Day 2/3: Miedzyzdroje - Wolin - Kamien Pomorski

Day 2 on the Baltic trail, which accidentally turned into Day 3. Today Poland was truly stunning and I take back everything I said yesterday about the miserable Baltic coast. The countryside is beautiful, full of wildflowers, orchards, golden wheat fields and fruit trees that just grow along the road. I even saw a stork.

I'm actually on the right path!

Today was a bit unusual because, erm, I had to finish and submit my manuscript this morning. That took a while. But it's done now! Then it was one o'clock, too late to start walking, so I cheated and took the train to the next town along the route, Wolin. But once I got to Wolin I felt lame about cheating and decided I might as well walk a little bit along the next leg to Kamien Pomorski. 

Genius that I am, I thought I would just find *a rustic Polish country inn along the way and spend the night there*. (Note the genius thought). I could actually see this inn in my mind. It was a red brick farmhouse with hollyhocks and roses in the garden, and beer on tap. The fact that there was no such inn on the map didn't dent my optimism. I was happily ambling along and eating Polish cherries I'd bought in Wolin.

This could have been such a great rustic inn, but it was just a barn.

10km into the walk, the inn had still not materialised. I bumped into a local who was shooting at empty tins with a hunting rifle. He told me the next inn/hotel/hostel was in Kamien Pomorski, another 15km away.

At that point I realised I would either have to speed up or spend the night in a field. I finished the rest of my power cherries and zipped along as fast as my tired feet could carry me.

In each village I looked for signs of an inn or rooms to let. Nothing. The pretty scenery helped, but I was so exhausted.

I seriously considered the sleeping-in-a-field option, but Baltic nights can get pretty cold.

Long story short, I arrived in Kamien Pomorski at 9 o'clock in the evening.

JOY! RELIEF! HOTEL!

The first thing I saw was this rather striking ad for baked goods. There were several versions, some focused on the cleavage, others on legs and thighs. Sexy sexy loaf.

My feet and shoulders fell off somewhere along the way. It was such an ordeal and I'm a muppet for just walking into the greenery.

But at km 20, when I was ready to give up and just roll into a ditch, there was a raspberry bush with a single red, sweet raspberry. Just for me.

At the end of the day, I ate a giant plate of fried fish and snuggled into a soft, comfy bed in this lovely timbered inn (Pod Muzami). Not a country inn, but rustic nevertheless.

Town square in Kamien Pomorski

Good night! Better than a field.