Driving across Poland: Videos

I came across a You Tube site for a Polish international trucker, Damian because he had made a video going to and through Młochów. It starts a bit further down the Katowice road from the south-west, reaching the road to Młochów village at traffic lights by the Volvo centre. It ends alongside Młochów park.



He has loads of videos from Poland and around Europe. I was particularly taken by the following night drive, which makes it all seem very relaxed compared to the sore, strained eye experience that I find it to be in practice.



I wondered where it was, but wasn't even sure if it was in Poland until he reached the Nevada Center, which I can best describe as being something like a US style truckstop, as seen on TV. It's just after Świebozin on the (non-motorway) road to Świecko and the German border. It always seems to be full of articulated lorries, with a seemingly non-stop stream of them turning into and driving out of the Centre. It is the one of the few places where road courtesy by lorry drivers is automatic: lorries driving past stop to let others enter or exit. I have never stopped there though as, the one time I decided to do so, a lorry had broken down outside causing a huge traffic jam in the German border direction going well back onto the motorway. Fortunately I was headng the other way. There is a hotel/motel there, but from the website its prices are much higher than I would have thought possible on this route.

There are more sensible alternatives. We saw the Motel Marco in Torzym, dropped in and stayed the night. All we wanted was a place to sleep as part of the Młochów-London journey. Although not in any sense luxurious, it was fine for this. Since we arrived late and left early I didn't even notice any of the other facilities. The website suggests there's a restaurant, but it may be being rebuilt. In any case, it is easier and quicker to drop in at the petrol station to fill up with cheap Polish petrol and eat something there. The price was 45 zloties per person (ie 135 in total, compared to Hotel Nevada's 250).



Much nicer, however, is Motel Paradise, also in Torzym. Once again we just dropped in to see if they had room and stayed. We had a room for four, which raised the normal three person price of 170zl. to 180zl., but that included buffet style hot and cold breakfast. I recommend it as a place to stop for the night and I am told that the restaurant is very good, although from a website review there can be a long wait when there coaches stop there.



I wonder what will happen to all the businesses when the motorway opens. It would be very helpful to drivers like me if signs could be put on the motorway when it opens to direct us to the old hotel and services route: "Torzym to Tzyciel - Motel heart of Poland".

Finally, back to Damian's videos. The maniac driving antics in the first video may just be high spirits, but it has been routine to see lorries that have driven off the road. Just a moment's distraction and ...