Mornings here look like this: you slip out of the rose bedding, change your pajamas for swimming trunks on the run, run down the stairs and dive from your own pier to the lake. Good morning, beautiful day!
There is one house, two lakes and three terraces. So are the bedrooms, each of which has a view of the water outside the window. It's hard not to come back here. Especially that a lot has been said about the Suwałki Region itself, but always too little. This borderline of lands and cultures is created by people with old souls. Piotr, the owner of a photographic gallery and the initiator of the literary festival Looking to the East, lives by the Czarna Hańcza river. There is also a biologist, Michał from Gruszek, with whom you can look for wolves. And Miłosz's house with red thresholds, which regularly hosts the Klezmer Orchestra.
Go to Sucha Rzeczka for Provencal interiors, the taste of a piece of sękacz and meetings with people. You don't have to do anything important. It's good everywhere here.
''Utkane z marzeń'' is a house in the style of old dachas, which is nestled in a quiet corner of (already quiet) Sucha Rzeczka, just 10 meters from the shore of Lake Małe. The entire plot and a private pier are at your disposal.
The house consists of the ground floor, first floor and attic. On the ground floor you will find a kitchen, bathroom and living room with a fireplace. The first floor is occupied by two bedrooms - a large one and a small one, which I call a single. The large one has two beds: a double 140×200 and a single 90×200, while the single one has one single. In the attic there is the largest bedroom, an additional toilet and an amazing view - from the windows on Lake Serwy, and from the terrace on Lake Małe. There are also two beds here - a double 140×200 and a single 90×180.
I put a lot of attention to detail and even more heart into the interior. The romantic Provencal style prevails, which is co-created by crystal chandeliers, Polish lace, antique-decorated furniture and graphics on the walls by the artist Robert Kempisty.
The plot itself is fenced. There is a place for parking and a barbecue. You don't have to take sunbeds to sunbathe or read a book outside - the armchairs are there, ready to unfold and lie down.
The kitchen in the house is small, but it contains the basic equipment that will allow you to make a delicious breakfast to eat on the pier. And this is accompanied by elegant English tableware, creating a sophisticated atmosphere like from a Jane Austen novel.
However, the Suwałki Region is a land of great cuisine with dishes not available anywhere else, which is really worth tasting. Already a few hundred meters from the house there is the U Lecha inn, and a bit further there is a really sensational riverside hostel in Płaska, managed by Andrzej and Małgosia. They serve great dumplings, equally tasty fish and traditional dinner sets - all done really with heart and at good prices. Attention, they open for picnic and close after the holidays!
In nearby Augustów you can be surprised by the number of good restaurants, while in Suwałki you have a chance to taste Tatar cuisine. Between one trip and another, find time to try ice cream from Cafe Rico in Augustów, drink beer honey in Miodosytnia and eat a piece by piece of traditional sękacz (it's great at an inconspicuous stand by the Wigry).
And I could recommend it for a long time, because we have food that is out of this world.
There have already been delights about the local cuisine, there will be delights about the local attractions. I recommend:
#1 Walks in the Augustów Forest. It is quiet, green, full of berries and pine trees. In the Forest you can meet (or hear) wolves and lynxes, not to mention more common animals such as deer, foxes or roe deer.
#2 Trips with Michał from Gruszki. Michał organizes nature walks all year round and encourages you to go wild together in the bosom of nature. Apart from his biological education, he simply has a heart for what he does and will show you a side of the Forest unknown to many people. You can find out more on his website dziczenie.pl.
#3 Exploring the area by bike. The area is full of wide, forest roads, on which you can ride endlessly. In addition, the infrastructure created for the needs of the eastern Green Velo cycling trail is impressive, such as comfortable rest areas or a separate, asphalt cycling path on more busy roads.
#4 Kayaking. The multitude of ideas for kayaking here is truly extraordinary. You can kayak on lakes, the historic Augustów Canal, the meandering Czarna Hańcza or the wild Biebrza. You can get kayaks in many places, including from Mr. Andrzej from the water station in Płaska.
#5 Eating. As I wrote above, the local cuisine is definitely worth your time and attention. And you can't complain about the lack of places on the culinary map of Suwałki Region.
#6 Swimming in the lakes. The house is located 10 m from the shore of Lake Małe, while on the other side of the road you will find the larger Lake Serwy with incredibly clear water. There are several campsites and small beaches on the latter.
#7 Trip to Wigry. It is difficult to describe this place in a few words. Because how can you fit in a few sentences the peace that reigns there, the sounds of water birds, the ringing bells of the Camaldolese monastery, the merry narrow-gauge railway riding through the forest...? You can cycle around the lake, take a walk or drive along lost paths. There are numerous viewpoints here, including the wooden tower in Krusznik.
#8 Seeing the house with the red threshold. Miłosz's manor house in Krasnogruda is another place in the Suwałki region that is hard to believe exists. This beautifully renovated manor house with a well-kept garden will allow you to get to know Miłosz's work, see artistic performances and listen to a concert. "Don't turn this into a museum" - Miłosz asked, when he handed the manor house over to the Pogranicze foundation. They didn't. There is always something going on here, and life pushes into this place through the doors and windows.
#9 Mushroom picking/berry picking/strawberry picking. In summer and autumn, it is always good to have at least one jar with you to collect treasures from the forest floor.
#10 Birdwatching. The surrounding area and the surrounding area attract bird lovers from all over the world. If you are interested in birds, it is worth arranging a trip with a guide and naturalist Michał from Gruszki or at least taking binoculars for a walk yourself.
#11 Locking. The locks on the Augustów Canal are an example of living history. The nearest Gorczyca lock is located in Płaska, and the most picturesque is in the Perkuć nature reserve. You can watch the locks from the water or plan a bike trip around them. As an interesting fact, the wooden bridge in Perkuć had its 5 minutes on the big screen when it appeared in Czarne Chmury as the hiding place of Dowgird and Kacper.
#12 Looking to the East. In mid-August, the east meets the west in Buda Ruska on Czarna Hańcza, creating a one-of-a-kind festival called ‘Looking to the East’. Literary meetings are intertwined with obligatory reading, nature walks, chamber concerts until dawn and thematic workshops. Outside the festival period, it is still worth driving to Buda Ruska to visit Piotr Malczewski’s gallery. Piotr is a photographer who few people believed would be able to live his life this way: in a village at the end of even the Suwałki world, in an old house and with stories from forgotten lands, to which he organizes expeditions. On site, he will treat you to homemade cake, show you photos and immerse you in stories.
#13 Listening to the Klezmer Orchestra. The Klezmer Orchestra of the Sejny Theatre is a mixture of people of different ages, born on the Suwałki border. You can listen to the music in the film Wołyń, but also live - for example in the White Synagogue in Sejny.
#14 Being. Giving yourself space for mindfulness, sitting on a pier and absorbing the Suwałki Region with all its wonders. And there are really a lot of these wonders here.
What’s there for children?
We invite children over 5 years of age to our green oasis by the lake. The house is simply not adapted for younger children. But older children can find their way around the Suwałki Region perfectly!
Let the kids jump on the bomb, play football or tennis on the pitch in Płaska (located next to the tourist information center), kayak and lick their fingers black with berries. There is no time for boredom here!