Yes, it's that time of year again. I missed First Snow Winter 2010/11, returning to a lightly dusted Warsaw, but within hours of waking up, the snow kept on coming and coming on good.That most glorious wintery feeling, the onset of dusk matched with falling snow, lights on in the distance, warmth of the room within, came on in the afternoon observed from my office.
E-mails from the UK indicated that wintry chaos had overcome large swathes of the nation, unused to heavy snowfalls ("and in November too!").
So what would it be like out on the streets of Warsaw tonight? Would Poland once again prove that several inches of snow is a mere trifle?
I left the office before six pm, not knowing whether to expect a) traffic paralysis or b) efficient snow management. Below: I step outside to be greeted by a proper wintery scene.
The wind's blowing the snow in my face, such a pleasant sensation coming out of the warm office. I'm getting those old familiar flashbacks to somewhere other than my childhood, Minnesota in the 1950s? Scandinavia in the 1950s? A phenomenon worthy of investigation. (The feeling passes once I'm up on the main road.)
Right: Along ul. Koźmińska, passing the AIG building on my way to the bus stop on Trasa Łazienkowska, snow swirling round.
At last! I've been waiting since March for some decent snow! Looking at my blog posts labels, I see that 'Winter' (95 posts) comes top, followed by 'Autumn' (53), 'Spring' (45) and 'Summer' (43). 'Snow' alone gets as many posts as 'Summer'.
On Trasa Łazienkowska - chaos (above). A crowd at the bus stop, traffic stationary. I decide straight away to walk the three bus stops to the Metro. Passing subsequent bus stops I can see that this is the right thing to do. Below: Plac na Rozdrożu (lit. 'Bifurcation of Ways Place').
Below: Trasa Łazienkowska as it cuts under ul. Marszałkowska. It seems that Praga-bound commuters were having a much worse time of it. Westbound, many people were inclined like me to walk it to the main north-south arteries, which seemed remarkably clear. Traffic along Al. Ujazdowskie and Marszałkowska was flowing more freely than usual.
And so to the Metro, the jewel in Warsaw's public transport system. Only the severest flooding ever manages to affect the service, which was running like clockwork this evening.
Out at Ursynów, into the Park+Ride for the car, only to find there's hardly any traffic at all along Al. KEN or ul Roentgena, Płaskowieckiej is no worse than usual (below), and ul. Puławska is exceptionally smooth for half past six (three lanes heading south at a steady 30 kmh, no mad driving or jams). Pop into the post office to pick up some mail - no queue whatsoever.
It's good to be back in Warsaw in time for winter!
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3 comments:
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I was delighted to see a good fall of snow in Kraków too - even if it meant a 20 minute walk to work instead of 15 minutes. It meant I had an extra 5 minutes to take everything in.
I think in these 'early' days of winter, it just feels right. Last night, for example, I was out at 10pm and everything was quiet and snow-covered. The snow has not melted much since the first falling, so there is no slushy, dirty mush. Most of the snow that has fallen is yet untouched. And everything seems somewhat quieter, as if the snow is a blanket to dampen down noise.
Yes, I agree the first snowfall is wondrous and its particularly lovely to have a white Christmas.
Fast-forward five months and very few folks around here are waxing poetic about snow.
I spent 4 long years in northern Ontario (think "Fargo"") and I have seen enough snow to last me a lifetime.
:)
Enjoy
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