Sulwalki is made up of a network of glacial lakes connected by canal. It’s the coldest spot in Poland in winter. Today it may have been, at times, the wettest. The drainage channels and flat landscapes are not unlike parts of the Fens.
The harsh history is never far away. Augustow, near the start of today, – its Jewish population was exterminated in WW2. Leaving town is a fine monument (2019) in memory of the 2000 local militia killed by a 50000 strong Red Army and whose mass graves have not been found. Tonight’s stop was 70% destroyed in WW2 – the rebuilding of the Market Sq only completed after independence from USSR.
Today was refreshingly wet and then a lovely drying headwind. Passing quiet villages, supervised by the every attendant storks. Impressed how they held their ground against the lashing rain. A wee bit bedraggled at times – us too.
The Polish placenames have almost as many constanants as Welsh ones with as few vowels. Luckily the lady in the cafe understood our needs and fresh apple cake appeared. What’s not to like!
Travelling reflections 