Saturday 10 February 2024

Misty Day in Dobieszyn

On a whim I jumped on a southbound train from Chynów, buying a ticket on my phone to Dobieszyn. Seven stations down the line to Radom, where the orchards give way to dense forests, I alight. Looking out of the train, I can see that my intended walk, from Dobieszyn to the next station north – Strzyżyna –would not be practical, as much of the trackside land is waterlogged, the path sodden. So an exploration of Dobieszyn itself will be in order, my feet dry on decent pavement.

Dobieszyn (pop. 450, so around three times smaller than Chynów) is strung out along the DK50 (Droga Krajowa – national road – nr. 48, much the way Chynów was before the DK50 bypass was built. Less busy than the DK50 (Warsaw's de facto southern ring-road), the DK48 runs 200km east-west from Tomaszów Mazowiecki to Kock, north of Lublin.

Below: entering an built-up area. Double white lines (no overtaking) run through the entire length of Dobieszyn as it the road snakes through the village, and a 50km/h speed limit. And very little traffic, most of which is local.


I'm catching that old familiar vibe now...


Yes - I feel it, it passes, I stop, walk back a few paces - yes, there it is again...

Below: by complete coincidence, I snap what is the halfway mark of the DK48. I was drawn by the evergreen tree to the right, the road crossing the frame diagonally with the double-white lines and the house on the other side, molehills on the grass verge.

Below: heading back towards the station.

Below: wayside shrine, between Dobieszyn and its station.

Below: old railway buildings east of platform 1. Beyond, to the right, the modern power-supply and communication infrastructure.


Below: looking north along Platform 1. This track seems to be more used for express trains rushing through than for the local stopping services.


Below: trains stopping at Dobieszyn call at Platform 2, track 1 (southbound) and track 2 (northbound). This is unusual; I was waiting on Platform 1 until a station announcement made it clear that the Radom train (pictured) and the Warsaw train would both be arriving on the two tracks of Platform 2, within a minute of each other.


Below: on the way home, fields west of Gośniewice, photographed from the train.


These excursions by train open up new vistas for walking. Come the long summer days, I intend to explore the northern fringes of the Koleje Mazowieckie network, so join me for jaunts to Nasielsk and Ciechanów.

But first – Lent.

This time last year:
On-spectrum asks

This time two years ago:
Ego, Consciousness and the Ladder of Authority

This time three years ago:
Trains and snowy days


This time five years ago:
Getting over this year's flu

This time six years ago:
War and the absence of war

This time eight years ago:
Sensitivity to spiritual evolution

This time nine years ago:
75th anniversary of Stalin's deportations of Poles

This time ten years ago:
Peak Car (in western Europe at least)

This time 11 years ago:
Pavement for Karczunkowska NOW!
[To this day, the inadequates in ZDM have done squat-all]

This time 12 years ago:
Until the Vistula freezes over 

This time 13 years ago:
Of sunshine, birdsong and wet socks

This time 14 years ago:
Confusion on the rails

This time 15 years ago:
Road to Kraków

This time 16 years ago:
Happy birthday, Dziadzio Tadeusz

4 comments:

DC said...

Hi Michael, Please pardon the off-topic. I know you have been to both Zamość and Sandomierz. I have three nights in total to visit them. Which of the two would you pick to spend two nights? I mostly want to walk around outside and take in the sights, maybe hitting one or two museums or historic places.

Michael Dembinski said...

@DC

All depends when! Sandomierz is optimal in early autumn after the school holidays have ended. Catch the wineries tour; it's still sunny and warm, but without the crowds. Zamość is good at this time of year, it works without the sun (though that helps to create the Mediterranean atmosphere). Surrounding countryside - Zamość has the Roztocze hills, Sandomierz also has rewarding rural walks. Might be a coin flip!

DC said...

I'm going in April. Thanks for the tips.

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