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Posts by Essell  

Joined: 4 Sep 2009 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: -
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 1
Posts: Total: 7 / In This Archive: 4 		From: Warsaw, Poland (recently moved from England)
Speaks Polish?: Only phrasebook stuff at the moment - learning!
Interests: Films, music, games, photography, creative stuff in general, a nice drink and a good chat

Displayed posts: 5
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Essell   
3 Oct 2009
Life / UK expat recently moved to Warsaw - lots of ongoing questions :) [27]

Hi all,

I left the UK and moved to Warsaw for a job a couple of weeks ago. Loving it so far (the job and the city) :)

As I'm settling in, I keep thinking of all kinds of little questions about living here, so I thought I'd start a big thread where I can post them all as I come up with them. So here goes with the first two, and thanks in advance:

1. Drinking tapwater - I've been drinking it since I got here (I love the mint syrup stuff from Carrefour), but have recently been told by my (british) flatmate that it isn't a good idea. Is this true?

2. My brothers and uncle are flying over to Warsaw to see me next weekend (9th October), and while I'll show them what I know of all the usual stuff, (stuff around the centre, bars, restaurants, maybe a couple of clubs), we're also wanting to get up to some bigger, more interesting stuff to make the trip memorable.

One of my brothers is really into the idea of stuff like going to rifle ranges and doing some off-road driving, while my uncle might be into stuff that's interesting but a little more laid back. Any sugggestions?
Essell   
5 Oct 2009
Life / UK expat recently moved to Warsaw - lots of ongoing questions :) [27]

Thanks for all the input re: drinking tap water, peeps. Interesting to see mixed opinions, and yes, I might just look into one of those water filters :)

Thanks for finding and posting the links to the shooting ranges, Rafik, but I had already looked up similar ones myself. My problem has been looking for a website for these companies that is in English, but at the same time isn't one of those big Stag do ones either.

I asked around at work and someone pointed me to strzelectwo.info/en/contact.html, which I'm going to try and book a session with tomorrow.

So - another question!

Finding an apartment to rent near the city centre
I'm currently being put up in an apartment by the company I've recently started working for, but by the middle of November I need to find an apartment of my own to rent. I work near the centre of Warsaw and want to live as close to work as possible.

I've been told by a fellow foreigner who recently sorted out her own place that I should be wary of agencies quoting me much higher prices because I'm not Polish, and I'm currently leaning towards going for private landlords on the Polish Gumtree site (warszawa.gumtree.pl/). Ideally I'd like a landlord who can speak English.

Any advice, warnings or information in general on this kind of thing?

4.
Essell   
7 Oct 2009
Life / UK expat recently moved to Warsaw - lots of ongoing questions :) [27]

Harry
"That might have happened a few years back (...) it doesn't happen now."

Well, it obviously does because it happened to the person I was talking to about it (two people, infact) :) But yeah, I agree with your point that it can be avoided by simply going through channels that mean I already know what the price should be, etc.

Another question:

Q. Are there any taxi services in particular that you'd recommend for a UK expat in the centre of the city?
Essell   
26 Oct 2009
Life / UK expat recently moved to Warsaw - lots of ongoing questions :) [27]

@dcchris and BevK - I've already been buying tofu but more places to get it are always useful

@vndunne: I think it's spelled "Quinoa" - I've never had it, but now seems like a good time to try :)

Cheers peeps.

Q. When does the metro system stop running at night, on the different days of the week?

I gather it's fairly late, and have heard something about a break between 3 and 4am, but can never quite be sure...

Okay so after getting no answers I had a proper look myself and found the metro timetabe here :)

Next question!

Q. What kind of things are there to do for New Year's Eve in Warsaw (or nearby)? Is it a big deal here? Do people usually go elsewhere, or hang around in bars near the centre of the city, etc?