Winter begins in earnest

This morning was the first one this season where I opened my bedroom windows to see snow outside. Yesterday was different - I woke around six am, looked outside, saw white fields, went back to sleep, and when I finally got up around eight am - the snow was gone.

Although the temperature has not formally dipped below zero, the wind-chill factor generated by winds gusting up to 70kmh (45mph) made it feel very cold today. Worse, the unprepared roads and pavements were turned into skating rinks as the meltwater froze and turned to black ice.

The winds are the tail-end of Orkan Ksawery (Hurricane Xaver) which brought mayhem across north-west Europe.

Below: half past six this evening, and a blizzard going on; snow on the roof of the Novotel lobby being blasted around Rondo Dmowskiego. Traffic northbound along ul. Marszałkowska at a standstill as snow ploughs clear the roundabout.

Left: the pavements are treacherous. Szklanka - glass. One has to move with caution. Time to abandon my  smooth-soled Chelsea boots (sztyblety in Polish) for something with more grip. I witnessed an extraordinary sight - a man and his eight or nine year-old son on the pavement by Metro Politechnika station; they were standing quite still, yet they were sliding backward on the smooth ice as the wind pushed hard against them.

Below: chaos at Wilanowska bus station. The bus timetable was randomly distributed about the retail establishment (all over the shop) by this time. After a 20 minute wait for a 709, three of them turn up at once along with a 739. But no sign of the bus I wanted - a 715. This would mean a 1km walk home...

Below: ul. Karczunkowska. Another winter without pavements; up to one's ankles in snow or mud. Time to crank up the campaign - this time using the 19115 phone line and website. Neighbours! Join me and bombard the service with e-mails and phone-calls for something to be done about this situation.

Below: Karczunkowska looking east. Note lack of street lighting (temporary I hope) and the pedestrian's dilemma: walk on the roadway (smooth asphalt, might get hit by a car) or walk by the side of the road (will get wet in puddles, might trip over uneven surface). And with pram or in a wheelchair? This is totally unacceptable.

This is it then - winter proper has set in. For the weekend at least. On Monday, it will all melt as the temperature is forecast to rise above zero, and the snow will turn to rain.

This time last year:
The 2012 Transparency International results (Poland advances again)