Warsaw!

We had a quick breakfast with Saskia's friend Tina this morning, then jumped in the car and promptly went the wrong way on the street,. By the time the GPS caught up with us, we had a long roundabout meandering drive through Berlin, but ultimately we got on the auto-bahn. Then the GPS made us get off, drive around a little, then get back on. After that we pretty much ignored it, heading towards Frankfurt (Oder).

The border into Poland was a non-event. I had thought there might be some cursory check of documents, but the only things in the former checkpoint were money changers (Kantory). We drove past, and Sarah drove for another 50km before we stopped and switched at a gas station, where we successfully used a Visa. We soon got to the autostrada, which is actually a bit nicer than the auto-bahn I think, and certainly much nicer than the highways in Seattle. The only problem was that the speed limits that were marked said 60, 70, and sometimes 80, but I kept getting passed. I ultimately drove 120 until I remembered at one of the tollbooths (no Zloty, but fortunately they all took credit cards, 3 x 11zl in total) to ask and was told the speed limit was 130.

The autostrada ran out around the same time that it was getting dark. We took the "car" route 2 towards Warsaw, and that was pretty unpleasant, because somehow we got off 2 and ended up following the GPS again through 702 and 703 which were tiny roads with barely enough room for me and the oncoming trucks, and lots of pedestrians and bicycles. After about another 50km of that, we made it back to 2 which was a bigger road -- still only one lane but with shoulders. The speed limit was 70, and we took it all the way into Warsaw, and found my aunt's place with no problem. We stopped right were the GPS told us to stop, and looked up, and there was the door. No one was home but my cousins, who let us in and their parents arrived shortly thereafter.