There are regions of Poland which draw in extraordinary people. They usually move there from big cities and create extraordinary communities of unique non-residents. You can find such creative heads in, among others, Beskid Niski, in the Dylewo Hills, in the Izery Mountains and right here - in the Białowieża Forest. Maybe they are tempted by the wild nature, the sounds of rutting, the sight of bison in the morning, or maybe just life tastes like a meringue cake that can be eaten with any number of toppings.

We have always dreamed of leaving the big city. We wanted to leave our Warsaw apartment blocks, set up a garden, watch peonies bloom and make preserves. The search for the yard with the well centred around Białowieża because we were always intrigued by the stuffiness of Podlasie and this is where our friends settled. Białowieża, however, turned out to be unattainable, while the unknown Suszczy Borek, on the western side of the Forest, was a revelation. A farmstead of the village of Podlewkowo with 8 farms - an ideal place for a quiet life. Not so commercial and popular, but much more of a village and quiet. Suszczy Borek charmed us with the proximity of the forest and the river, meadows as smooth as a tabletop, where deer graze, and we feel the kindness of our neighbours.

In the new reality, we finally feel in place. We have our house in the green yard, and right next to the one with guest rooms, there is a well with spring water, a place for a fire and an oven from which bread, pizza and preserves are slowly made in the kitchen with fireplaces. This is just a prelude to a culinary recital because we practice a new repertoire in the kitchen. From the nettle picked in the garden, we make soup, we turn the dandelions into syrup from God's pharmacy, we serve the cabbage rolls in the style of Podlasie because they are wrapped in sauerkraut leaves. Apparently, it is only here in Podlasie that cabbage is pickled in this way: with the whole heads. When the zucchini plays the first fiddle, we cook to the top - soup, lecsó, grill, chutney - always veg, simple, homemade.

All shades of green behind the windows, and Narewka right behind the house, across the meadow. In spring it is buzzing and the smell is wafting around, the storks move into the nest and observe our entire estate from above. Everything turns pink in the evening. Even a stork. At night we invite you to concerts outside the window: nightingales in spring, crickets all summer, and a rut in the fall. Crickets are effectively drowned out by the roars of lovebird deer, you will remember these performances for the rest of your life.

Come look for traces of wolves, for culture in the wild, for natural flavours, admiring bison and lazing around. Individually, family or group; dogs, cyclists, hikers or canoeists - we invite you in any configuration.

In a house immersed in nature, in the village of Podlasie, in the Ladzka Forest, under a stork's nest. In an independent house, dedicated exclusively to your needs, overlooking the garden, forest and our house on the other side of the yard. To get strawberries in slippers to the garden, and the salad buffet in the pot is in the immediate vicinity of the grill. You can snack.
We do not recognize televisions. The surrounding nature program is broadcast around the clock. In the meadow by the house, deer shine with white rumps, a stork clatters overhead, and the nearby Narewka serves a cacophony of sounds and colors. The drawing of huge trees against the darkening sky is one of the most beautiful pictures in the evening. "Framed" in the window frame, they are a favorite decoration of the house, changing every evening. In summer, the terrace covered in peonies is an invitation to blissful relaxation. The fire is burning, the rust is rusting, the bread is blushing in the oven, and the hydrangea grove is roaring with bees.

In a wooden house, we have 5 cozy rooms with bathrooms for a total of 14 people.

Upstairs: 4 rooms - a double and a single bed in each, for living as singles, doubles or family triples.

On the ground floor: 1 room - a suite with a double bed and comfortable armchairs. In addition, there is a common space here. A living room with a fireplace, enveloping armchairs, a sofa, a sideboard with a music station and a fully equipped home kitchen. Here you meet with other guests, talk or not, read, cook, rest, play board games.

In the garden, there is a place for a bonfire with grill, oven for pizza, bread or other rolls, and a kitchen with fireplaces.

Dogs are welcome.

You can cook, because at home you have a bright communal kitchen equipped to the ceiling. You can also eat with us. We try not to throw it away, draw from nature and traditions, buy from local suppliers and eat vegetables. You can order breakfasts and dinners, all in the vegetarian version. Our cooking is hard to put into any frame. The main thing is seasonally, freshly fresh: beetroot spinach with tzatziki, asparagus for lasagne with salmon and rhubarb for rustic tart. Then the aquamarine pre-harvest dishes: leek cream soup and pea risotto. Spring harvest. Broth vegetables end up in the basket many times, but not here. We make neat chops out of them. With the addition of cucumber salad or as a contribution to vegeburgers.

We often draw from the traditions of other countries and present them in the Podlasie edition. To warm up, Lebanese lentil soup - with native tomatoes and onions, then American "crab cakes" with smoked fish instead of crab meat (because where to get crab meat?) And Italian tiramisu with Polish mascarpone - heaven in your mouth guaranteed.

We also like simple: krupnik and lazy with sugar. Vegetables like at Grandma's: carrots with peas, fried beetroots, breaded mushrooms (instead of minced), potato, celery and carrot fries and the obligatory salad made from sauerkraut.

We also practice applied weedology, because weeds grow fastest in the garden. For example, such a ground elder - turns up the taste of potato gratin, and nettles end up in the soup.

Greenery is rushing to the windows, birds are singing, storks are clattering, and deer are running away in panic from the eyes of nosy voyeurs. Flowers covered with dew expose themselves to the sun, and we run barefoot to the garden to pick strawberries. You can also nibble mint, because it tastes delicious with fruit. Life is peaceful in our Podlasie village. The rhythm of life follows the seasons, and nature provides entertainment. Ladzka Forest, Białowieża Forest, walks, observing nature, bicycles, strolls, kayaking, sleepy lounging, bonfires, cooking, reading and from time to time great cultural events in the area. It's just like grandma's house, where time slowed down and slowed down.

For us, the forest is a cure for all evil. And in the Lada Forest, just outside our doorstep, we still have many undiscovered and untrodden paths. Suszczy Borek is a village located in the Narewka River valley, in a mid-forest clearing of the Ladzka Forest, on the western side of the Białowieża Forest. One of the Green Velo bicycle routes runs through the village, so we recommend taking two wheels with you, because the area looks amazing from the saddle. Our area has not been affected by the devastating felling of trees and there is no ban on entering the forest, so you can freely enjoy the smell of damp moss, cones and mushrooms.

You already know a little about the area, now it's time for specifics:

Narewka is a beautiful village located 6 km from us. You will find many wooden houses from Podlasie here. There is an Orthodox church, an old church, a Jewish cemetery, shops, a post office and restaurants. The most important, however, is the Narewka river flowing through the village. In the village you can rent kayaks and go rafting down the picturesque and wild river valley.

Siemianówka Reservoir (8 km) is an artificial reservoir on the Narew River, attractive for anglers and recreational swimmers. There are walking and cycling paths around the reservoir. It is a perfect place to observe water birds migrating in spring and autumn.

Białowieża - 25 km along the "Narewkowska" road or 40 km through Hajnówka. There is more to see and do there. There is the Bison Demonstration Reserve, the Palace Park with an observation tower, and the Strict Reserve (entrance only with a licensed guide). Trails: Place of Power, Bison Ribs, Forest Landscapes. Carriage rides, bicycle rental (cross-country skiing in the winter season). In the Białowieża National Park (access from the Gruszki forest district or from Narewka through Janowo) there is the Kosy Most nature reserve and the Wolf Trail with a bison refuge and an observation tower.

Despite the fact that there is such a wilderness, thickets and a reserve, there are few savages here. Mainly cultured people who like to bring intellectual culture, tolerance, song, joy and entertainment at the highest level to the Forest. Even in the city you will not find so many interesting festivals, meetings, grassroots initiatives and world events:

- Poetry in the Forest
- Wild is Beautiful Festival - Białowieża
- Wertep - International Street Theater Festival
- fairs, harvest festivals, concerts
and many others.

Take rubber boots, binoculars, clothes suitable for camouflage and outdoor activities. You have to tread carefully and look under your feet, because that's where the tracks are. Wolves, boars, roe deer, bison, cranes. Birds and frogs can be observed from a canoe on the Narewka river, and the surrounding wilderness in the Białowieża Forest from the observation tower and in the "Kosy Most" bison refuge.