Whenever I
travelled in business, my destinations were always larger or smaller cities,
but until last week I had never had to take a trip to the back of beyond. The
destination will not be precisely divulged for obvious reasons, I can only
reveal it was somewhere in Wielkopolska province.
The very
idea that the New Factory has its own training centre (purchased back in early
1990s when the whole site was a dilapidated remnant of state-owned farm) makes
a good alternative to paying for hotel / conference centre to hold in-house
trainings, however if most attendants have to get to the remote facility from
Warsaw, logistics becomes a nuisance, since you can get there directly virtually
only by car which means if you don’t have a car, you need to rely on someone
else’s lift or change means of transport several times.
The upside
of the trip was the weather – although quite chilly and frosty at dawn, it
still could be classified as clement – clear blue skies from dawn to dusk lift
spirits at this time of year even in the absence of warmth. To the right – the
only photo I will share which should not let anyone recognise the place (is the
back of beyond easy to recognise?) – Wednesday, 7:42 a.m., a short stroll
through the countryside just before a quick breakfast. Temperature of some –2C,
frosty mists are lingering over undulating land (the anything, but plain
landscape was a kind of astounding for me in that part of Poland), first rays
of sun turn the hoar frost into dew, autumnal riot of colours pleases the eye
of few beholders. Sight hard to be caught in Warsaw.
Now some
little grumbling – I cannot say I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The workshops
were fairly intensive. On the first day we set off at 10 a.m. and, with two
breaks for lunch and dinner, finished at 9:30 p.m. Having woken up at 4:30 a.m.
to drive to Warsaw and pick up three other participants I was prostrating in
the evening. On the second day workshops kicked off at 8:30 a.m. and finished
at 3:30 p.m. (with a half-an-hour lunch break). And the journey to Warsaw,
three and a half hours spent behind the wheel, was ahead…
The trip
has made me realise why it is wise to travel in business around the country by
train. I used to think people choose to go by train because they can work in
the meantime, instead of focusing on driving. The other reason I had in mind
was that whenever your destination is in a centre of a town, you just quickly
reach a train station, jump into a train and are on your way home. The recent
trip added the argument when you are tired-out, it is no fun to drive 350
kilometres and take responsibility not only for yourself, but also for your
passengers and other road users, all innocent human beings. Back in Warsaw,
where traffic despite late rush hour was still dense I had to be damn careful
making manoeuvres, mindful of my impaired judgement of situations of the road.
I drove safely back home, but the very end of the journey has made be break
sweat out of stress – something which has not happened to me behind the wheel
since some three years.
The trips
to the back of beyond will likely repeat so I will have to either get used to
it, or desperately try to cadge a lift (too many folks do this). Getting there
for a training / workshop kicking off in late morning would require me to get
to Warsaw Central Railway Station, then take the service to Poznan (which is
fast and reliable so up that point I do not mind it), then change for a service
to a district now nearest to the back of beyond (they run every 30 – 40 minutes
and the journey lasts around an hour), from there can I take either a taxi or a
PKS bus. I would need to collect receipts or invoices for all services and then
submit them to get the reimbursement. With a personal car the journey is
door-to-door, does not involve waiting for trains and getting reimbursement
takes a single slip of paper entitling to a payout covering cost of petrol and
motorway tolls with a decent surplus.
Alcohol and
speed are most often cited reasons of traffic accidents. But has anyone taken
the trouble to count how many people lose their lives or are severely injured
as a result of collisions caused by tired drivers? On this weekend when we
bring back memories of our departed ones, it is also a good moment to rethink
our habits behind the wheel, unless we want to join them too quickly.
2 comments:
Train service to Poznań is good; corporate policy should be to take staff off roads and put them onto trains, many times safer.
There are also several flights a day to Madrid, Spain. Parliament policy should take deputies off roads. Getting to the capital of Spain by car takes 26 hours of continuous driving, not to mention hundreds of litres of fuel burnt. Many times less room for abuse.
Post a Comment