POLAND by motorcycle tourist - magical Podlasie part 2.

We begin in tonight, gathering at the contractual place and at the same time our today's accommodation in the vicinity of Ostrow Mazowiecka. Everyone will have a chance to arrive after work, relax in the hotel room and meet the other participants during the opening evening dinner. This is also an opportunity for a short technical and organizational briefing, allowing us to get off to a smooth start the next day right after breakfast.

We take off right after breakfast, no later than 8:30 a.m. The distance is not very long, but on the way there are several interesting places worth taking the time to visit, which will effectively fill our day. First up is the Rev. Krzysztof Kluk Museum of Agriculture in Ciechanowiec - one of the most interesting attractions in Podlasie. The museum houses as many as 30,000 exhibits related to the countryside, including unusual rural buildings dating from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Not far away, in the village of Rudka (named after a copper ore deposit), is a real gem of Baroque Podlasie - the Ossoliński Palace from the 19th century and the surrounding outbuildings, stables, a former orangery from the second half of the 18th century, as well as a grain warehouse and administrative buildings from 1830. Today the palace is an exclusive hotel, nevertheless it is worth a look at its surroundings and even its interiors.

On the way south, where we go to reach the edge of Podlasie, one more important place - Grabarka, known for its monastery and mountain of pilgrim crosses. It's a sacred, revered place, an important place for Orthodox believers, where thousands of votive crosses brought by the faithful, located on a hilltop stop for a longer time in reverie.

If time permits, we will visit the Alpakarium in Rudka (Stara Kornica) and their owners, who have passionately created a place like copies in vain.

At the end of the day, almost the very tip of Podlasie - Janow Podlaski and the oldest state-owned horse stud farm, which can also be visited with a guide.

We will spend most of the day in and around the Bialowieza National Park. We have about 140 km to the Park from the place where we are staying overnight, which means about 2 hours of driving in a group, so we will start as early as possible, at 8:30 right after breakfast. At the site, we will probably park at the Bridge on the Narewka River (we will also take a commemorative photo at it), take a look at the Grodno Governor's Mansion, climb the observation tower and take a walk in the Bialowieza Palace Park. Near the parking lot we have a bison footbridge, which is said to be a must-walk. Indefatigable strollers can also venture for a longer time on one of the walking trails in the Park (To Jagiello's Oak, Wolf Trail, Around the Grouse Wilderness, Carska Tropina, Bison Track, Through Three Communities).

From there to - lying among the marshes and floodplains of the Narew River basin - the small village of Odrynki and the only Orthodox hermitage for monks in Poland - the Skit of St. Anthony and Theodosius Kyiv-Pechersk. The hermitage is run by Father Gabriel (known as Giba). According to church traditions, he deals with herbal medicine, and treats his guests with self-made soup, delicious compote, and sometimes delicious yeast cake.

A little to the west of the hermitage is Kraina Otwartych Okiennicych (Land of Open Shutters) - a trail leading through the architecturally unique villages of Trzesanka, Puchły and Soce, located in the Narew River valley. The villages are distinguished by their richly decorated and painted wooden houses, attracting visitors with their unique interiors and even unusual stories associated with their residents.

For this evening and overnight stay, we will stay in the vicinity of Bialystok, and maybe even in the city itself - creating conditions for a pleasant stay.

We take off no later than 8:30, after breakfast.

Less than an hour's drive east from Bialystok, close to the border, is the village of Kruszyniany, where Tatars settled in the second half of the 17th century. Today, the village is home to about 30 families, and among them there are only 3 Tatar families. In the village we will visit a beautiful mosque and an unusual mizar, or Tatar cemetery. Almost opposite, rebuilt after a fire, is the Tatar Yurt of Djenneta Bogdanovich, where you can try Tatar specialties, in the famous pierekaczewnik.

Heading north towards Poczopek, halfway there is the famous settlement of the prophet Elyash Klimovoch - Vershalin. The house where the prophet lived with his followers stands deep in the forest, it was there that the New Jerusalem was created. There are already legends about the place, so we will take a look and stop for a while.

In Poczopek we will stop for a while at Silvarium - the most beautiful 15-hectare forest garden created in the Knyszyn Forest. The place serves both a recreational and educational function, and visiting the open air is free.

Suprasl attracts with its famous Museum of Icons, which has more than 1,000 in its collection. Despite Sunday and the almost certain crowd, we will try to visit this place.

The day's itinerary also includes Tykocin and a cruise by rafters on the Narew River water streetcar. Just outside Tykocin, on the Narew meadows, is the European Stork Village - a more than 100-year-old nobleman's mansion belonging to the To³³³owski family of Samson coat of arms, which has been completely overrun by storks. More than 30 pairs of white stork nest in Pentovo every year!

At the end of the day, if time and weather permit, one more scenic spot - a footbridge among the marshes on the Narew River, in the heart of the Narew National Park.

Here we will end a 3-day rally in Podlasie, its sizable southern part. We will stop for the night near Ostrow Mazowiecka, probably at the same place where we started our motorcycle tour. We will officially close the short tour with an evening dinner, thanking everyone for their participation and inviting everyone to more.

We finish by going home in subgroups and individually.