A heavy dump of snow on New Year's Eve paralysed communications across Poland; the railway line to Warsaw suffered badly. The record delay was suffered by the Kormoran InterCity train from Kraków to Olsztyn... I saw it standing in Chynów station, doors open, passengers out on the snowy platform for an illicit smoke. The Kormoran left Kraków at 13:38, everything going well until it got beyond Warka. At Chynów, the train was halted because of some major issue at Czachówek (frozen points? Power lines? Don't know. Nobody knew).
Below: two trains at Chynów going nowhere. Massive disruption up and down the line. I peeked in through the windows of the InterCity train... Lots of party people on their way to Warsaw, dressed up in their finery. The bar wagon was crammed with standing passengers, some necking bottles of Łomża beer. Outside, the conductors of both trains paced the platform, one hand on their walkie-talkie, the other on their mobile phone. It appears that nobody knows anything...
After a long delay, the express train was allowed to proceed, though at little more than walking pace. It reached Piaseczno two and half hours behind schedule. And there, the poor Kormoran finally threw in the hat. Kaput. A rescue locomotive had to be sent from Warsaw for it, while passengers were boarded onto a Koleje Mazowieckie train to town, and in Warsaw they were assigned a replacement train. This consisted of a locomotive and eight carriages – but unlike the Kormoran, it did not have a restaurant wagon or bar facilities. Passengers finally arrived at Olsztyn Główny station at twenty past midnight – over four hours late. Today, the returning Kormoran was likewise hit by woe. At Nidzica, 58km south of Olsztyn, the overhead electric cables were severed by a fallen tree, snapped by the weight of snow. The train had to be hauled all the way back to Olsztyn, where passengers were boarded onto replacement buses. So – not a good start to 2026 for those travelling across Poland.
The first proper snow since 24 November, and the country was unprepared for it. Here in Jakubowizna, about five inches (12cm) of snow has covered the ground. With the cats out, I had the ideal opportunity to see how far they range. The answer is – not far at all! They tend to troop around my garden, and into the forest next door, and, judging by the sets of paw-prints, not much further.
Below: a rare view of the west side of my house, taken from the drive leading to my next-door neighbours' houses. I followed Wenusia's paw-prints here; she is a frequent visitor around these parts.
Below: the gorgeous Céleste, bounding through the snow. She is in her element, more so than her brothers, her long hair is an adaptation for life in sub-Arctic conditions.
The snow is likely to stay for a while, as the forecast is a high of +2°C tomorrow followed by a week of sub-zero temperatures.
This time last year:
Poland's Progress
This time two years ago
Time, memory and consciousness
This time three years ago:
Hottest New Year's Day in Warsaw ever
"Communication/this is the gift you must not lose"
This time five years ago:
Wealth and inequality – an introduction
This time seven years ago:
Gratitude for a peaceful 2018
This time nine years ago:
Fighting laziness – the perennial resolution
This time eight years ago:
A Year of Round Anniversaries
This time ten years ago:
Walking on frozen water
This time 11 years ago:
Fireworks herald 2015 in Jeziorki
This time 12 years ago
Jeziorki welcomes 2014
This time 13 years ago:
LOT's second Dreamliner over Jeziorki
This time 14 years ago:
New Year's coal train
This time 17 years ago:
Welcome to 2009!
This time 18 years ago:
Happy 2008!
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