Same as it ever was

Ul. Nowoursynowska, a sunny Sunday afternoon in late summer. Five Dominican friars, out for a stroll in the vicinity of their Abbey. The sight of five young men in flowing white robes looks most incongruous against the background of the newly-finished thoroughfare, now widened to four lanes with cycle path, and the modern housing.

Past posts from the Abbey here, here and here.

May the monks remain here for centuries to come.

This time last year:
Late summer moods, Jeziorki

This time two years ago:
The next one hundred years

This time three years ago:
"What do we want? Early retirement!
When do we want it? NOW!"

This time four years ago:
Twilight of Warsaw's greenhouse economy

Last bike ride to work this summer

But the bike will not remain garaged. Tomorrow, shortly before midnight, it will be the autumnal equinox and once again the balance between light and dark northern hemisphere will once more shift towards the dark side, with more nighttime than day. In three months time, we'll be down to just over seven and half hours of daylight a day in Warsaw.

So when the sun shines, it behoves us to make the most of it, gather in those mood-lifting rays and enjoy the warmth. Today, I tried a new way into town by bike. From the race course at Służewiec, rather than use the bicycle path along Dolina Służewiecka, I follow the route of the canal. The track runs through some muddy puddles but is basically fine, and a pleasant alternative to riding alongside the busy road.

Above: blocks of flats to the left, a crane on the horizon suggests that more blocks will shortly appear. The canal here is actually a drainage ditch for the airport, channelling rainwater from the flat plains of Okęcie towards the Vistula.

Cycling through the spirit of place

A bright morning, heavy showers in the afternoon, a bright evening. A day ideally suited for a return trip to the office by bike.

There are places along my regular route to work that spark that involuntary moment of anomalous familiarity, when I catch myself in another memory, triggered by the urban landscape I ride through. Left: the stretch of ul. Puławska between Idzikowskiego and the Królikarnia. Those blocks of flats, separated from the road by greenery. Not their architecture in itself, more the alignment.

Incidentally, the 1.8km of cycle path along Puławska between Domaniewska and Dolna is ideal. A shame it's so short.

Above: ul. Belwederska, opposite the Russian Embassy looking down ul. Lądowa. Another beautiful stretch of cycle path - this one much longer (Pl. Trzech Krzyży all the way out to Powsin). But bombing along this particular part of it - down the skarpa is made more satisfying by the configuration of road, trees and buildings.

Further out of the city centre, turn off ul. Sobieskiego and head west towards Ursynów along the Dolina Służewska. The silver birches lining the road and the road itself have triggered that strange yet entirely familiar feeling of 'I've been here before and yet I haven't' for as long I've lived in Warsaw.

Above: Looking north-westward towards a setting sun shining through the trees. Below:turn back towards Ursynów. Rush hour traffic still looking heavy. Cycling along safe cycle paths is the way to go. On a day like today, even after cycling all the way in to the office and a long working day, I still elect to cycle all the way back home. Well, it makes eminent sense...

All Souls' Day, Sluzew nad Dolinka

Eddie's scout troup was tasked with selling votive candles outside St Catherine's church in Sluzew. On the way, I caught this sunset (below) in the wing mirror while waiting at the lights. Over the four-day All Saints' festival period the roads are choked with cemetary visiting families.

The churchyard of St. Catherine's was used to bury Home Army soldiers murdered while in custody by the communist security apparatus between 1945 and 1956. Below: the memorial to those soldiers, ablaze with votive candles.

I came home, played Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony and wept.