The first anniversary of the start of the Odyssey – it is difficult to believe that it is one year ago that we set off from home on this fantastic trip.
We had read about the isolated south-east corner of Poland and decided to investigate it. Our route took us north over the Dukla Pass, which sounds dramatic but is actually very low at 500m and there weren't even any really steep hills on either side. It did however achieve notoriety in the Second World War when it was fought over with huge losses on both sides by the Germans and Russians. We passed a German war cemetery and monuments to the Russians and their allies; there was military hardware on display at the sides of the roads – tanks, field guns and even aeroplanes.
We had passed a number of beautiful wooden churches on the Slovak side of the border and these continued to be a feature on the Polish side, including a new one that was under construction. Needless to say the scenery was dominated by forest although, on the Polish side there were also large areas of pasture at the lower levels. We passed a preserved narrow gauge railway that offered a 36km round trip for a very reasonable price, but only at weekends in September.
Our ancient Rough Guide to Poland mentioned a campsite at Wetlina and we headed for that although there seemed to be plenty of options on the way. The campsite that we found was small and basic but was acceptable and at £8 for the night we weren't complaining (although that was £8 more than last night's!). We even had electricity, fresh water and grey water disposal at the side of the pitch – a real rarity.
Photos: Ladomirova church spires – one of many wooden churches on the Slovakian side of the border; Some of the military hardware on display in the Dukla Pass; A new wooden church being built on the Polish side of the border.
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