Poland 2017, part 8 (Olsztyn, Mikolajki, Masuria lake district)
After the great, but too short a time spent in Russia and Kaliningrad, I returned to Poland by coach. The time of the journey was again prolonged in relation to the optimal, but this time the Poles did it – they checked our documents at the border for almost 2 hours!!! What was impressive, though, was that we arrived right on the schedule. Way to go!
The part of the country from the Russian border to Olsztyn, my next destination, was exceptionally beautiful – mildly waving landscapes covered by vast grain fields, forests and meadows where occasionally one may see free range cows spending their days out in the open eating fresh grass. An increasingly rare sight, isn’t it? And in the villages through which we passed, in addition to the chicken in the yards, there were also other birds as well – storks that nest on top of street lamps or chimneys. The storks could also be seen across harvested fields where they were finishing off the collection of crops. And then suddenly we entered an extremely dense forest which consisted of very tall trees, a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees. One could expect at any minute to see an ancient Slav coming out of the forest with a freshly hunted deer over his shoulder.
So, when I arrived in Olsztyn, I started pulling my bag along the street that led from the train and coach stations with an intention to catch a taxi, since both stations are rather far from the old town. How naive I was! First, I rarely saw taxis and when I did see them, I waved, but they just ignored me. And I, a kind person such as I am, thought that they probably already had a ride booked. Thus, a little perplexed, I came to a bus stop. There I saw two women sitting there. They looked extremely shabby. One thin, hardly had any teeth in her mouth, the other a little plump and was just rolling her cigarettes. I thought cynically and arrogantly that “these two probably don’t speak English.” But, I had no choice, so I started asking them any way I could which bus went to the centre. I could see that they were not certain, so I mentioned taxi and I realized that one of them asked me if I wanted a taxi. Of course I wanted one! Then she called a taxi company by her mobile and told me a car would be there in 15 minutes. I was delighted. But, she wasn’t. For her, it was too long a wait. So, she dialled another company and there they told her a taxi will be there in a minute or so. That was better. But, then she dialled the first company to cancel the car. Hmm! I felt very much ashamed on account of my first associations and thoughts about these two women. One should be very careful when travelling. Angels may appear in all sorts of unexpected forms.
The old town in Olsztyn is a very cute place. With very few tourists and those that were there were mostly Poles. And a German here and there. As the day was passing, I started to walk around the main street and its surroundings.
One of the churches in Olsztyn
Then I started going down the main street in the Old Town in which there were a lot of restaurants and cafés, and at one point I saw a restaurant called Grill Balkanski, which caught my eye since I had not seen anything similar during my stay in Poland. I peered inside and there at the very entrance I saw a t-shirt with a printed well-known Serbian slogan fixed to the wall! Of course, I got out my camera and took a photo, while there was a young man standing there and smiling. I asked him if he spoke Serbian and he confirmed, saying his name was Ivan. Oh, we were compatriots! I promised him I would come back the following day, since I had already planned to go to a restaurant on a nearby lake shore, so we parted.
The restaurant I was going to is located on the shore of Ukiel lake. In summer, there is a tourist train during the day linking the centre of Olsztyn and the lake, but in the evening, when I was going there, there was no such transportation. So, I had to get a taxi again and that time around I started to be aware, which was later confirmed to me, that in Olsztyn one cannot get a taxi in the street at all. You either have to go to a taxi station (you don’t know where they are and there may be none there waiting for you) or you have to call them by phone (and speak Polish, and know exactly where you are in order for the taxi to find you). Be as it may, this time I was lucky and came across a taxi from which a customer was just getting out, so I approached it and said I needed a ride and that was fine.
At the restaurant, I encountered a long line of people waiting to get in, but as I was alone, it was easier to get me a small table. I wanted to go to this particular place since I had read somewhere that they had an excellent grilled zander. While I was waiting for my portion, they also brought me a complimentary starter – fantastic bread and even better trout pâté. Afterwards came the zander as well and it was all so tasty that I almost ate the plates as well!
I also got out for a short while onto the pier belonging to the restaurant and enjoyed the view of the calm lake, but soon I returned to my hotel in order to have a good rest and get ready for the following day.
Although there are lakes around Olsztyn as well, in the direction of the town of Mragowo starts the vast region of Masuria, which is in fact a large area filled with Masurian lakes. A stunning region and one of its epicentres is the place called Mikolajki.
So, that day was dedicated to a visit to the lake district, but I had to reach Mikolajki first. And there a logistical nightmare started. From different sides, some of them even “official” ones, I got wrong, incomplete or contradictory information on the possible transportation to Mikolajki, or the transportation operators paid no attention to their own schedule. All in all, I eventually waited for two and a half hours just to start with my trip for which I was officially told that it would take 2 hours and 20 minutes. I decided to treat this as an ideal situation for practicing patience and on the other hand I told myself I wouldn’t know what to do that day anyway, so I might just as well spend it waiting at a station or sitting in a coach. Eventually, the coach reached Mikolajki in one hour and a half and that was finally a good piece of news for me.
At the local tourist office, however, they told me that the last reliable transportation would leave as early as 3.45 pm. So, well, I would spend in Mikolajki just a little over three hours. My plan was to rent a bike and I did it. Namely, this entire region consists of a mildly wavy terrain filled with numerous lakes. The region is recommended to all those who like to sail, or to walk or ride bicycle. The proposed routes go from 5-6 kilometres to over 80 km.
I opted for this shortest one, of course, but even cut on it, because the bike I rented was a real ruin. Still, it was nice and I rode to a place where two lakes almost come together, and there was a former agricultural holding nowadays turned into a pretty restaurant.
After a break for food and drinks, I returned to Mikolajki, but on my way back I made stops in order to enjoy the scenery filled with stunning grain fields squirted with red poppies and some blue flowers. I felt very impressionistic. I made stops every dozen metres, and again and again admired the same views that were lit under slightly different angle and therefore my impressions were slightly different. I also renewed my knowledge of different grains – barley, rye and oat.
Still, I was happy when I reached Mikolajki and returned the bike, for then I could walk on my own two feet and visit the centre of the place. I actually did not like anything there – a lot of noise, crowds, sale of all sorts of things, but the view of the lake where different sailboats and other vessels could be seen was rather nice.
Having returned to Olsztyn, I went for dinner to the Serbian restaurant. When I travel, I never even think of the Serbian food and I always try to eat local one, but here I just could not resist. Namely, the restaurant had been opened only a few weeks earlier and I wanted to give my modest contribution to its existence. I took ćevapčići and they were excellent.
I could even order the original Serbian “Jelen” beer, which the owners had recently started to import here, but I decided to take the Polish draft beer after all. There had to be something local. I was away from home after all.
While eating my ćevapčići I realized that in this grilled meat, which most of the Balkans is known for, there are no refined culinary skills and modern imaginative recipes prepared by chefs in restaurants with three Michelin stars, but there is something completely primal. Grilled meat and its scent, isn’t that the most primal food? Before that, our prehistoric ancestors used to eat some berries and roots, but you must agree that a grilled chunk of meat and especially the scent of meat prepared in this manner which tingles our nose, brain, stomach and soul, constitutes a significant advancement in comparison to raw plants.
When I finished with my devouring of grilled pieces of meat and with my contemplation on the primal roots of such an act, rather than pure gluttony, Ivan came, joined me at the table and then we chatter our hearts out and I spent a fantastic evening full of sparkly ideas and laughter. As it turned out, he manages the restaurant together with his brother Mirko who was not there at the time, but I did have the honour to meet their daughters. They appear to be a wonderful and harmonious family, and this was so great to see. If you go to Olsztyn, make sure you stop at this place. You will enjoy it!
The next day was bright and sunny, so the few more hours I had free I used in order to walk a little more around the old part of Olsztyn.
I also walked to the local Castle which houses the Museum of Warmia and Mazury. In fact, I only entered its yard, for it was still too early and the museum was not opened yet, but I also wouldn’t have the time to visit it. In front of the Castle there is a statue of Copernicus, since he came to some important discoveries while living and working here for a few years in the 16th century.
I also walked to the Market Square and then passed by the Grill Balkanski which was completely quiet that morning.
One should not expect too much in Olsztyn and everything of interest in the Old Town may be seen within a matter of a few hours, but the place is certainly quite cute, with lovely small streets, and it is also nice to take one of the chairs in the numerous cafés and restaurants, and quietly enjoy the views at old or reconstructed buildings. Just like I did that morning in order to have breakfast before continuing with my journey.