Bus connections in Poland

There are a lot of bus connections in Poland - train won't take you anywhere. Because buses are operated by different companies, it's not so easy to plan a journey. So far it was not so easy even for me - usually I had to browse a lot of web pages (in Polish) and make some phone calls to find a connection.
Finally portal e-podroznik introduced a search engine, that allows to find a connection from one place to another, even in case when you have to change a bus and bus operator. What's also important it has also user interface in English. I hope i will be helpful. The timetable covers connections operated by differend branches of PKS (our national operator) and some independent local operators.

rozkład jazdy PKS i BUSY delivered by e-podroznik.pl

Somewhere in Poland - My Favourite Bridge

My favorite bridge is in Tykocin. It's over the Narew River. Steel construction perfectly composes with the road and the white church in the background. In comparison to other truss bridges, this one is significantly lower and does not dominate the foreground. It looks perfectly in the early evening, lighten by warm sunlight.

Tykocin itself is a very good place to stop for a day or two. It's known as a place worth to visit, but there are no crowds. People stop here only for a walk, take some pictures and carry on they journey. In the evening the place completely regains his eastern atmosphere. This town has a perfect balance between doing ant not-doing.
You can go for a walk along cobble streets. You can take some good pictures of wooden architecture. You can visit old synagogue, old jewish cemetery. Or you can sit on the main square and observe as the time passes slowly. The area around the city is worth mentioning too. It's surrounded by endless meadows with labyrinth of roads perfect for cycling, walking and horse riding. Birds and birdwatchers often meet here. It's enough to rise one's head to see a stork nest. Two national parks (Biebrza River NP and Narew River NP) are within one hour drive distance.

How to get: By car (170 km / 3 hours drive from Warsaw). By train / bus: Train to Bialystok, then bus to Tykocin.
See
Tykocin on the Google Maps

Other places somewhere in Poland:
Somewhere in Poland (2) - 843 km of beaches 
Somewhere in Poland (3) -  The Far East
Somewhere in Poland (4) - Water way to the border

Warsaw - old pictures, new pictures - part 1

From time to time I buy on Internet auctions old postcards from Warsaw. Then I take my bike and my camera and I ride to see what has changed. One of the most shocking comparison is Marszalkowska Street. One of main streets of the city was totally destroyed during the war, then rebuilt in ugly communist style. The only common thing on both pictures are the towers of The Church of The Holy Saviour Church in the background.

Other posts with photos of Warsaw:
Streets in bloom
Warsaw - old pictures, new pictures - part 2
Making a panorama
When the green turns into gold

Outdoor equipment in Warsaw - the power od Google Maps

I didn't like geography lessons and one of the reasons was the fact that I have never had any artistic skills. Drawing maps have been a horror for me. I've never expected, that one day I would make a map just for fun. But I did. With Google Maps it's f... easy. My first map shows stores with all kind of outdoor equipment in Warsaw and bike shops and workshops.


Open map in new window


Pokaż Camping, climbing and bike shops in Warsaw na większej mapie

To see more maps check-out the links below:
Time for walking!

Streets in bloom

Just before spring covers trees with fresh and bright green, streets and corners blossom with colorful flower stands.





More photos from Warsaw:
When the green turns into gold
Warsaw - old pictures, new pictures - part 1
Warsaw - old pictures, new pictures - part 2
Making a panorama

...AND THE WINNER IS....

Elena from Russia won the International Egg Painting Competition (IEPC) in Hostel Helvetia!

Congratulations !!! Thanks to everyone that joined that Easter event! You've made this evening nice and colorful! :-)

The tradition is still alive in Poland, however, to be honest young people in the cities do not pay much attention to it.
So the hostel was one of the few places in Warsaw, where young people were painting eggs - cultivating this "old and unfashionable" tradition turned out to be a great way to spend a nice evening, meet other people and chat - not only about the eggs.

More about egg painting



 

You can read more about Polish Easter tradition here:
Palm trees - do they grow in Poland?
How to survive WET MONDAY?

How to survive WET MONDAY?

And what the f... is Wet Monday!@$#? Some DRY facts you can find as always in Wikipedia, but I'd rather recommend watching attached movie first. It's self explaining.



So, wet Monday (called also Dyngus day) is a way of celebrating Easter Monday in Poland. People pour water over their friends and relatives, children make fights with water guns, boys attack girls with buckets of water, hooligans attack everyone....

Who is at risk? Everyone! Attractive girls most.

HOW TO SURVIVE:

1. Avoid groups of people holding buckets with water. Meeting such group means instant shower.
2. Look around carefully. And look up! Avoid passing under someone's windows. You can be attacked by water bomb (plastic bag or a condom filled with water).
3. Do not stand next to the door in a bus.
4. Pack your camera, mp3 player and laptop into plastic bag when going for a walk.
5. Avoid bicycle rides through villages and suburban areas.

IF THE ABOVE FAILS:

6. DON'T PANIC. IT'S ONLY WATER.

More movies:

Usage of water bombs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29mJRJBsrkM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHYG3h4ByBA&feature=related

Read more about Polish easter traditions here:
...And the winner is... 
Palm trees - do they grow in Poland?

Cheap trip

On my last credit card transactions report, I've take a look to some expenses from my last trip to Germany, and I've noticed that for Berliners making a trip to Warsaw is cheaper than visiting an aunt in Dresden! Just example: Train Berlin - Dresden: 42 EUR, Train Berlin - Warsaw: 35 EUR! So, Herzlich Wilkommen!

Do It 4 Fun!

For many travellers one of the first impression of Warsaw is Central Railway Station. It's not a good impression. Dark, dirty, stinking...sad but true. Built in the 70s as a very modern and futuristic solution, have been neglected for the next decades. For many years have been the first position on "things to be changed in Warsaw" list, but nothing was done...until April the 4th 2009. That day Warsaw group Do It 4 Fun organized the event called "Fresh mob". Over 700 volunteers (people that found information about the event on the web and spontaneously decided to join it) wearing white aprons and masks sprayed the station with air refreshers.
Now it smells like sea breeze and apples. So hurry up and come to Warsaw, before the station starts stinking again!



 More about events in Warsaw:
Polish Hussars taking part in Warsaw Halfmarathon

No roads means BEST ROADS!

I love cycling. And I love cycling in Poland. Why? Because we have almost no bicycle roads ! Sounds strange ? Maybe...but
bicycle roads lead to the places, that someone have visited, checked and found interesting. It's like someone
has planned your trip, without giving you a chance to do it on your own. I don't want do make someone else's trips.
Instead of well marked bicycle roads we have inifinite amount of roads and paths that go through forests, fields, meadows.
You are allowed to use it. Most fields and forests are not fenced. The only thing you need is a good map, a compass and the will to explore. And a bike of course.
Below there are some pictures from my trip I made last Sunday. After leaving Warsaw with one of the local trains we spent wonderfull 60 km cycling through the fields, villages, meadows, forests and orchards. Would you like to try? In my hostel you can rent a trekkig bike with 18 gears if you don't have your own - and then ... explore, explore, explore...
If you are planning cycling trip to Poland, please DO NOT USE GENERAL MAPS FOR DRIVERS (it's, what I can see, most bikers have:-( )! They won't lead you to the places shown in my photos.

Palm Trees - do they grow in Poland?

Not exactly... Apart from the one in the middle of Warsaw (aritificial to be honest...) we do not have them. So what is the PALM SUNDAY ? Well...
It's very colorful and interesting event taking part each year before Easter. More details in Wikipedia of'course. The next Palm Sunday is on APRIL the 5th 2009.

If you're staying in Warsaw it's not a far drive do Łyse (appr 150 km)
If you're staying in Krakow, you can go to Lipnica Murowana - each year this two places competite for having the highest palm in Poland.


Wyświetl większą mapę



Wyświetl większą mapę
If you don't want to go anywhere, just take your camera and go for a walk - pictures with pepople holding colorful palms will be a good souvenir from your trip! Some of my pictures taken several years ago in Łyse: