8 August 2017

Today would be our turn around day, with 5 nights left we need to start clocking up some miles to make it back to Calais by Sunday.
We decided that we couldn’t come this close to Auschwitz with out paying a visit so after a get up and service we headed to the camp and memorial site. As we got near where we thought we should be able to park a man in a bright yellow vest started waving us into a car park, I thought he was official and I would have gone in but Neil more suspicious suspected he was just trying to get our money. Neil was right and we passed several more of these official looking car park attendants before finding a free parking space near the entrance to the museum.
The area was surprising built up with hotels and restaurants, unlike the previous concentration camp we had visited at Dachau which was very peaceful and respectful this area felt quite commercialised. We took a walk to entrance of the museum but the queues went on as far as the eye could see so we decided just to take a look at the memorial and not go inside.

From Auschwitz we drove to a supermarket for a lunchtime stop to eat lunch and then stock up on cheap Polish produce. Polish supermarkets are my favourite especially the £3 big bottles of Wodka.
All stocked up we hit the road heading West, it was warming up and now it was my turn to sit in the sun for the journey which felt long. We drove through Poland hoping our pre paid Go box would not run out of credit and luckily we crossed into Germany still making beeps. We managed a long trip through Poland on last years credit. Next time we’ll consider topping up.
Our stop for the night was in a border town, Zittau in Germany. This town is on the border of Poland, Czech Republic and Germany and the aire had good reviews.

At the entrance to the aire we were met by big closed gates with a sign in German which did not look very welcoming, just what we didn’t want to see after a long hot drive and especially as we were all now hungry. Google translate saved the day and the sign simply read overnight stays only and the gate was open.

In we went and parked up, I cooked dinner while Neil let the dogs run wild in the long grass to burn off some energy then we sat out for a nice evening meal.

After dinner we took a stroll with dogs to look round the town, was saw a few funny sights including statues with bottoms and interestingly positioned snakes and amazing buildings. In the centre we stumbled upon a film themed cocktail bar, we went to order beer but then decided the cocktails looked good so it was Sex on the beach for me, a swimming pool for Neil and a boring coke for Lucy which she promptly spilt everywhere.

The walk back to site discovered an open supermarket a stone throw from our van. We quickly put the dogs back into the van and enjoyed a late night tipsy shopping trip, more crazy souvenirs purchased.
As we got back to site we noticed a man enter what looked like beach hut sheds with a towel, on investigation we discovered the huts were toilet blocks. The aire was great, in a town, with a supermarket, with electric, services and facilities all for €7. We wish someone had warned us it was coin only payment tho as having been in Poland using Zt we were low on Euros we did have to scramble round the van for 7 Euro coins.
Overnight Location: Zittau, Germany
Overnight Cost: €7
Overnight Coordinates: 50.89439°N 14.82141°E
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