UK, Ireland / Driving to Warsaw from UK [13]

The route through Germany is easy, the Polish stretch is dull and, depending on traffic reports, not worth taking the Autostrada (A2) from Poznan to Strykow - your 33zl you pay in tolls won't get you any faster than the old E30 that runs parallel to it, if there's traffic.

If you do want to drive through the UK, a little-known route is go take the Transeuropa ferry from Ramsgate to Belgium (Zebrugge?) Four hours for 30 quid, and the M2 motorway gets you to Ramsgate very quickly. The Speedferries catamaran from Dover to Bourlogne-sur-mer is faster, but then you have to get out of that port, past Calais and into Belgium, which takes about the same time as it would have taken on the Transeuropa ferry.

If the roads are clear and you're feeling perky, you can JUST get from the English channel (be it France, Belgium or the Neths) to Warsaw in one day, but it's knackering and from a safety perspective, not recommended.

UK, Ireland / Driving to Warsaw from UK [13]

Ive taken that autostrada three times, and twice there was some sort of accident that had reduced the thing to a standstill. As I said, it depends on the traffic reports. The Autostrada is either completely clear and you can do 160km/h as much as you like, or it's completely static for two hours and you have to park up and eat the sandwiches your mother-in-law prepared for you.

Travel / Snowboarding in Poland [75]

Skiing and snowboard anywhere in Poland is an entirely sketchy affair. Too many land disputes, protected nature territories and petty regional squabbling have left the Tatras massively undeveloped and likely never to be upgraded to their full potential. What few reasonable resorts there are quickly become overcrowded as the Poles take their kids on their winter holidays; an affair staggered over about four weeks in Jan and Feb. Add in a crippled hotel network and drunk dangerous skiers, and you really shouldn't expect too much from Poland's winter sports. Monied Poles go to Italy or Austria.

Having said that, if you've never snowboarded before and you want to learn, Poland has a large number of little resorts with lots of little slopes that will give you a challenge, and relatively cheaply too. Names often muttered by Varsovians for a weekend break are Krynica, Bialka Tatrzanska, Szczyrk and Korbielow. All have at least one student masquerading as a snowboarding tutor who speaks English, lift passes are as little as 10zl an hour, and a room in a guesthouse can be around 40zl a night, as long as you're not looking for luxury. IIRC snowboards and boots were around 100zl a day, certainly not more.

Life / Who is your favourite polish writer? [15]

Witold Gombrowicz, especially "Ferdydurke"