Varmia and Masuria are as if a godsend bestowed on Warsaw. The Second World War treated Poland's capital very roughly indeed; so it was something of a surprise that it also granted this city a special boon – thanks to the shift of borders – the immediate vicinity of Varmia and Masuria, a land of great beauty. This country full of water, forests, ancient castles, churches, and guildhalls, fish and fowl, is simply a stone's throw away. So in summer swarms of holidaymakers head north. We all have our own, different idea of this land of a thousand lakes. Some remember it as a place crammed with white sails; others recall the tug on the fishing-line they felt here; still others are fascinated by the cormorants and black storks which, along with the white flocks and the Masurian swans, live here in a phenomenal black-and-white bird sanctuary. An extraordinary vegetation and animal world may be encountered here on the marshes and peat-bogs; the fields full of flowers, the huge forests, and the aquatic world of the lakes are all so exciting. There's something for everyone here. This region can rightly be called Poland's paradise for recreation, indeed there are very few places in Europe to match it for an unspoiled natural environment.