The place where I belong, episode 2025, vol. 2

Making up for the July trip thus keeping my promise to deliver some missing photos of one of the most adorable cycling trip destinations in the vicinity.

All snaps dated 22 August 2025. The late Friday afternoon was cooler than usual at this time of year and lacked sunshine, which took the gloss off the scenery.

An hour or so before sunset, the path running parallel to the Natolin nature reservoir’s eastern fence was already plunging into darkness. With trees and shrubs on its both sides not pruned, the place seemed creepy.

As one approaches the spot where the path turns west towards Kabaty, one can stare at the fields and meadows of southern Wilanów. Far in the distance are the developments of Powsin.

Not much closer to Kabaty one can come across this allotment, nearly in the middle of nowhere, yet with electricity connection, water from a well, not reachable by motor vehicles. I wonder if its users (it definitely is not forsaken) have a legal title for it. As I take the picture, a CCTV camera keeps an eye on.

Heading towards Kabaty, I pass by a cabbage field, no idea if reachable by a tractor. Sunflowers from a nearby field are gone. In the distance - fenced off Natolin nature reservoir. Trespassing strictly forbidden.

Neo Natolin is an estate of fancy detached houses. Construction started in early 2023, so first dwellers have already moved in. Asking prices in late 2022 ranged from PLN 2.3 million to I don't remember how much, meaning a fully furnished house involved an expense of at least PLN 3 million. I wonder who had hatched the idea of putting up a billboard advertising the estate in the middle of nowhere.

Are we at the back of beyond in provincial Poland? Nope. We are in rural Wilanów, one mile from Metro Kabaty. The outpost has been closed for a while, but looks like a typical rural grocery shop. Only a bench for local drunk addicts was missing.

Clouds roll by as I am back in Ursynów, near entrance to Warsaw underground depot. Yellow leaves on trees are not a pure signal of imminent autumn, but indicate a drought. Trees devoid of water offload a burden, shedding leaves. Note a disparity in size of a 25-year-old Renault Clio and an ugly SUV, both basically serving the same purpose of moving around.

The place where I belong, episode 2025, vol. 1

Weather this July has been merciful so far. Except for minor incidences of heat and abundant rainfalls at times, summer over the most of the month was conducive to staying outdoors. Night-time lows just above +15C, afternoon highs close to +25C, brisk mornings and evenings are the summer weather I adore. In such circumstances outdoor beckons. Such was the case on Thursday, when I decided to get over a brain-wrenching working day by cycling around the neighbourhood.

I was lucky to pass through several green lights while crossing intersections and was first forced to halt where al. KEN and ul. Indiry Gandhi meet. The building of Multikino has been demolished a few months ago, yet I’m still missing it. The only cinema in the district, a remarkable landmark of Ursynów is gone, along with Adana Kebab eatery, which was a meet-up venue for local Szlachetna Paczka volunteers for years.

Few people know east of ul. Nowoursy- nowska and south of SGGW campus one can find an experimental estate of detached and semi-detached houses built shortly after WW2 for the university’s staff. Shrouded in greenery, look most splendidly when spring blossoms. Sadly, outside most houses inhabitants were outdoors, working in gardens, or just sitting and taking delight in a lovely evening, hence I did not snap them. I will make up one day.

Having cycled down ul. Orszady, I pass the most luxurious residential estate in Warsaw, on the edge of Wilanów. Prices of last available houses are not disclosed (until 10 September 2025, thereafter a full disclosure of property prices will be proscribed by law), but the Internet tells they range from PLN 3.2 million to PLN 6.5 million. I can afford to park my bike outside the gate.

Some time later, having ridden up ul. Pałacowa, I reach the back gate of the Natolin palace park, an area closed off for ordinary visitors since decades. If one day I book a trip to the palace and surrounding gardens and photographing will not be prohibited, I will come up with a proper coverage.

Then came my favourite section, a path along the Skarpa Kabacka nature reservoir. Instead of taking multiple photos and picking the best snaps, I wanted to take one, yet superb. Consequently, I have not taken a single photo by the time I reached the escarpment (a lousy snap to the right). This means another such trip on the same route will be due in August and its documentation published here.

Make the most of the summer before it’s gone or before the unbearable heat comes over, which fortunately is unlikely over the next two weeks.

Ogrody SGGW

Early in April, the Warsaw University of Life Sciences informed of opening its green areas to visitors. Hoping that some nice recreational premises, akin to locked-up Natolin palace gardens, are finally available for wider audience, I ventured there on Good Saturday.

First piece of advice – if after reading this review you still decide to pop over there, do not try to get there by car. Apart from environment-related reasons, there is nowhere to park in the vicinity of the venue. I cycled there. To the right – approach the provost’s office – one of landmark edifice of SGGW campus.

Entrance to the recently opened gardens is just behind the building, through a narrow gate hidden between shrubs. One you walk past this and stroll down the marble stairway, to will behold the entire greenery area. A sort of tiny – isn’t it?

Once fully inside, you can take a trip of our lifetime, which will be a 200-metre amble around a dirty pond. No colourful flowers to behold, no birds singing, no other attractions. The place is shrouded in greenery and barely touched by humans and that’s it.

Having left the area quite quickly I cycled down the Warsaw escarpment to Wilanów and turned right into ul. Rzodkiewki, for the first time in my life I put my feet into that area and do not regret.

Having sneaking through posh part of Wilanów and having crossed ul. Pałacowa which runs towards the back entrance to the afore- mentioned Natolin palace I rode through empty fields. Still within boundaries of Warsaw, yet it felt like 20 kilometres from the capital in a rural back of beyond.

Heading home, I reach the northern end of ul. Gąsek, which is one of several spot in Ursynów where time seems to have come to a standstill some time ago. In a distance, a man, probably in his 70’s, walking briskly towards Powsin.

I am certainly in favour of keeping recreational areas open to everyone, yet boasting of it and making a grand ribbon-cutting opening was a bit over top in this particular case.

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?

A tram to Wilanów

Railway public transport, given all circumstances, is a future of modern cities. Warsaw finishes construction of its second underground line, but in the recent quarters focused much on developing a network of overground rail connections. One of such links is the tram track running to the posh district of Wilanów.

Frankly speaking, I have never understood why the location was so desirable among the capital’s middle class. The estate is reasonably good-looking, however buildings are too close to one another and the commute to the city centre, regardless of means of transport used, takes currently around an hour. For a comparison, a door-to-door journey to Rondo Dmowskiego from my dwelling takes some 35 minutes.

Nevertheless, the classy housing estate occupies swathes of land which 30 years ago were endless meadows. Needless to say infrastructure lagged behind residential developments. The city authorities for years had promised a tram connection and a few quarters ago the plans began turning into reality.

On 11 September, having knocked off relatively early (i.e. not doing overtime) I jumped on my bike and cycled to the neighbouring district to inspect the progress of work. As I was leaving home, temperature was still above +25C. More on the remarkable September heat next week.

Ursynów has great cycling infrastructure, so without having to use a pavement nor a road, I reach the intersection of al. Rzecz-pospolitej and ul. Branickiego. Preparatory works have begun here, but I see no track of a future terminues, which most likely will be located next to Medicover hospital at the southern end of al. Rzeczpospolitej.

For the period of construction, al. Rzecz-pospolitej has lost the status of a dual carriageway and has been narrowed to one lane in each direction. One can make out tram tracks will run between the southbound and the northbound road.

Somewhat closer to al. Wilanowska, there are sections where tracks have been already laid. Note the façade of a typical residential building, with shops on ground level. Currently, Wilanów is virtually self-sufficient, with facilities meeting needs of the upper-middle class located next to the district’s throughfares.

I pass the dug-up intersection of al. Wilanowska and ul. Sobieskiego, glad I do not have to cross this area regularly. Ul. Sobieskiego, once having three lanes in each direction, then two regular lanes and a bus lane, currently has only one lane per direction. Oddly enough during late rush hour on a school day the traffic jams were not heavy, while traffic on a cycling path running parallel to the street was quite dense.

Approaching ul. Bonifacego in Stegny, I realise the progress of works is very uneven and wonder what is behind the difference in pace of construction on different sections. Note a family in front of me – good to see parents teach children to move in a healthy and environment-friendly manner.

The last shot taken from the intersection of ul. Sobieskiego and ul. Bonifacego. Staring at the skyline of Warsaw’s skyscrapers and a pedestrian footpath above ul. Sobieskiego. Warsaw slowly gives up on them and on underground passages, as convenience of motorists is no longer a priority. The elderly, disabled, parents with prams – they should soon have the obstacles in moving around removed altogether.

POW - early 2020 update

Eight months after the recent major photo round-up and nearly three months after posting most recent snaps, time to spend most of a short, a yet bright day to catch up with progress of works on POW construction site west of Vistula.

The weather looked out perfect as seen from a warm interior. In fact, temperature today creeped barely above zero, while outside, unless you took shelter from the chilly wind, it felt like almost -10C. Fortunately, I have not decided to put up for sale my thermal long johns and vest, purchased before the trip beyond the polar circle and today they proved useful, albeit I felt kind of overheated when marching briskly through areas shielded from wind and lit by sunrays.

The morning part of the trip commenced around 10 a.m., after I returned from the swimming pool. Having donned the thermal underwear (and regular outerwear) I jumped into 504 bus, rode 3 stops, alit it and rambled towards the southern end of ul. Indiry Gandhi. At the corner of ul. Pileckiego and ul. Indiry Gandhi I passed what 2 weeks ago had most probably been a Christmas-tree stall. Today the sellers were long gone, unsold trees remained. I wondered whether they had been chopped down legally. Felt sorry for the trees, unlike plastic substitutes, they would not decompose after 400 years, yet each year too few Xmas trees are sold in pots and then replanted.

Having mused about trees, I reached the spot were a new intersection of ul. Indiry Gandhi and ul. Płaskowieckiej should be built. The construction crews so far were focusing on re-laying underground installations. Without the intersection, junction Ursynów Zachód will be rendered useless.

I crossed ul. Płaskowickiej and scrambled up an earth mound in the shrubs. The viaduct in the distance on the afore-mentioned junction will carry eastbound traffic onto Ursynów and should bring relief to ever-clogged ul. Puławska. I had decided not to drive several kilometres to capture the sight of S2 roads slipping into the tunnels from the current end of the road. Not worth burning so much fuel for one photo.

Ul. Płaskowickiej will need to be broadened ahead of the link with the expressway; works on it have commenced, for no apparent reason bringing the westbound lanes close to windows of blocks built here in 2006-2007 when plans of the POW had been publicly available. No need to feel regret for dwellers.

I turned around and snapped the pavement and the cycling path along ul. Płaskowickiej behind the construction site fence. These are first elements of the pre-construction landscape restored. Although the very road is to be opened in late 2021, system of roads in Ursynów is to be back in pre-construction shape in August 2020.

The photo to the right has been taken from a pavement by ul. Pileckiego, south of ul. Płaskowickiej. One can spot the southern lanes of ul. Płaskowickiej (turned into a single carriageway 2 years ago) and original ul. Pileckiego rebuilt. The land above the POW tunnel is to be developed into a park, with lots of greenery and amenities to locals.

East of ul. Stryjeńskich there was little to boast about, at least above the ground. Nevertheless, I could not resist to snap the construction site fence next to intersection of ul. Płaskowickiej and al. KEN. It instantly brought to mind… the Berlin wall. Ursynów indeed has been divided by that construction for a while and once it is finished I will need to get accustomed to Ursynów not blotted by metal fences, mud and building machinery.

Ursynów Wschód junction, as observed from the top of the Warsaw escarpment is not an easy object to be photographed. Still I couldn’t make out where the roads carrying the traffic east from Ursynów would run. Progress since mid-October also hard to be estimated. The last morning snap, time to walk off to a bus stop by ul. Rosoła, hop on 179 bus which zigzags through Ursynów and return home.

After a lunch and a moment of rest, time to inspect developments in Wilanów. Przyczółkowa junction seems quite advanced. Yellow footbridge still lacks balustrades. Red viaducts in the distance carry two three-land roads over ul. Przyczółkowa. Konstancin-bound traffic already on target lanes, drivers heading north still need to slow down on temporary detour.

A quirky shot, taken as I was standing on cycling path running parallel to ul. Przyczółkowa, looking west at the slip road towards Ursynów, Łódź, Poznań, Berlin, Lisbon… Tarmac has not been laid, progress of works on the viaducts unknown…

Then on to ul. Wał Zawadowski. Had cycled here several times, today I first ventured there by car and felt like an intruder (despite having not violated any rules). The bridge is also not an easy object for the camera…

The pictures do not show progress on northern bridge is lower than on the southern one, whose construction had commenced earlier. Some time ago the delay on that section was said to be the longest. Today I can bet the entire Southern Bypass of Warsaw is opened in 4Q2021 and I am quite optimistic due to forecasts of mild winter continuing in January and February 2020.

Later I drove to see the viaduct on ul. Syta. One of drawbacks of taking such trips by car is a difficulty in finding a place to park the vehicle. The photo was taken through an opened window, while I stopped and turned the emergency light on. In the distance, the bridge(s) over Vistula.

The last pic, taken in the same location, half an hour before the sunset Looking west towards Ursynów, future roads clearly visible. The very viaduct seems nearly completed. I wonder whether it shares the fate of its peer on ul. Poloneza which infuriated local residents for months between actual completion and opening for traffic.

The progress is anyway best illustrated on films shot by drones, which can be found in the relevant thread of Skyscrapercity forum.

POW - photo update

Wednesday, 1 May was the only day of the long beginning-of-May weekend with relatively clement weather (sunny, up to +18C), so instead of lazing away in the afternoon, I took the bike out of the basement (an underground parking lot and a storage room I believe are the concomitant essentials of a comfortable dwelling) and jumped on it, to inspect the progress of works on the Southern Bypass of Warsaw construction site.

Firstly I set off to the western end of the building terrain, however not from the usual spot from which the site is observable (i.e. not from ul. Płaskowickiej) but from the north-west corner of Las Kabacki. The fence separating the construction are is relatively far from the tunnel inlet, so I could snap little, but believe me or not, works out there were going on. Interestingly, works on Ursynów Zachód junction have not commenced.

Further east, ul. Pileckiego and ul. Stryjeńskich have had their bypasses (po polsku bajpas) tarmacked over, yet traffic is due to be diverted there on 10 May. The purpose of changing routes is to dig the tunnel beneath those streets which have been opened to traffic so far. Drivers will need to learn how to tackle asymmetrical intersections with traffic lights. I foresee traffic paralysis and several prangs over the next weekend.

Narrow ul. Płaskowickiej is definitely not a good place for cyclists, so I move east through Osiedle Wyżyny to finally find the bike traffic playground built last year. The purpose of the facility is to teach children basic traffic rules. Given irresponsibility of those who do not need to come by any document to become traffic participants, I commend the idea. Based on my observations, parents, sadly, fail to instil in their offspring the rules of prudent cycling.

Another snap, taken peeking through a hole in the fence running along ul. Stryjeńskich, looking east. The tunnel section is built by the Polish subsidiary of Astaldi as a leader. Despite financial hardships of the parent company, the builders have not abandoned this very construction site. Apparently, the technically complex contract is profitable enough to keep it going (hope they carry on until the completion).

I stray away for a few minutes from my route to visit one of more famous building in Ursynów. Who will guess (or rather who knows) what this inconspicuous block of flats is renowned for?

Pedalling through Ursynów, I spot very few cyclists and pedestrians outside. Sadly, those who I meet on my way cycle recklessly, shout their mouths out and swear… Here, on the verge of the escarpment I see the route of the roads as they slip out of the tunnel. I sincerely doubt the expressway will be opened in August 2020…

Another view of the Wilanów section of the bypass, snapped from a guarded housing estate whose premises I have trespassed on. In the distance one can see developments of Ursynów and… a viaduct. Besides, the black spot in the eye of my camera persists (more visible when I use optical zoom).

Another picture, from the same place. I wonder whether bright sparks who have purchased not inexpensive pieces of residential housing out there had checked the zoning plans or they had just shrugged off proximity of the six-lane fast-traffic road. Sound barriers, even if put up, will help little and living here will become a nightmare. Price of flats here have little upward potential, I’m afraid…

Further east, I cross ul. Przyczółkowa. Here the progress of works is more visible, as viaducts have been erected. Though the junction is far from being completed, its general layout is already visible. Traffic arrangement these days is far superior to how it was a year ago, when a windy stretch of ul. Przyczółkowa was a hindrance to motorists.

My destination, Wał Zawadowski, less than half a mile from Vistula. Here works are quite advanced. All spans are in place, now the elements which would carry the viaduct over Vistula are slowly being laid. Again, no matter how merciful the weather in coming winter is, I cannot see the bypass passable in late summer next year.

On my way back, I no longer follow the POW, I rather take a detour south of it. The road, no curbs, no pavements, flat landscape, sun shining in my face, yet I am within the borders of Warsaw, in Powsin. In the open air, the wind gets gusty and takes the gloss off cycling. This was my first longer than 15 kilometres ride this season and I felt it in my bones. Note the wing mirror assembled to my bike's handlebar - my recent purchase to increase the safety - while cycling on public roads I missed the sight of traffic behind me.

Unfortunately, weather forecasts say the first two decades of May are to bring rainy weather with below-average temperatures. Currently Poland is plagued by drought, if the tide turns, we may see the same weather pattern as in May 2010 repeated…