Poland's post-war reconstruction, especially the detailed rebuilding of the devastated colourful old town. Incredible to walk through Castle square flanked by the Royal Castle and its central monument to Sigismund III Vasa who made Warsaw the capital. The cobbled streets lead to the magnificent old town market square with the Warsaw Historical Museum where we learnt of the Nazi's 90% destruction of this huge city and of Polish culture. The Royal Way that connects to the modern part of the city is decorated with numerous eye-catching sights, like the 17 th century Holy Cross Church which has Chopin's heart preserved in one of its pillars! Most moving though, was to visit the area that was the jewish ghetto with the Gestapo Pawiak Prison ruins and the Warsaw ghetto monument that remembers the Nazi victims of the 1943 uprising.

The following day, after a number of failed attempts to fill our gas cylinders in the morning, we kept our appointment with the SA Embassy to meet with the Ambassador, Mrs Potgieter (from Humansdorp). We were warmly greeted and were offered tea-shirts, flags and refreshments. After a photo shoot outside the building we were on our way! Wer drove south and spent the night at yet another gas station near Jedrzejour. WWII's tragic history was again evident at Auschwitz and Birkenau where up to 1.5 million people passed through these death factories. The scale of the genocide and inhumane torture methods with visual reminders of masses of hair, shoes and personal belongings in the museum seared this place into our consciousness forever. Birkenau was also the place where the movie ‘Schindlers List' was shot.

That night we drove to Krakow, spending the night at Korona Camping. The former royal capital until 1596, was a pleasant break from the rather depressing past. Apparently founded upon the defeat of a dragon, Krakow is packed with beautiful streetscapes and historic buildings. The huge fire spitting dragon at the exit of the Dragon's Cave obviously had the kids fascinated. The centrepiece is the 14 th century Wawel Castle and Cathedral, the coronation and burial place of Polish royalty. But the walk along the pedestrianised street to the old town with Europe's largest medieval town square amidst break dancers, puppeteers showcasing Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Elvis Presley, and mime artists, was the most entertaining. Around the 16th century renaissance Cloth Hall, this huge area lined by cafes, was buzzing with free open air classical orchestras and bands. To complement this atmosphere the clickety-clack of exquisite horse-drawn carriages would whisk tourists around the old town. After meeting up at the vans and deciding to revisit this magnificent centre for the evening, we delighted in the open air classical concert and later settled in at one of the cafes to enjoy the music and full bodied local brew. Dane's luck scouting for money landed him a 100 Polish Zloty note (R400) but unfortunately with wild playing and the endless ‘no-ear syndrome', he lost it! As all good things have to end we had to head back to our vehicles by 11pm and a 30km drive to gas station in Myslenice to overnight – this is becoming a habit!! Our final day in Poland was for driving south through the scenic Carpathian Mountains on windy small roads and past villages that still seemed stuck in a bygone era. We crossed the so-called border at Piwniczna and were back in Slovakia . ‘Do Widzenia' to another fascinating surprise of a country.

Slovakia – 27 th July 2008

Ahoj again! As we had visited Bratislava (this small country's capital) from Austria 2 months earlier, we only spent a day driving south with the odd detour to visit an interesting area. Slovakia has mountains, forests and natural beauty – a perfect land for the Slavic tribes who arrived in the 5th century. The Magyars (Hungarians) laid claim to the territory by the 10 th century for the next 800 years until the 19th century when Slovaks cultivated ties with the Czechs and after WWI, a united Czechoslovakia was born. After communist rule from 1948 until 1989, the federation was dissolved in 1993. The country still seems to be grappling with its past and many of the villages have a 60's feel to them. With the high Tatra Mountains to our west, we drove via Poprad to Medieval Levoca, founded in 1242 and still surrounded by near complete fortifications.

Being a Sunday we all felt that we should treat ourselves to a ‘Sunday Lunch' and headed straight to Restauracia Slovenka for an authentic Slovak farmers lunch of fried cabbage and potatoes with cutlets. O nce our appetites were satisfied, it was time for some sight-seeing - Vanita and Jo not all that excited or enthusiastic for the walk around town, though!! This town is renown for the world's highest (16m) Gothic gilded wooden altar in St. James Church! It also has a 16 th century cage of shame for naughty boys and girls outside the town hall that Jo and Nita found rather disappointing at it was their main attraction!

Driving back west, we climbed via Stary Smokovec, a resort town at the foot of the high Tatra's then south through the lush mountains of Narodny Park and via Banska Bystrica to yet another gas station overnight spot 30km from the Hungarian border. After another futile attempt at filling our gas cylinders, we did the last few km the next day into our 39 th country – again with no border formalities. ‘Dovidenia', to a country in transition where the locals too have a different look - leaning more towards darker skin and hair.