During our second week in Grajewo, Grayson received an early birthday surprise from Ciocia Gosia. She had ordered it the week before, and it was finally ready for pickup. We walked over to get her and then headed to Media Expert down the street, where his new multi-speed Tiger bike was waiting — sleek, sporty, and just his size. Even with the seat all the way down, he could barely touch the ground, but after a little practice, he got the hang of it without a single fall. Now it’s Damianek’s turn — time to find him a bike for Poland.
Not long after, we took a weekend trip to Gołdap, a small spa town in northeastern Poland, about 60 miles north of Grajewo. The drive took around an hour and a half on winding local roads, with no major highways in sight. My cousin Darek owns a cozy vacation cabin at Leśny Zakątek, a resort right on Gołdap Lake — a border lake where two-thirds lies in Poland and the remaining third in Russia (Kaliningrad). Swim just three-quarters of a mile north, and you’d cross into Russian waters!
Darek invited us to spend the weekend there with his family and our old childhood friend Marek and his family. Darek, Beata, Martyna, and her boyfriend Filip stayed in their cabin, while Marek, Natalia, and their daughter Amelka rented another one nearby. We booked a room at the small on-site hotel — simple, with no windows except a skylight, not particularly comfortable, and way too expensive for what it was. We even had to bring in a fan we found in the hallway just to keep the room cool since we were on the top floor and could feel the heat radiating from the roof. Had we known, we definitely would’ve booked a cabin like Marek’s — far more space, better comfort, and a great lake view for less money.
The weekend was packed with fun — swimming, tennis, trampoline time for the kids, and even a children’s dance party at the pavilion. The weather couldn’t have been better, and the hotel restaurant served delicious homemade Polish food, so we were all set for a relaxing, activity-filled getaway.
Before heading home, we made one last stop in town for some local ice cream — the perfect way to wrap up the weekend. Sylwia and I went for classic soft-serve vanilla swirls, while the boys each picked their favorites — one with a single scoop and the other proudly double-scooped.
