Suwalki

Monday 22nd September

Walk to a large nearby shopping mall,  Suwalki Plaza,  in the hope of finding somewhere to eat. There are a couple of totally empty cafes which don't appeal, so try the street running South from the hotel where, according to the little map the receptionist gave me,  there are some restaurants. I can't find any of them. Music from the Piano Bar sounds encouraging but it turns out to be a recording playing through speakers; the place is dark and deserted. So it's back to the hotel restaurant which is surprisingly plush. Apart from steaks and salads, everything else seems to take over half an hour to prepare so I go for the steak with garlic. It comes with a half of a huge clove of the stuff so I  shouldn't have any problems with vampires tonight.

Suwalki Plaza

Tuesday 23rd September.

Excellent buffet selection for breakfast, which I eat in solitary splendour in the hotel restaurant. Then head back to Suwalki Railway Station to buy my ticket for the 1243 train to Bialystok.  Cross over the E67, the road we came in on from Lithuania, and I am amazed at how many big trucks are roaring through. Definitely worth waiting for that little green man! When I get to the station, I show the woman at the window the train time I want to buy a ticket for and she replies with a lot of head shaking. She doesn't speak any English but I get the message and she writes down the real train times for me. The next possible train is at 1540 arriving at Bialystok 1750.  The ticket for that is 40 Zloty (about US$12) Then go off to explore the town which is bigger and better than I had expected. It feels surprisingly like England. There are streets of two storey buildings and little shops, a Santander Bank with its bright red logo,  a rather chaotic mixture of building styles  from different eras. Looks like the EU has been providing some extra funding, much of which seems to go into new pavements and cobblestones. They look very pretty but it does make me wonder if the EU commissioners have shares in paving contractors. Suwalki is a lot like many ordinary, nondescript English towns. The town square has been prettified, cynics might say "tarted up", with some fountains and a statue of a woman who, if I understand correctly,  wrote about gnomes.  There is even a concrete sheep. Have lunch of penne with a spinach sauce at one of the cafes in Suwalki Plaza. I decide not to follow the "gnome" trail. 

Suwalki Town Centre

Fountains in Suwalki Town Centre

Suwalki Town Centre

Old Style House behind Suwalki Plaza

Gnomes