Wednesday 8th June 2005 Bydgoszcz.

Leaving Brda lock on the 9th

9.3º C Cloudy, sunny spells, cold and windy. Bill went shopping and bought a new TFT computer monitor from Auchan. He said there was a special offer on, buy one and get a voucher to spend in the store giving 30% of the value of the purchase off your next lot of shopping. Bill said he couldn’t use it, so he gave it to the salesman, who almost had tears in his eyes when he told Bill it was equivalent to a week’s money for him. We had lunch then borrowed Bill’s bike (to carry our groceries back on)

Crossing Regata lake on the Brda on the 9th

and went to Auchan to restock the cupboards and the freezer for the trip back to Germany. As we went through the garden area around the lock Mike got on the bike and rode it. He stopped and fell over, landing full length on the tarmac. He must have misjudged the distance to the floor (Bill is taller) and his foot didn’t reach. He had an audience too. The security guard had just gone to meet a group of schoolkids who were on a visit to the lock! At Auchan, Mike finally got his

Log rafts on the river Brda

new varilux specs from Vision Express. Then he posted our last print film off to the UK. Then, besides the normal groceries, I bought a couple of tee-shirts (19Zł and 11 Zł) and Mike had two packs of 10 CD-RWs for 20 Złotys each. It was 4.30 p.m. when we got back, luckily the gate was still unlocked. It took ages to pack everything away, put the washer on and do two loads of washing and cook chops for dinner. My legs were aching. Bill called to say he’d lost his Nationwide card and the security guard on duty wouldn’t let him out. Mike went with

4 man rowing skiff going into Bydgoszcz

him to tell the guy it was important for Bill to get back to Auchan as he’d lost his credit card in the shop. He’d already cancelled it by ‘phone. They had got it in Auchan. Mike had almost done the same thing in Vision Express - went away leaving his card in the machine! Bill said a new one was already on its way to his address in Britain. 

Bydgoscz or Bromberg as the Prussians called the city