Landscapes around Warka

The start of a five-day weekend. I decide to pop down to Warka by train to visit the new Lidl which opened last month. A Lidl bigger and grander than I'd ever seen anywhere in Poland or the UK. My main aim was cheeses of quality and taste at a good price. A 200g presentation of Gran Padano, for example, sells at Lidl for 14.49 złotys, whilst my local Top Market sells 150g of the same cheese for 30zł. Anyway, shopping done (a 17-minute stroll from Warka station), I decided to walk one station close to Chynów - Gośniewice - to snap some landscapes.

Below: Warka's 'gate guardian' as you enter from the north, a Lim-2 (Polish licence-built MiG-15 bis) from a different angle. It could do with a polish-up! (two earlier shots from a different angle here)

 

Below: heading out of Warka along ulica Puławska towards Piaseczno. Not that ul. Puławska - and not that Piaseczno! A new development of about 50 new homes is being built here. Incidentally, the conductor on my train down to Warka was full of its joys and spoke of how the town is smartening up all the while and newcomers are moving in. With the fastest train times now down to 48 minutes to W-wa Gdańska and a remarkable 29 minutes to W-wa Służewiec, Warka is now within easy commuting distance of Warsaw, the more so if you only need to go in to the office two or three days a week. 

Below: this is what I came for - the gently rolling landscape as orchards are coming into blossom. Monoculture is dominating the land, with much new infrastructure for weighing, storing and packaging apples appearing, and many very smart new homes attached to the new warehouses.

Below: that 1950s rural U.S. vibe once again - on the skyline, the DW731 road between Warka and Potycz, where it joins the DK50 for Góra Kalwaria. O to be able to pop into Deke's place for a beer and a burger!

Below: the village of Prusy, just north of Warka. From here, I will turn left and take an unasphalted farm track west towards Gośniewice. 

Below: a distant wayside shrine. Note the farm buildings on the horizon - all part of the apple industry.

Below: a closer look. Still waiting for apple blossom, a profusion of dandelions.

Below: I reach Gośniewice for al fresco lunch (bread, cheese, blueberries and mineral water). A Radom-bound Koleje Mazowieckie train is just departing - next stop Warka. Note the staggered platforms at Gośniewice station. This station is one of the quietest on the Radom line - I was the only passenger here. I like the rural character of the place. Despite the lack of traffic, Gośniewice station was built to the same standard as every other piece of infrastructure along the line, such as the gated level crossing that only serves a farm track. More trains pass over than road traffic - I saw four trains and one tractor in half an hour.

Below: back at Chynów, that was my train rushing off northwards to Warsaw. Normally, I tend to go down the level-access ramp rather than the stairs (to get more paces in!), but today I'd already managed 15K, so I didn't need the bonus here. Note the sign at the foot of the stairs for Jakubowizna (click to enlarge). Incidentally, ramps are so much better than lifts, which are prone to break down.

Below: Jakubowizna. The mobile-telephony relay tower on the horizon marking the DK50. Back to the działka to do some gardening!

This time two years ago:
Anatomy of a nightmare

This time five years ago:
Diverse bird life returns to Jeziorki

This time six years ago:
Gold train film shoot - day one

This time ten years ago:
Jarosław Gowin quits his post as justice minister

This time 14 years ago:
The cycle-to-work season starts