Krynica Zdrój in November

Back from the longest holidays in 2024. The initial plan was to fly to the US west coast, then an idea to venture somewhere to the Mediterranean region was on the table, but was abandoned, due to long journey duration. Eventually, we ended up driving to a resort in southern Poland for a few days.

The was my first holidaying in November. Unlike most people who take days off in the bleakest month of the year, I did not head for an exotic, warm destination, but stayed in cool Poland (November 2024 might be the first month in the current year with mean temperature below long-term average).

Before we set off to Krynica-Zdrój, we popped over to Wisła to drop off the dog to my girlfriend’s parents. We stayed there for the long weekend, to avert sky-high accommo- dation prices and turned out to be lucky to enjoy full sunshine, unlike nearly the rest of Poland. On 10 November, exactly two months after the worst moment of my ailments, I took the dog, the trekking sticks and climbed a mountain for the first time since the malady hit me. My walk to the picturesque hill of Cienków involved a five-kilometre hike (there and back) with elevation gain of 250 metres. The descent was worse than the ascent, as somehow I did not lose my fitness, but the steep path in a mud, with a dog hauling me was a bit of nasty.

The very town of Krynica-Zdrój loses some of its charm in November, but with no crowds in place, one can take delight in beauty of building erected on the side of the main precinct, dating back to Austro-Hungarian realm, especially shyly lit by autumnal sun.

The monument commemorates the most famous artist to ever reside in Krynica Zdrój. Nikifor, a local primitivist artist, whose talent was accidentally discovered and spread worldwide. His painting skills compensating him for shortcomings in other areas – he was said to be retarded enough to require a legal guardian.

The areas surrounding the town are full of viewing platforms. The closest one, located in Słotwiny Park gives a chance to relish on splendid views of Jaworzyna Krynicka (here, shrouded in a tiny layer of snow) or the town seen from above.

Looking at the valley where the centre of Krynica-Zdrój is located, a blend of manifold architecture styles is eye-popping. Lack of order in that respect remains the plague in several Polish towns and cities. Partly it is a testimony of communist days, when obnoxious hotels and blocks of flats were built among old residences, the rest of monstrous edifices are put down to profit-chasing capitalism.

We stayed in a five-star hotel, one of two or three in Krynica-Zdrój. I will not mention its name. I would stay overnight in such places during business trips, but this was the first time I paid my own (reasonable thanks to low season) money for such accommodation. The choice was dictated by amenities in the hotel – a large swimming pool, a sauna and a gym, whose daily usage of which was supposed to speed up my recovery. The standard is closer to luxury than to comfort and the surfeit was not something which has taken my fancy. Politeness of the staff verging on servility does not boost my ego. Plenty of food served for breakfast for few occupants must have gone to waste. Daily unwanted change of towels (we hung them instead of throwing to the floor) and room cleaning was a waste of resources to me too. Keep in mind the term “greenwashing” comes from the hotel industry.

During the holidays I have put some strain on my spine (doing sports every day, three other hiking trips). This has clamped down on the progress of my recovery, but should somewhat accelerate it in the coming weeks, unless I spend too much time sitting.

A tram to Wilanów

I took a photo coverage of tramway to Miasteczko Wilanów under construction once, in September 2023. The urban rail link to a housing estate built from scratch in the twenty-first century, being a symbol of new-rich self-styled elite and the biggest cluster of anti-PiS voters in Poland, has been one of the flagship investments in transport infrastructure in the capital of Poland.

The two years when it was under construction were a major ordeal for everyone living along it. It had been scheduled to be opened at the beginning of September 2024, yet after a customary delay, tram services were launched without ribbon-cutting on 29 October 2024.

Given the workload, the necessity to spend times of exercising to recover, the short day and other excuses, I had no opportunity to spot the tram in Wilanów, hence no snaps with time.

Wilanów is now connected to central Warsaw with two tram lines, numbered 14 an 16. The latter connects the district with Metro Świętokrzyska, one underground station away from where my office is located. To reach the office at 8:30 a.m., I need to leave home at 7:47 a.m. If I lived in a distance of a five-minute walk to a middle stop in Wilanów, i.e. Świątynia Opatrzności Bożej and if I gave myself a two-minute headroom for reaching the tram stop, I would need to leave home approximately at 7:40 a.m. This means the commute is just less horrible than it used to be.

Lack of decent transport links is one of many reasons I have never been fond of Wilanów and haver never considered taking up residency there. Back in 2012 one could easily buy a brand-new unfinished flat from a property developer for below PLN 7,000 per sqm, while Ursynów was 10% more expensive. Today Ursynów is some 10% cheaper than the neighbouring district.

While a tram remains superior to a bus, given the current infrastructure, it is by no means a truly fast alternative, unless there is no bus lane. Its movement is hampered by numerous traffic lights, albeit it should be given priority over passenger cars. Besides, stops are scattered quite densely (which is not a drawback in general terms); consequently speed of a tram journey drops well below 20 kmph.

Despite some complaints above, I appreciate the new tram route and hope it cuts down on the traffic congestion and air pollution in the capital.

Off for some belated holidays in the Polish mountains over the next two weekends, hence the next post due on 24 November. Will I kick off writing a regular winter timeline by then?