Into Poland - Magical Moments on Polish Lakes

Having farewelled our lovely Baltic States guide Marianna and driver Viktor last night, we meet our new guide Fil and driver Mariusz. Fil is originally from Latvia and now lives in Krakow. He is young, energetic, on the ball and his English is perfect. He also speaks Latvian, Russian and Polish. I have a feeling we will be in excellent hands for our Polish sojourn. 

We leave Vilnius and drive south, the lush green countryside stretching on either side of the straight roads, the occasional roundabout transitioning traffic smoothly at the junctions. After a comfort stop - “coffee in, coffee out” Fil calls it - at the old Lithuanian/Polish border, which is a collection of derelict buildings, relics from the communist days, we swoop into Poland in our big shiny blue bus. 

We pass neat and tidy houses and miles of green fields. There is every tone of green imaginable. 
“Pol” means fields ... Poland = land of fields. Makes perfect sense now we know this.

We arrive at Lake Wigry, part of a large national park in north-east Poland, popular with canoeists and boaties. There are 19 islands within the lake itself and plenty of forest.

There is an old Monastry on the hill which we amble up to and look through before boarding our boat for a special lunch cruise. Thunderstorms are forecast today but right now it’s sunny and very hot. There are some black clouds over yonder but we’ve got sunglasses on and are sweltering. There’s a bunch of people swimming, cooling off on this hot day.

The Thunder and The Laughter ...

We board our boat and set off. Lunch is served. We dine on the freshest trout and succulent white fish, caught right here in this lake. Both are beyond description. The salads are divine, the tomatoes taste great and the bread the best we’ve had all trip. They sure know how to make the best bread in this part of the world - nutty, moist and tasty, it’s just the right texture. Heavenly. 

This cruise is a family affair - dad senior is The Skipper, his son is The Director and The Director’s wife is The Chef. Their young son is The Waiter (on school holidays) - but really he’s running the show! He is all of 11 and knows exactly what he’s doing. Together they craft us the most magical experience imaginable. Wine flows as trout is devoured and the chat escalates. The scenery is sublime - we swish through narrow reed channels, the water is silky smooth. It’s tranquil and picturesque. And thundery over there.

The Waiter more than lives up to his name, serving us with aplomb. He’s as professional as they come. It seems The Director is being directed, The Waiter has got this! 

It’s a real pleasure to be part of such a unique and splendid lunch. The water is as clear as can be, reflecting everything like a mirror. The green looks even greener in the mirror of the lake. The light is astoundingly beautiful and the sky moody. And getting darker by the minute ...
Uh-oh, that’s rain we can feel. Part of our group are lunching under cover in the aft cabin, but seven of us are on deck and exposed to the elements. The raindrops get heavier, the sky is now black and the thunder is loud. We decamp down to the forward cabin and the boat stops as the mini-storm hits us. The rain batters the water and lashes its way viciously inside windows that are hurriedly shut. We think all this adds to the uniqueness of the experience and scoff delicious homemade vanilla slice. With wine. There is much laughter and we feel safe and well cared for by our delightful crew. The slice is fantastic but that trout was simply the best.

We farewell our brilliant and hospitable crew, with full stomachs and happy spirits, and continue south to Gizycko where we will spend the night. The sun is shining again. 
We check into our historic Hotel St Bruno, an old fortress. It’s also a rabbit warren. Rooms numbered 2 are on floor 1, those numbered 3 are on floor 2 - and we’re all in different wings of the building with different lifts. Reception is below ground and I’m in a separate building all together. It’s easy to get lost getting to the restaurant but we all make it for a very nice buffet dinner. Beef guts soup is on offer - most of us grimace but Neil gives it a go and declares it rather delicious. I don’t think anyone believes him. Basically, it’s tripe soup. No thanks!

Everything is going reasonably smoothly in Poland so far, although Sheila’s leg is still giving her problems and she’s still relying on a walker. It may have a resthome look about it, and cobbles and walkers definitely do not go together, but it’s proving helpful, and that’s the main thing. 

After dinner I do a bit of admin to ensure that smooth going remains the case. Even when there are no issues to deal with, there is always something to take care of. Fil has got our measure as a group very swiftly indeed and we are looking forward to exploring Poland, our sixth country on tour. Fil and our driver are staying at a hotel a bit further away and will meet us again in the morning.

With dinner and admin complete, I hit the streets of Gizycko. It’s a town in the Mazurian Lakes District, strategically situated between two lakes which are connected by a canal. This area was formerly part of East Prussia. There are 2,600 lakes here and it’s a very popular holiday spot, particularly for those who love Kayaking and boating.

There is a swing bridge over the canal that links the two lakes - it swings open to a schedule to allow boats to pass through. It stays open (well, closed to cars and foot traffic) for 30 minutes and as it’s the only access between the two parts of the town, you need to watch your timing, or wait. The bridge is opened and closed manually and is quite unique. Question - is it “open” when cars/people can cross it, or when boats can sail through? No idea! 

I cross the bridge and wander up the streets away from the hotel where there are lots of cafes, but it gets less interesting the further I go. It’s much more lively along the canal so I turn back. The sky is turning dusky pink and I sit on a seat by the canal and people watch for a while There’s a fisherman, several couples hand in hand and an old man and his dog. And heaps of holidaymakers enjoying the splendid evening.
I walk along the canal to the lake. It’s 10 o’clock and the sun is beginning to set - it’s the first sunset I’ve seen all trip. The lake, with pinky/orange hues reflected, is smooth like silk. Some ducks drift by, there are people tinkering on their boats in the marina, the lakeside taverna is lit up and humming. 
When I’ve had my fill of this very wonderful place, I wander back towards the fortress, our hotel. I catch my breath when I see it softly lit up and reflected in the canal. It’s stunning. Inside, the hotel is serene and deserted at this time of night.
I head for my quarters and dream of a fairytale place in north east Poland with lakes and castles and monasteries and the freshest fish and happy friendly people and twinkling lights and special bridges and ... oh, that would be exactly where I am - the Mazurian Lake area! 

OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAY: This is a fantastic and hugely popular holiday destination, especially for Poles and Baltics. Also Lithuanians I think, as I spot those familiar Lithuanian features all over the show. Gizycko (once part of Germany) is about 5.5 hours’ drive from Vilnius.
Our Hotel St Bruno dates back to the 13th century. It once served the Teutonic Knights and was also a residence for Polish princesses. It was renovated and opened as a Spa Resort hotel in 2010 and now houses tourists from as far away as New Zealand! 
There’s a new footbridge almost completed near the swing bridge. It’s not quite yet open but it will take care of that sticky problem when you get the swing bridge timing wrong. There’s currently no other way back to the hotel until that bridge swings back into land mode. Still not sure if that means it’s open or closed! 




















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