Slides, Waves and Swimming before Dinner.

ZIELONA GORA

A long journey to Zielona Gora is made longer by numerous diversions for roadworks. New motorways are being built but too late for us. By the time we get to town, We're desperate to use the toilet. There is a shopping village but it proves impossible to get to. Use Google to find the nearest McDonald's. Or rather the next nearest because the nearest is in this impossible shopping village.

Drive to the parkrun site. It's next door to a fabulous communal swimming pool. And the is a bus into town. It also has a weight restriction but more of that later. The helpful bus driver leaves his seat and shows us how to use the ticket machine designed not to involve the driver! He changes on route and gives us a cheery wave as he wanders off.

It's a very pleasant town tucked away inside the sprawling ring road. I'm fascinated by the display outside in a opticians. The display heads have been stuck on the wall of the building. The town is the historic centre of the Polish wine making industry. Very little is produced now but the town continues to trade on it. They have used statues of Bacchus rather than gnomes and a map can be bought. One hunt a week is enough for us. Rosie spent an hour looking at the shops so I wandered around town. A young lad approached me and thrust a piece ofbpaprr into my hand. I explained that I didn't read Polish. He replied that it says 'smile, it will brighten both our days ' or words to that effect. Rosie and I have noticed that the Poles show little or no emotion and as a result look very stern.

The swimming pool is fabulous. £2.60 buys is two hours of swimming slides, lazy river and aqua therapy. We eat pizza and chips in the cafeteria to while away a extra hour or so.

When we return to the van, we notice that there is a 2.5 tonne weight restriction in the car park except for buses. I'd seen the bus and assumed that we would be OK. We try to style down but the concern about the illegal parking and the arrival of boy racers persuade us to move. There is an overflow car park right next to the start of the run so we move there at 11pm.