Real Estate / Good Places to Live in Warsaw [21]

Yes you can take a bike in the metro at anytime.

Life / Need some advices from fellow expats in Wawa [14]

Clothes costs the same as in the West, no illusions there. Zara Warsaw = Zara Antwerp
Cosmetics and perfumes cost a lot more here

Real Estate / Good Places to Live in Warsaw [21]

We are living in Bielany.... 50 metres from a a metro station. Bielany is basically a bluecollar area (I think). But safe and green.
No expats here. For that you would need Mokotów I guess. Or Wilanów.
I would stay away from Praga though....

Life / Places to meet Canadians or Americans in warsaw? Online Groups? [19]

We are spending New Year's Eve with friends at their home - 4 couples together - just enjoying good food (the host is an excellent cook), good wine...perhaps watching one of the several concerts going on in Poland on TV....Or perhaps a good DVD...We will take a sernik made by my mother-in-law....

Very laid-back really. At midnight the champagne corks will be flying around + the SMS messages to the loved ones.
And then the party continues :)
Neither of us 8 are party-goers.
No clubs for us, thank you very much. I will be the only foreigner between all these Poles, but I will survive easily :)

Life / Polish drinking/driving ages [14]


Yes but you can buy guns by postal order at the age of 1. (assuming you are US of course)
So I wonder what is the sanest ?

Life / 52% Poles: life in Poland is bad... [46]

Do you know any farmer in the world who is not complaining? I would think with the flood of EU money going their way Polish farmers should be more satisfied.

Travel / Reaching Warsaw airport from Warsaw Central Train Station? WIFI? [20]

There is at the moment no train station in Warsaw airport. Correction - there is one under Terminal 2, just finished, but it has as yet no rail link to the main line.

Public transport to the city center: take bus 175 and prepare for traffic jams.
Taking a taxi will result in a much more expensive journey.... not much longer as the bus.
And beware of pickpockets on the 175 - it is notorious they tell...

Life / Wage - Expenses = It Doesn't Add Up!!! [33]

Yes I have. In my local Tesco (Pruszków) there is a big big billboard telling that Tesco hires staff for, I think it was 1.783 PLN (could be a few PLN more or less).

In another Tesco where I come (Górczewska, Warsaw) I saw the same advertising.
Not that it is them doing any good. They still lack a lot of staff.

Life / Wage - Expenses = It Doesn't Add Up!!! [33]

Tesco recruits staff for 1.800 PLN per month....definitely not engineers.

Life / Dec 25th - is public transport or Taxis in Poland operational that day? [10]

I have today checked the PKP website (I have to get in Rabka, or at least Chabówka) on the 24th afternoon or 25th in the morning... The IC trains are going according their normal schedule, so that will save my life....

Life / International Press in Krakow [14]

It sounds very unlikely that you cannot by any English-language newspapers in Empik in Kraków. Here in Warsaw they have them all.
Should not be different at your side of Poland.
Although the weekend newspapers lack prompt delivery on Saturday.
Flemish/Dutch magazines or newspapers? Forget about that. Do like me and read "Knack" or "De Standaard" online...

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]


You mean I am a hypocrite or not?
Please clarify :)

How would you the way define the difference between a whining expat and somebody who settled down here for life?

Travel / Travel Time By Train - Warsaw to Wroclaw. [15]

I would take the train in this case. About the same time as by car but so much more relaxed.
In 1st class you have a pretty comfortable ride... read your paper.... buy a cold Tyskie in the restaurant rail car(they will always sell you that, and yes it is not on the official menu :) ) smile at the pretty girl opposite you.... read your book...

Only madmen would go by car.
Or book a plane ticket well in advance, small difference with a IC ticket first class,

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]


The only reason I paid cash here, is because that woman was terrorizing the old guy in front of me. I hate such kind of behave.

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]

I am Belgian, not Polish :)
Why keep on whining about the change bit ?
Just put in your 4-digit PIN, takes a second and that is it.

The only moment I got mad was in our local Społem. That kind of typical kind woman with purple hair. Barked at an old guy in front of me because he could not pay in 2 seconds' time for his bread. He got nervous and she got even more Gestapo-like.

This made me soooo angry.

Then I was challenged... had to pay for some wędliny a few zloty.... had a bag of change, but just refused to give her a hand :) She knew I had then change but with a big smile I handed over a 200 PLN note. She made me wait something like 10 minutes before handing over the change. But I did not care.

It was a moral victory in some way I guess.

Shopping in any supermarket anywhere in the world is a challenge.

And, besides.... yes being a part of the "morning people" club is a nice feeling :)

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]

Why getting irritated when waiting to pay? The reason why almost 75% of the cashtills are closed? Because the retail vultures fail to pay decent wages for such a crappy job (i.e. handling customers as you).

Just do as me, grab a copy of Fakty when waiting, immerse yourself in the local very graphic gossip.

Just pay with your direct debit card. What is the problem here ? I do not get it.


Everybody knows the bread in any given supermarket is horrible.
Actually I am buying mine in the local Statoil station, it might be pre-bake stuff but is very tasty.

To me you sound a just a typical whining expat. Get a life. Or go to Tesco after midnight.
I am doing shopping every Sat morning in Tesco at Górczewska.
No big deal. Just my shopping list, being there around 08:30, waiting in line for paying and going home.
What is the problem, then ?

Or go to Alma, Bomi, Kuchnia Świat, Piotr i Paweł, or Mini Europa. No waiting lines, good produce and "nice prices".

Life / Cost of seeing a 'professor' in his private medical practice? [8]

I have a montly subscription with Medicover, which costs me 500 PLN per month (including everything except dental treatment) also including hospitalization, for which Medicover has agreements with the MSWIA hospital here in Warsaw.

I am satisfied with their services, although lately you have to wait longer to get an appointment as before.
Anybody with the same experience ?

Life / Where to buy bedding in Krakow? [10]

IKEA would be safe bet. No idea where you are living, but here in Warsaw there are a few of them, and you can buy all what you need I guess.

Life / I am in Poland on a tourist visa and have been here for 2 years.. [53]

You Americans treat Europeans like **** on your borders.
Getting your fingerprints taken at JFK, being shouted at at any given border crossing because you are not US. Haven the size of your feet sent to your immigration Gestapo before you have even boarded a plane to the USA. (Heaven forbid I would ever do that, and I do not even need a visa)

But you expect us to receive you as the kings of the world? Why?
Because you are US ?
You are really mistaken.

You know what I relish on here in Warsaw? In the few moments I have to go to the Foreigner's office at Długa 5, I always hear these Americans complaining they have to stand in line with all Ukrainians and Chinese.

And I am off the EU section where on the average nobody ever is waiting.
Get a life. Schengen is made for Europeans and not for you Yanks.

Life / Public transport on Christmas Day in Poland [10]

I saw it :) Nice film, it is just that I want to be in Rabka let us say maximal Christmas Day 12:00 as an emergency option.

Rather Christmas Eve.
On the end I will have to revert to option C: Finish work 24th late afternoon, jump into my car and hopefully arrive in Rabka before 24:00.

Just that it would be very stupid for my wife and me to return separately by car to Warsaw.

Life / Public transport on Christmas Day in Poland [10]

I know this :) It is just that the PKP timetable goes until the 12th of December.
I aws taking frequently a private bus on the Kraków - Rabka route before but never on Christmas time.
And Rabka is indeed a lovely town - it is always a relief to stay there a few days away from the every Warsaw noise.

Life / PAYING TO TAKE A PISS IN POLAND, it's BIZARRE [77]

Still mystifies me why such a big fuss is made about what is basically peanuts in your weekly budget. If you have to make a *** just do it. If you have to fork out a meagre 1 PLN, so that is too bad and I guess you will survive more or less.

If you want to walk half the city just to avoid that, that is also your choice.
Personally I think it is a very cheapskate attitude, that is all.

Life / Buying an Electrical Adapter in Warsaw [13]

Yep that is also true. In the underground passage under the GUS tram stop there is a whole range of electronics and PC spares shops.

Life / PAYING TO TAKE A PISS IN POLAND, it's BIZARRE [77]

Let's look it at it this way.The old lady who you pay your 1 PLN to, has most likely a pension of 600 PLN or so, has to take a degrading job like this (after a hard life in PRL Poland) in order to be able to survive... and then you think that to pay that 1 PLN is a scandal.

Life / PAYING TO TAKE A PISS IN POLAND, it's BIZARRE [77]

If you after a few beers which cost minimum 7-8 PLN each, cannot spare 1 PLN to go to the toilet - now that it is very sad.

I perfectly understand the pub-owners who see all these people coming on, who do not drink even a glass of water but use the sanitary (for which the pub-owner pays for the maintenance).

Life / Buying an Electrical Adapter in Warsaw [13]

Take the metro (now that the whole line is working) to the famous market at Wolumen. Besides the trade in illicit DVD's there is a series of electronics shops where they sell all kind of electronic spare parts of every imaginable kind.

And much cheaper than in any mall.

Life / Paying bribes in Poland - necessity or a luxury? [41]

I am living four years now in Warsaw, have never ever given money to these parking gits, and never something happened to my car.
I just ignore them.

About the police in Warsaw, I have been stopped twice in these four years.
Twice for forgetting to switch on my lights (it was still in the time that we only had to do that in winter) on a clear and sunny winterday.

And twice I only got a friendly warning.
Not even an attempt to get a bribe.

Life / What are your favourite Polish Radio stations...? [27]

At Radio ZET I like the daily 08:15 program in which Monika Olejnik grills one of these PIS politicians. Always nice to hear.

Life / What are your favourite Polish Radio stations...? [27]

Radio Zet
Radio PIN
Jazz Radio

Life / You know you have been living in poland too long when.... [73]

- you do not notice anymore every second driver is a maniac
- do not smell anymore the collection of unwashed bodies on the buses
- do not notice anymore that basically every building in Warsaw (except the churches) is covered with graffiti
- think it is normal that Warsaw Central Railway station is a horrible concrete bunker with a labyrinthian underground passageway full of drunks
- think it is normal you can only buy fresh seafood on Thursday and Friday

By the way, I have a 3-month public transport pass, pay each month ZUS and love to live in here in Warsaw :)