MOSTTOMOST

And there I was on Thursday fearing that summer had come to an end... A little more faith, Mr Dembinski! Today was as forecast - quite magnificent; clear blue skies again, temperature hitting 27C. While the sun shines, it behoves us indeed to make hay. So out with the bikes, Warsaw; let's make the most of the last days of summer! Making the most? Most as in bridge? A good day to cross and re-cross several Warsaw bridges by bike. While we wait for the completion of Most Północny, the northernmost most is Grota-Roweckiego, named after the Home Army leader. The Trasa AK (Home Army route) crosses the river over this bridge. Below: a sliproad leading off Most Grota Roweckiego.

From the eastern approaches of Most Grota-Roweckiego, looking towards Żerań power station. Below: there's no proper cycle path on this bridge; you can see a dirt track to the right that makes an inconvenient way onto the bridge. Alongside the roadway there's a separate footpath that's too narrow for comfortable cycling.

Below: following on from Friday's photo from Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski, here's a view north from Grota-Roweckiego. Blowing it up massively shows that the Most Północny, under construction, is a long, long way further north.

Below: across on the Żoliborz side, under Most Grota-Roweckiego. Turn left, and along Wybrzeże Gdyńskie, heading back towards the Old Town.

Below: also on the Żoliborz side, approaching Most Gdański, a double-deck bridge, with cars and buses on the top deck, trams, bikes and pedestrians on the lower level, and a second bridge parallel to it carrying trains (nearer the camera).

Below: Wybrzeze Gdańskie, steps to the pedestrian boulevard that runs along the river. Cyclists outnumber mosquitos at this time of day.

Across the Most Gdański, back on the Praga side, running south towards Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski, is Wybrzeże Helskie, named after the Hel peninsula, funnily enough... Nip off the cycle path following Wybrzeże Helskie, and you are on the Vistula water meadows (below), often flooded, but today dry and sandy. The Old Town is across the river to the right.


Right: monument to Polish communist forces that made tragically futile attempts to come to the aid of the Warsaw Uprising. (Or not.) The soldier of the Kościusko Division is stretching his hand across the river from beside the Wybrzeże Szczecińskie. Popularly, the figure is known as 'five beers, please'.

Below: looking across the Vistula at the city centre from the cycle path near the Most Łazienkowski.


VARSOVIANS! (and tourists!)

KNOW YOUR WYBRZEŻA! (lit. coasts, embankments)

Left (west) bank of the Vistula, from north to south:

Wybrzeże Gdyńskie - 7km - from Most Północny (under construction) to Most Gdański

Wybrzeże Gdańskie - 1.5km - from Most Gdański to Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski

Wybrzeże Kościuśkowskie - 2km - from Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski to Most Poniatowskiego.

Right (east) bank of the Vistula, from north to south:

Wybrzeże Puckie - 3km - from Most Grota-Roweckiego to Most Gdański

Wybrzeże Helskie - 1.5km - from Most Gdański to Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski

Wybrzeże Szczecińskie - 2.1km - from Most Śląsko-Dąbrowski to Most Poniatowskiego.



This time last year:
To the half-closed airport

This time two years ago:
Last of the summer rides?

This time three years ago:
My own Polish Adlestrop

This time four years ago:
Here come the planes. They're American planes