Welcome!

I've just retired and now it's time to devote some life energy to other pursuits. One of those pursuits will be blogging my cycling adventures in Poland. For the time being, I am living in the Wilanów District of Warsaw, Poland, and plan to spend as much time as possible on my bike, which I have named Kościuszko. My first post will be an explanation for the name of my bicycle.

We (Kościuszko and I) will range as far and wide as my legs allow and I will pen some of my thoughts about the places we go as they relate to Polish history and culture. There will also be the cycling element, of course, if you're interested in the miles logged, elevation climbed, road and weather conditions, and other things that cyclists care about. If you'd like to read my thoughts and ask questions or make comments, I'd enjoy having you subscribe and follow along with Kościuszko and me!




Poland (current boundaries). Map source.




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The Vistula and the Gassy Ferry

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Warsaw is divided into 18 districts. We are living in Wilanów, which is a district in the south end of Warsaw, bordering on the left bank of the Vistula River (Wisła). From the map below you can see Wilanów in red and that the Vistula River bisects Warsaw flowing from southeast to northwest. It is from Wilanów that our first adventure begins. Districts of Warsaw, Wilanów in red. Source . By the time Kościuszko and I got organized and out the door it was already after 11:00 and the temperature was hovering near 32ºC (89ºF). It was very hot by my standards, but I was too excited to care. I met up with Stewart M., a former colleague, who is now working in Warsaw. Our initial plan was to explore the quieter country roads of southern Wilanów, but this plan only lasted all of 20 minutes before we refocused ourselves and decided to head for Gassy Ferry, a small ferry crossing some 4-5 km south of the Warsaw city limits. The initial road conditions were difficult. This was our (...
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Nic Dwa Razy (Never Twice): Return to Gassy Ferry

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It’s been cold and wet this last week, but that won’t keep us inside today. The temperature has warmed up a bit and the roads have largely dried out. On the flip side, there is heavy overcast and the winds are 15 mph, gusting to 20 mph out of the west-southwest (that's 24-32 kph). This is far from ideal, but we are determined to ride! The winds, however, are a concern. The original plan was to go to the southwest, but this choice would have put us in direct conflict with the wind, so we decided instead to head to Gassy Ferry. A west-southwest wind would be something we could actually work with for most of the trip. That was the plan anyway. Kościuszko, my wife, and I arrived in Poland on Wednesday, August 1st. It wasn’t but a couple of days before I turned on the TV to begin my Polish language training with news and cheesy late afternoon serials. I certainly wasn’t able to understand much, but one thing was evident: a famous Polish rock musician and TV celebrity had died on July ...
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Pożegnanie Polska, Część 2: Czerwony

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As I write this it is late afternoon on 1 September in Washington State. This date has been on my mind quite a bit of late, as it is the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland that began World War II in Europe. In Poland the event is referred to as  Wojna obronna 1939 roku (the Defensive War of 1939). It is not "celebrated" as a holiday, of course, but is remembered nonetheless. In 1997 the day was declared as  Dzień Weterana (Veterans Day), but it does not rank as a National holiday in the same way as 1 August ( Narodowy Dzień Pamięci Powstania Warszawskiego , National Warsaw Uprising Remembrance Day). I felt fortunate to be able to take Kościuszko out today. In honor of the sad occasion I wore my Polish cycling kit, which actually fit when I was in Poland, but now hangs rather loosely and, I might add, unstylishly on my frame. The weather today, here, was only a bit cooler than on that fateful day in Poland. Quite warm and dry, to be exact. I suspect that as German ...
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