The wedding-trip
Jul. 16th, 2007 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pvaneyndI hope you're UTF8 it up to spec...
So we set off on Wednesday and all in all the trip went nicely. Having a BMW 320 also means cruising at 150 km/h on the German autobahn, while still having enough power left to accerelate to make way for the people doing 250.
At the late evening we crossed into Poland, driving on essentially the same highway as the troops of the irritating little Austrian guy of 60 years ago. Our son exclaimed "We're driving in the grass" because the GPS of the BMW does not include Poland so it showed a green field.
After some time we got a clear indication for Wałbrzych and a bit later even for the Książ castle.
The first night we slept in a very, very quiet appartment in the new wing of the hotel
The next day we explored the castle's surroundings and met the bride. She arranged that we could move room so we could use the baby-sitters during the party, so we had to move to a room in the older wing. Still a pretty nice, large room for a hotel with 'only' 2 stars.
Then we went off to Świdnica where we parked the car near the cathedral and met the bride again. We visited the main square where there were people preparing to give an open-air theater show, but then there was a small thunderstorm that washed everybody way. The musea close early in Poland so in the end we just rushed to visit the Church of Peace. The guard let us in for the last 5 minutes (he even turned the lights back on) and it was magnificent, the pictures do not do it enough justice. The most decorated protestant church I've ever seen, the fact that I'm reading from the 1632 books made it all the more special.
Towards the evening we went to Tesco and then the bride and groom to be picked us up and we went to eat at the parents of the bride. Our son convinced the mother to play with him and I talked mixed Dutch-English-German with the father.
At first we visited the castle. It is a pitty that the war caused most of interior to be stripped. Still it is a nice castle with many wide views.
That day however there was a pretty strong wind, and shortly after we had to stop our 5 year old from flying off we heard a tree falling in the woods.
After that we went off. The groom also lent us his portable GPS, which let us into a rather small road. Which became a rather bad road. A rather bad unpaved road. A rather bad path. Which started to slant at about 30 degrees. Then a rather bad tractor track. We barely made it out to a concrete road again when the dreaded thing wanted to send us into the nearest mud field!
In the end we reached Wrocław where we went to visit the Racławice Panorama and the town square. Then we went for a drive over the islands and then back to the hotel with a quick stop at the Auchan to buy a 230->12V adapter for the portable fridge.
When we arrived there we noticed that almost all our friends where in the restaurant next to the hotel, so we had diner together. Which was nice, except for the waiter that asked to 'remove the kids'. Instead we showed them a DVD.
In the morning we went to see the European championships of Trial Bike. Jumping cyclists all over the place!
Then we prepared and went in a bus to Świdnica for the church service. After what I hope was a service (it was all in Polish) some friends did a reading (in that strange language as the priest said. Ha!) and we went back with the bus to the castle. The weather had cleared up and actually it was rather warm. At 16:00 the party started with food, drinks, vodka and dancing. At about 10 the diner was finished and the 'night food' started. At about that time our little one was too tired and went off to sleep. We continued bravely and at midnight a few knights came to complain about the noise.
They noticed the bride and started fighting over her. In the end the groom had to defend her (or course) and won (of course). This was followed by some fire-swinging outside and a large fireworks display. Incredibly the children did not wake up.
Then back in for more dancing, more food, more wine and more vodka. We left at about 2, but the happy couple closed the doors at 4:30 and walked out in the first moments of dawn.
The next day they offered a light breakfast: Żurek for starters and then some meat and salad. Then we said goodbye to our friend and headed home. With some power-drinks it was not that bad, and in a convoy with my brother we managed to keep the speed at a respectable 160. We only had a go round a traffic jam round Hannover (just like we did in driving there), but this time we were lucky enough to see the jam we avoided. Late in the evening we arrived home. Exhausted but contend.
So we set off on Wednesday and all in all the trip went nicely. Having a BMW 320 also means cruising at 150 km/h on the German autobahn, while still having enough power left to accerelate to make way for the people doing 250.
At the late evening we crossed into Poland, driving on essentially the same highway as the troops of the irritating little Austrian guy of 60 years ago. Our son exclaimed "We're driving in the grass" because the GPS of the BMW does not include Poland so it showed a green field.
After some time we got a clear indication for Wałbrzych and a bit later even for the Książ castle.
The first night we slept in a very, very quiet appartment in the new wing of the hotel
The next day we explored the castle's surroundings and met the bride. She arranged that we could move room so we could use the baby-sitters during the party, so we had to move to a room in the older wing. Still a pretty nice, large room for a hotel with 'only' 2 stars.
Then we went off to Świdnica where we parked the car near the cathedral and met the bride again. We visited the main square where there were people preparing to give an open-air theater show, but then there was a small thunderstorm that washed everybody way. The musea close early in Poland so in the end we just rushed to visit the Church of Peace. The guard let us in for the last 5 minutes (he even turned the lights back on) and it was magnificent, the pictures do not do it enough justice. The most decorated protestant church I've ever seen, the fact that I'm reading from the 1632 books made it all the more special.
Towards the evening we went to Tesco and then the bride and groom to be picked us up and we went to eat at the parents of the bride. Our son convinced the mother to play with him and I talked mixed Dutch-English-German with the father.
At first we visited the castle. It is a pitty that the war caused most of interior to be stripped. Still it is a nice castle with many wide views.
That day however there was a pretty strong wind, and shortly after we had to stop our 5 year old from flying off we heard a tree falling in the woods.
After that we went off. The groom also lent us his portable GPS, which let us into a rather small road. Which became a rather bad road. A rather bad unpaved road. A rather bad path. Which started to slant at about 30 degrees. Then a rather bad tractor track. We barely made it out to a concrete road again when the dreaded thing wanted to send us into the nearest mud field!
In the end we reached Wrocław where we went to visit the Racławice Panorama and the town square. Then we went for a drive over the islands and then back to the hotel with a quick stop at the Auchan to buy a 230->12V adapter for the portable fridge.
When we arrived there we noticed that almost all our friends where in the restaurant next to the hotel, so we had diner together. Which was nice, except for the waiter that asked to 'remove the kids'. Instead we showed them a DVD.
In the morning we went to see the European championships of Trial Bike. Jumping cyclists all over the place!
Then we prepared and went in a bus to Świdnica for the church service. After what I hope was a service (it was all in Polish) some friends did a reading (in that strange language as the priest said. Ha!) and we went back with the bus to the castle. The weather had cleared up and actually it was rather warm. At 16:00 the party started with food, drinks, vodka and dancing. At about 10 the diner was finished and the 'night food' started. At about that time our little one was too tired and went off to sleep. We continued bravely and at midnight a few knights came to complain about the noise.
They noticed the bride and started fighting over her. In the end the groom had to defend her (or course) and won (of course). This was followed by some fire-swinging outside and a large fireworks display. Incredibly the children did not wake up.
Then back in for more dancing, more food, more wine and more vodka. We left at about 2, but the happy couple closed the doors at 4:30 and walked out in the first moments of dawn.
The next day they offered a light breakfast: Żurek for starters and then some meat and salad. Then we said goodbye to our friend and headed home. With some power-drinks it was not that bad, and in a convoy with my brother we managed to keep the speed at a respectable 160. We only had a go round a traffic jam round Hannover (just like we did in driving there), but this time we were lucky enough to see the jam we avoided. Late in the evening we arrived home. Exhausted but contend.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-07-16 09:45 pm (UTC)