Another trip to the Far East.

So again we wanted to go to sunny sunny, Sokolka and this time, it would be by train rather than with Marty's Dad, as we had the chance to leave a little earlier as my classes were cancelled and Marty had a day off.We've got a ticket to ride, and a train with windows you can hang out of helps!
And luckily no poles to hit us when doing said leaning.
On arrival, as per every return visit to the family home, Marty's Mum dishes up delights. Here we have one of the traditional soups. Beetroot soup, Barszcz, or to be easier pronounced for silly Australians, it is Borscht.
Of course, the soup was only the first course then we had one of my favourites: fried fish with mashed potatoes and home made salted cucumbers. These are not the ogorek most people associate with Poland, as these are more a short term dish typical of late summer. Where the cucumbers are soaked in briney water but are to be eaten within 48 hours so that they are still crunchy.

On the Saturday, it was a nice day and we decided to go to the lakes district of Poland which is called Masuria. It is filled with around 2000 lakes, and was once a very popular German "Spa Resort" in the early 1900's. It is a really pretty location, but like most every pretty part of the world these days, is over run with city slickers escaping the rat race.
We hired a paddleboats for an hour and set off down an inlet. Some like Marty were very elegant. Others just threw tantrums.
The reflections on the still inlet water were lovely and very pretty.
Where the green meets the water, it is idyllic and just another world away from the hustle and bustle which you find 2.5 hours south west of here. It is seeing these things you realise why so many people holiday here rather than overseas. Still I am not so sure why so many want jet skis and speed boats......

We drifted into the main lake town of Augustow where we grabbed some fresh, but now fried trout. Something I hadn't had before. It wasn't too bad, but I have had better trout in Poland.