A Quick Diary with photos
Last September, I went to Poland with my girlfriend by car for a holiday + to see her relatives & friends. I just thought I like to share with you all - car trip diary
September 2010
3:30am We leave at home and heading to Dover - to catch the ferry at 6:00am
No problem driving along the way to Dover from my home - It was so easy and quiet running.
This time we booked the ferry - Norfolkline to Dunkerque from Dover, it was my first time use the Norfolkline instead P&O or Seafrance
It was not bad ferry service - just basic one.
Bye Bye England
Arrived at Dunkerque - Our Ferry boat
9:00Am Local time - Arrived at Dunkerque Port after two hours ferry journey) drive to join the E40 Corridor and heading to Belgium. We stop at Jabakke Service Station and make some coffee. After the coffee break we continue to driving to Holland via Antwerpen rings, it was quite busy at Kennedy Tunnel.
Quite busy at Dunkerque - slow driving to rejoin the E40 Corridor
A Belgian tanker - its quite funny name 
Overtake the British truck with a interesting trailer in somewhere near Lokeren
What an easy driving from Anterwepen to Dutch borders E34, we stop at Dutch’s first service station on the motorway for a picnic. There is a nice small clean place with picnic area - plenty of European people sat on the bench and ate their picnic not like here in UK!
Many Lorries on this road - Lorry Overtake ban stretch
We stop at Venlo (Dutch/German border) for a quick look around the borders area, surprise to see a Kazakhstan lorry Park there - must be lots of driving from Venlo to Kazakhstan!
Venlo Borders area
Kazakhstan Lorry Park next to Belarusian lorry
German Zoll Station
Old borders booths toll
Driving through Germany and reach the Ruhr area (Bottrop / Oberhausen) we did through Ruhr’s rush hours traffic also there had some roadwork sections on autobahn in Dortmund area. There was just only slow crawling through the roadwork reach to Hamm and traffic suddenly gone.
Have seen many of Poles trucks, bus and car on this stretch of A2
Enter to Ruhr area
Busy at rush hours
Roadwork sections
Many of Poles trucks carrier & car pull the tow trailer with French, Belgian, German second hand car, they bought and bring over to Poland - it’s cheaper than buy one in Polish’s second hand car garage!
Oh dear - saw a Betz Black Magnum parked at Rhynern Sud MSA. It was too late to turn off to service and take some photos!
German Autobahn
German Autobahn
We drive pass the Helmstedt - Marienborn borders crossing (Ex - DDR Borders) in night time and did gave me some goose bumps, when I saw huge floodlights and old checkpoint tower but sadly I did not stop there because it was dark time also museum was closed on this time so next time myself will make a promise to stop there and looking around the Museum.
We stop at F1 Hotel in South Magdeburg for a night.
Next day, we left the hotel and drives through the bypass of Magdeburg and heading to rejoin A2
It was so easy driving on it’s a long straight stretch of A2 road
Autobahn
We stop at Buckautal Service Station for quick coffees and saw group of heavy haulage Lorries parked - they carried huge windmills
Convoy of Sovtransavto -A famous Old Russian haulage since communism time - now see them everywhere in Germany
Slow Belarusian lorry struggle to overtake with other lorry
A Long way from the home! Turkish lorry
Interesting combination
We reach the A10 Berlin Orbital ring and no problem driving around the ring so just kept straight to A12 (Berlin - Poland Borders corridor)
A10 Berlin Orbital ring
On A12 there has lots of truck overtake ban sections and seen many of frustration Lorries - too risky to overtake on this stretch of A12 due many of BAG, Zoll and Polizei everywhere on this road!
541 km to go
We stop at Jacobsdorf just before Frankfurt Oder borders and gave a quick looks around the Willi Betz Terminal - Seen some of brand new Polish megaspace lorries parking there also saw many of Bulgarian car parked at the yard! Must be belong to Bulgarian Betz lorry drivers
Betz’s yard
My motor
Terminal (Bulgarian)
Germany’s TIR Zoll Freight Customs, there was used be busier and huge queues back from Autobahn but not now because now Poland became EU member. Now there are full of Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian Lorries goes there for custom clearances.
Borders ahead
Oder River Poland - left side & Germany - right side
Ex - borders control booth and now become exchange money kantor shop
Poland’s Guide Info - have to put headlight on all day
After pass the borders control area and suddenly the Motorway goes disappear so there has massive roadwork on E30 road. They are prepare to make a new motorway connection from Frankurt Oder Borders to Warsaw - E30 corridor
Lots of roadwork!
What is that?
Traffic became suddenly halt stop and there was long queue due T Junction, We had to turn right - no traffic light. We diverted to old A2 road - it was very busy road - mainly Polish, Russian and Belarusian Lorries more than cars on this road.
We stop at huge truckstop - Las Vegas Truckstop include mini supermarket for a lunch. Many of Eastern Lorries stop there to fill up diesel, water, stocks up Polish food & beers and have showers before set off to West
Las Vega Truckstop - more much better than Ashford Truckstop!!!
It is very busy road - mainly Lorries and van on this road.
Lots of girls with hot mini skirt outfits stand on the roadside and plenty of ■■■■■■ bar club houses on this route.
Who is she? 
Unfortunate my camera battery went dead and no picture to Warsaw!
We arrived at Warsaw about late evening. We stay at her friend’s apartment in Warsaw for couples of days
There will be other diary as part two - Return back to London from Polska.
Hope you enjoy the diary
Ben.
