Perogie Heaven

Our first day out of Wroclaw was distinguished by its extreme winds. It was also very sunny and hot, so we could sometimes feel thankful that the wind was keeping us cool. Other times it was just annoying. The winds were blowing to the north and we were riding to the south but somehow we managed to ride 110 km in spite of the wind! There aren’t many campgrounds in Poland so we are attempting to plan our routes between campsites. The 110km took us almost 7 hours of riding. The terrain was very flat, but the winds took their toll and I was pretty tired by the time we arrived.

Dinner was one of the best we’ve cooked for ourselves so far. We had Perogie Ruskie, which are dumplings filled with potato and cheese. We fried these and then topped them with sour cream and fresh tomatoes. It’s Polish-Mexican fusion! Yum!

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We woke up the next day and did another 110km! After eyeballing the map I’d expected the next campsite to be within 80km but as it turns out I was off by a full 30km. This second day of riding was distinguished by extreme rain rather than wind. I can’t decide which one I hate more.

Here I am, soaked to the bone. FYI, our rain jackets have officially stopped working. My new theory on outdoor gear is that none of the products are nearly as durable and tough as the promotional material claims. Instead all outdoors companies are banking on the fact that 1) people will never actually use the product enough to wear it out and 2) even if they do wear it out, most people won’t bother to complain about it. Bah!

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Here’s Jamie. He had steamed glasses for most of the day:

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We ate the usual bread and cheese for lunch. On days like this it is tough to stop for lunch because the bad weather makes you feel cold as soon as you stop pedaling!

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The scenery was mostly flat farms – really pretty on a rainy misty day.

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The snails were out and having a grand old time in the rain.

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After another 7 hours of riding we arrived at a campsite near the city of Rybnik. I was feeling really tired after two long days so we are taking a rest day here before continuing on to Krakow. We had potato dumplings for dinner, and then dessert was more perogies. This time they were blueberry and cheese – delicious!

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6 Responses to “Perogie Heaven”

  1. Tommy Williams Says:

    On your jackets: all waterproof fabrics need their durable waterproof repellency, or DWR, renewed regularly. See http://www.grangersusa.com/products/spray-on-waterproofing-for-synthetic-fabrics.html for example. Nikwax is probably the most well-known product for this purpose: http://www.nikwax.co.uk/en-us/index.php

  2. Emily K Says:

    Jamie, how come you didn’t get Bangkok lasik?

  3. James and Sarah Says:

    Imagine Lance without the Oakleys. It just wouldn’t be the same.

  4. Dad Says:

    Can you eat those snails?
    I bet they taste like chicken!
    Peace & Love,
    Pops

  5. Robert Carlier Says:

    Sarah and James,

    Good luck on the rest of the journey! We will follow your progress. We met in Koh Kong – Cambodia. Emmy and I have returned from our bike trip just recently. Delhi – Amsterdam is quite a shock, it is nice to be home.
    Lots of tailswinds!

    _Robert

    ps. On the next trip you will use homemade gear.

  6. Tom Says:

    We would like to invite You to Cracow [Poland]!!We guarantee You accommodation and others attractions :) We are bikers too [ me and my wife] :)
    Tom

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