OUR STORY STARTS: After our flight from Stansted to Wroclaw (51.12 North - 17.04 East) we stayed in Wroclaw for two nights. On the first day we were shown around the city by a nice Polish girl Dorota who we sat with on the plane. On the second morning we went shopping at Tesco always interesting when in Poland, Hungary or the Far East, due to the size of each store and a way to stock up on supplies after travelling with Ryan air! Why do we ever fly with them??

From Wroclaw we travelled on the 13.30 to Leszno where we were able to travel to Wolsztyn on the 15.35 steam service (runs six days a week). After collecting some nice fresh bread and cakes from the bakery (open 6am-6pm most days) opposite the station in Wolsztyn its off to the sports hotel Osir to a warm welcome from our friends there.

Regrettably there was almost no snow and none forecast for our stay. So a big disappointment as the plan was to take snow shots of the steamers this time.

On our visit to the sheds the next evening to photograph the returning steamers we were surprised to meet two Englishmen, these were two of the Brits we had met last year driving the steamers. Like us they had decided to come for their week of driving steamers a month or so earlier. Next we met a Polish driver who remembered us from last year(Diana for Her looks and me as the Brit who did not wish to purchase his souvenirs that weighed a tonne, it was quite funny). So it had to be a good drink of Polish beer and pizza at a railway club across the road. So with no snow forecast we spent a few pleasant days in Wolsztyn before catching the 13-hour overnight bus to Bialystok (the only place in Europe where wild buffalos can be found and also the only place in the world where wooden mosques can be found) to continue our 900-mile trip to Tallinn where I am told that some of the longest freight trains in Europe operate almost always with double or sometime treble headed ex American locos but that is another story and we do not come to Tallinn for the trains.