Workation

The word above has been underlined by the review tool as incorrect. The blend of work and vacation has emerged relatively recently, with remote working becoming increasingly popular. And until recently I had not been fond of combining travelling for pleasure without taking days off, as I believed if I venture somewhere, I should make the most of the sites I visit and not taint them with workplace-related stress and rush.

My approach changed after I hit it off, romantically, with my girlfriend who has her second flat (inherited after her grandparents) in Wisła.

The second trip to the resort was longer – we set off on Saturday, 15 October, early in the morning and returned on Sunday, 23 October in the evening. Thus we enjoyed almost 2 weekends there, plus we both took a day of on Tuesday 18 October, to make use of the spell of the Indian summer.

Weather-wise, the timing was perfect. On both weekends temperatures topped at more than +15C (though not always with sunshine) and at the beginning of the working week afternoon highs were close to +20C.

To the right – a snap from Transbeskidzki Szlak Konny, somewhere between Leśnica and Wisła Malinka. Note on higher altitudes trees had shed leaves and the path might be slippery.

On Monday afternoon we took an afternoon break from work and cycled into Dolina Białej Wisełki, close to the spot where Czarna Wisełka and Biała Wisełka converge ahead of a dam. The photo was taken around one hour before the sunset, with sunrays marvellously illuminating the landscape.

On Tuesday, in full sunshine, we wandered from Żabnica, through Hala Borawska, Hala Lipowska, Rysianka and Romanka, back to Żabnica – we covered 19 kilometres on foot and scaled the elevation gain of 878 metres. With excellent visibility, one could see summits of Tatry, including the highest peak – Gerlach.

The highest mountain we climbed was Romanka, 1,366 metres above sea level. From the top of it, one could discern the city of Żywiec in the distance. By the way – can anyone advise how to get rid of that blot from the eye of my camera?

Another before-sunset view, from the peak of Ochodzita, overlooking Koniaków, one of those villages in Beskid Śląski where more than three-fourth of residents vote for the ruling party…

On Saturday before the departure we ventured to Cieszyn. The town, called also the Polish Vienna has some impressive sights, with Cieszyńska Wenecja (the Venice of Cieszyn) being the most popular one, whose existence I discovered… during the last weekend.

Cieszyn has a proper mountain hill from which a panorama of the Czech part of the town can be observed. We crossed the border, sensed two cultures intermingling, bringing back memories the early days of the pandemic, when border between Poland and the Czech Republic was closed.

On the last day in the morning we took a bicycle ride of nearly 20 kilometres across rural areas. With the proper optical zoom I would take a pic of the wildlife approaching human dwellings, a sight rather uncommon in the capital.

Looking forward to the next trip there, probably after Christmas.

The warfare at the tipping point?

Those who still keep track of the invasion onto the territory of Poland’s eastern neighbour might realise today is the 228^th day of the war. Most people are sick of it, or indifferent to it. The cruelty of the invaders is no lesser than in the first weeks, but humans sadly have got accustomed to it.

The good news is that the Ukrainian army, aided by the civilised world, is successful in its counteroffensive in the occupied territories, running rings around the feckless Russian regiments. The news are reassuring, yet the better the Ukrainians fare, the more wrathful the unpredictable tyrant is. I feared the date of his 70^th birthday (the day before yesterday), as Putin could have wanted to displayed his might (or actually weakness) to the world. Fortunately, he did not, but the threat of using nuclear weapons, or resorting to some form of targeted nuclear incident still looms imaginable.

Looking back at the history, both Napoleon and Hitler were defeated by Russians during harsh winters. I believe the cold season will be used by the Russian dictator this year as well, not just to blackmail western Europe, still partly dependent on supplies of natural gas, but also to provoke a humanitarian disaster in Ukraine. If large swathes of the country are deprived of energy inputs, Poland will be facing another wave of refugees, even bigger than the one witnessed in the early phase of the warfare.

I keep my fingers crossed for free Ukraine in a pre-2014 territorial shape and hope the price to pay for Ukrainians victory will not be steep.

Off to my girlfriend’s second home in Wisła for two weekends and a working week, so I will catch up with photos of the autumnal mountain areas during the last weekend of October.

Pandemic diary – September 2022

Saturday, 3 September 2022
The 7-day average number of new infections in Poland declines below 3,000. It has been above that level for 32 days. This year the pandemic retreats in September.

Monday, 5 September 2022
The decline in the number of cases in Poland has not lasted low. The 7-day average bottoms out at 2,881.

Wednesday, 7 September 2022
And soon the 7-day average inclines back above 3,000 cases. Is the autumn so much in the air?

Wednesday, 14 September 2022
A week later, the 7-day average hits more than 4,000 cases and is bound to climb even higher (I am still referring to my homeland).

Thursday, 15 September 2022
All of the sudden the ministry of health announces the second booster, adjusted to Omicron variants, will be available to all 12+ triple-vaccinated Poles.

Friday, 16 September 2022
Instead of signing up for the second booster, I test myself at home for the second time this week. The result is negative again, so either I have caught a cold for the first time since more than 4 years or again, or the symptoms are the severe manifestation of allergy to my girlfriend’s dog.

Monday, 19 September 2022
New infections top out in Poland quickly, at 4,590.

Tuesday, 27 September 2022
The 7-day average number of new infections in Poland declines below 4,000. Seems the number of registered infections has settled in a sideways trend.