Hi Friends,

On Day 3 of our trip we made our way to region puszczy Bialowieza to meet my family.

We woke up at 7 am and had a nice breakfast at the OSiR Polna hotel. They had a good selection of cold meats, sausages, vegetables, a variety of bread, yoghurts, cereals, etc.

After breakfast, we finished packing and started our long drive to Bialowieza. It took us approximately 4 hours at a very steady pace and a couple of slow-moving roads. Before reaching our final destination we stopped over in Hajnówka to stock up on supplies in a massive shopping centre and meet my uncle and his family. It was a very bittersweet reunion as I haven’t seen them in 5 years and grandma was not with them. But it felt so right to see them like I was coming home. Alexei was initially very shy but opened up more and more with every hour throughout the day and by the end really connected with my 14 yo cousin and does not leave him alone 🤣

After the shopping was done, we left to do the last stretch of the road which was approximately 18 km. The house we are staying in is called Goscinny Dom Bialowieza and is amazing. There are 3 bedrooms upstairs (2 double beds and one twin bedroom), downstairs is a king size room and the owner kindly set up a cot for Matthew right there beside our bed. There are 2 sitting areas, both with bed couches and a massive kitchen. However, the best part of the property is the spacious garden with covered bbq area, which we readily tried out.

We went to a store beside a petrol station and got some coal, forgot the matches of course, but got some other national drinks that were very nice. The store supplies everything you might need.

When we came back we had some sandwiches with caviar and finally, the time came for our big surprise. My sister decided to come and stay with us. However, we did not tell my uncle or his family, though a couple of times we nearly let it slip. For example, my uncle wondered why we were buying so much food and drink and our excuse was that since it is Easter the stores will be closed when we get back to Warsaw. Also, the fact that my hubby moved the car was a bit suspicious, but we attributed it to him being a bit tipsy and Irish ☘️;)

So finally, we said we have one more surprise for you, and in drives my sister with her boyfriend. They were delighted!

We spent the rest of the evening having a bbq and catching up.

Hope you all had a wonderful day!