Day 257 Fri 29 Jun 2007 Prague, Czech Republic to Wroclaw, Poland

After finishing the novel domestic tasks of washing and ironing we extricate the car from the underground carpark in the city centre and drive north through forests and rolling countryside to the Polish border. We stop to explore a glass museum at Zelezny Brod, a small industrial town which is just starting to discover its heritage of wooden houses and pass through the Sudaten mountains the German occupation of which started WW2. Today they are occupied mainly by some laidback ski resorts and a towns with glass and textile mills.

Crossing into Poland we stop to inspect a world heritage listed wooden 'peace church'built in the 1600s after the reformation when Lutherans were only allowed to erect 'temporary' churches. We reach Wroclaw (pronounced Vrotswahf) by early evening and after trying several hotels check into the Best Western(!) and venture into the nearby main square in search of dinner. Although heavily damaged in WW2, Wroclaw has been largely restored with large central gothic rathaus or townhall dominating the restaurant-lined square. Tonight it’s packed and noisy as there’s a large stage and series of bands performing but we manage to find a quiet corner to sample the local dumplings, wild boar, cabbage rolls and beer from a large ceramic mug as well as the obligatory tub of lard. Seems there’re bands and music performances in every square in Europe at this time of year, from Rome and Lucca through Milan, St Gallen and Salzburg to Olomouc and now Wroclaw and Krakow.