KOLOBRZEG, ON THE BALTIC SEA

Tonight we’re on the seashore of the Baltic Sea.  We finished our research yesterday with no luck.  We had two contacts in Pila, but neither worked out.  One was with a Lutheran minister who spoke English.  We hoped he would have some old records, but he assured us that they were all destroyed between WWII and the Russian occupation.  The Lutherans were not treated well by the Russians and the Church and all the records were destroyed.  The new church he now ministers to was built a year ago and has a congregation of about 60 members.  We had a very nice hotel called the Pension Park.     

It was an old shooting lodge and the grounds have now been turned into a city park.  From Pila we headed directly to the Baltic Sea.  The countryside getting here reminded us of traveling from Portland to the coast.    There were many lakes and the forest was dense like the coast range.       We stopped for lunch at a lake shore turnout and found a small motor home from Germany.  The couple had traveled from Munich and said they had no trouble finding free camping spots through out Poland.    Of course, just like in Oregon, you can’t approach the sea without encountering a little rain.

Kolobrzeg is a city about like Seaside or Newport, Oregon.  Our hotel here is very nice and the promenade along the sea makes a wonderful walk.           

   We had a close encounter with a swan.    Dinner tonight was cod on snap peas with mashed potatoes blended with horseradish.  It was wonderful.