Bautzen, Germany to Wiechlice, Poland
DAY #16 of 35 Poland 939 miles total
Stage 2 Begins!
Switching up the post naming convention, as all of our literature is labeled by which Stage (1, 2 or 3) and which Day of the Stage it is. Stage 1 is over: it was Poland to Bautzen. Stage 2 is Bautzen to Vilnius, and Stage 3 is Vilnius t Russia. So yesterday, our rest day in Bautzen, was S2D1 (Stage 1 Day 1) – otherwise known as Day 15, which makes today S2D2, Day 16. Clear as mud?
This morning we left the tranquility of Bautzen (really love riding out of a city on a Sunday morning!) and headed northeast towards the Polish border, which we would shadow north before crossing it at 65 km … Poland is country number 5 on our epic odyssey.
To start, we needed a few Polish words: 
Departing the orderly and manicured nature of Germany came as a bit of a surprise when we entered Poland; the economic disparity between the two countries (in this area) was immediately apparent. The roads became rougher, the buildings less well maintained, the lawns more cluttered in places.
That is not to say there are not nice houses and areas, and as we travel further north and east we will see more prosperity. It’s just apparent that in this little corner of Poland, the economic growth is taking longer to trickle down than in Germany. The warmth and splendor of the palace we visited tonight provided us a prime example of the restorations happening, and was a wonderful start to our Polish stage.
Trivia Fact: Until 1945 this area was all part of Germany.
We meandered from quaint villages to open farmland, guided always by the magnificent pine forests that lined our path. We thought there had been a big reforestation project the way the pine forests go on and on and on, but our guide Ben said most of them are native.
Our first glimpse of Polish palaces and architectural styles was not until we arrived here at Wiechlice this afternoon, our stopping point for the day.
Wiechlice Palace – Home For The Night!
VIDEO: Ride and Seek Guide Richie Mitchell promotes the 3rd edition of the Napoleon Cycling Tour from Paris to Russia.
The historical ambience of the palace is further complimented with modern additions, including hammocks, kayaks and amazing swimming facilities (including sensory deprivation salt water float pools) to help keep us occupied.
Wiechlice Palace today showcases a stylish interior and a first rate restaurant. The extensive history of Wiechlice Palace where the Prussian, Tsarist and French army with Napoleon in the lead resided, have put the palace on the map for luxury Polish tourism.
Our stop in Weichlice was a mere 150 miles northwest of where my maternal great-grandfather was born. August Walczyk, father of my mom’s mom (my Grandma Irene), was born in 1878 in Åšmicz. This whole area from Poznan, southwest to Germany, WAS Germany for 600 years before 1945. It gave me goosebumps to think about him walking/riding a horse or in a wagon right nearby here.
