Friday, June 11 - Szczecin, Baltic Sea, Sierakowo

We slept in today, then had breakfast at the hotel and went for a short walk before picking up the rental car and heading out of town.  As we crossed the Odra River, heading west out of Szczecin, I told  Fred that it was only about 80 kilometers to the Baltic Sea.  We agreed that it would be fun to see another body of water, so we then headed north.  By 2:30 pm we were in Miedzyzdroje, a Baltic resort town. 

By that time we were hungry so stopped at the first cafe we saw, the Pingwin Pension, for a bite to eat.  Fred had veal with breaded and sauteed mushrooms and I had Goulash soup - accompanied by Tyske beer.  The food was wonderful. 

After lunch, we walked to the beach for photos of the Baltic.

We drove along the Baltic for 20 miles or so, then headed back south.  By 5:30 pm we were in the first Teske related town, Maszewo, just north of Stargard.  One of Julius Teske's siblings was said to have been born in Maszewo.  We were a bit pressed for time, so drove on through Stargard and on to Sierakowo, formerly Alteheide, the birthplace of Julius Teske. 

I had located online (http://agritourism.pl/) and made a reservation at a B & B in Sierkowo called Bocianówka Gospodarstwo Agroturystyczne Weronika Łabun or Farm of the Stork, operated by Weronika Labun.  We drove into Sierakowo, a very small village, and found the address. 

Weronika was waiting for us and helped us get our little car into the yard and parked in front of our room, then showed us our apartment.  She had indicated online that they speak Polish and Russian, but I explained I had only English, French, or German and Weronika willingly spoke German with me.  It worked out pretty well, as her German was on a similar level to mine, so we used simple short sentences and didn't worry about grammer and did just fine.  The place was just as described on the internet, very comfortable with a living room, kitchen/dining area, bedroom and bath, all in a long brick building.  The yard was beautiful, with lots of flowers and covered picnic tables for our use. 

Weronika asked if we would like something to eat (I had not requested an evening meal with the reservation) and we said yes, so she fed us a traditional evening meal of cold cuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, and boiled egg with mayonaise and dill.  In Poland, the larger meal is eaten at noon. 

After supper, Weronika and Waldemar sat and talked with us for some time.  Waldemar had only a little German, so Weronika translated some of our conversation.  We learned that they are both Polish, but had grown up in what is now Russia.  During WWII, Weronikas family returned to Poland, but came back too soon and were sent to a German concentration camp.  She told us what a wonderful day it was when the Americans came to liberate them and she was thrilled because we were her first American guests. 

After talking with the Lubuns, we made it an early night.