June 30, 2025 – Augustów to Tykocin – 85 kms – Przystanek Tykocin Apartamenty Gościnne 

July 1, 2025 – Tykocin to Supraśl – 55 kms – Zacisze

July 2, 2025 – Supraśl to Jezioro Siemianowskie – 65 kms – Żubr Nad Zalewem

Ruth: The Podlasie region in northeastern Poland has long been a multiethnic and multireligious crossroads, where religious tolerance, though not without tension, allowed for a remarkable degree of coexistence between Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Jews, Protestants, and Tatar Muslims. Tragically the events of the Holocaust ripped the large Jewish population out of this interesting religious mosaic. 

The loss of the Jewish community was particularly evident in Tykocin, a pretty Baroque market town where Jews once made up half the population. The Nazis rounded up and massacred essentially all of the Jewish population (2,000 people) just outside of town. The town has Poland’s second largest and second oldest surviving synagogue, which has been restored and is now a museum.

Yesterday we stayed in the beautiful town of Supraśl, nestled in the forest northeast of Bialystok.  We arrived in time to have a quick shower and make it to the Icon Museum with an hour visit.  Gord and I love icons. It was a huge collection with mood-setting religious music playing in each room. They had a variety of icons from a number of traditions, including Byzantine, Ruthenian (Ukrainian), Russian Orthodox and the Old Believers. 

The museum is part of the larger Supraśl Monastery Complex. The Monastery was Byzantine in origin and tradition when it was founded in 1498. It became a key spiritual and cultural site, known for its printing press, theological scholarship, and ties to Mount Athos, Greece. 

Near the end of the Second World War, the retreating Nazis destroyed the Monastery’s Church of the Annunciation and its frescoes. However, the church has now been rebuilt and recreated frescos cover the interior.  One of the highlights of the Icon Museum are the fragments of the original 16th century frescos from the church, which have been painstakingly restored. 

Our friend Ewa’s family is from the east, and she described how her family was relatively open to various religions. After a mixed-faith marriage, the family made the decision to raise all the girls Orthodox and the boys Catholic. Even the Orthodox Monastery we visited signed onto The Union of Brest in 1609, joining the Catholic-ruled Basilian Order. Now that just wouldn’t happen where I come from. 

After a couple of days on long stretches of washboard gravel we are picking our route each day a little more carefully. One stretch shook us so much I wondered if the resulting headache was a concussion. Mostly we try to stay on the Green Velo route, but a nice smooth bit of pavement sometimes calls to me.