Life / Whats driving like in Poland? [70]

.....and it doesn't help when prostitutes parade their bodies by the side of the motorway. How's a guy supposed to maintain his concentration ?? :)

Life / Whats driving like in Poland? [70]

Really?

Maybe they only "come out" in summer :) but it's true.

Normally they stand on the outskirts of major towns just by the side of the motorway.

Life / Poles love to send SMS [47]

I send a lot of SMS's to my friends in Poland (I'm in the UK) but I get charged 26p per txt which is very expensive.

Can anyone think of a cheaper way to send them ? I've tried some of the PC to mobile messaging systems but the delivery can sometimes be delayed for a few hours.

Life / Whats driving like in Poland? [70]

Dziwna

My mother also comes from Czestochowa. I visit there at least once a year (I love this place).

The prostitutes don't tout for business in the city but on the outskirts of large towns and cities. They are definitely on the way into Czestochowa as I've seen them many times when driving back from Katowice airport. The first time I thought I'd seen the hitchiker from my dreams and wanted my friend to pull over until he told me why she was actually standing there :)

News / Sending money to Poland [32]

how about moneybookers ?

Life / Poles love to send SMS [47]


Shelly,

I'm on an almost identical package but when I send SMS's to Poland I get charged for them.........and I send a lot ! Which network are you on and are you certain it's free to sms poland (providing you stay withing your txt bundle).

Fisz,

I didn't even bother applying for a PW as I know they wouldn't give me one. The place has sunk to new depths with the mods even starting a thread encouraging members to nominate which members should NOT be allowed to join........pathetic !

I also had an epiphany moment when I realised after some detective work that Hans and the moderators are affiliated in some way. It explains how he's been able to get away with writing racist and provocative remarks with total immunity whilst anyone who reacts to his views have their threads deleted by the mods.

BTW what was your name on there ?

Patrcyja has joined this forum and I've given this forum's address to another ex-member

Life / Poles love to send SMS [47]

But surely this isn't a Polish phenomenon.

Here in the UK SMS messaging is extremely popular amongst the young.

Travel / Have booked up to go to Krakow... [9]

tomtank,

Ask anything about Krakow and we'll try to help

UK, Ireland / anyone on orange pay monthly?? [5]

I think Frank's right. Every single UK tariff I come across does not include international SMS's.

Shelley mentioned something about O2 but whenever I ask them they tell me international SMS's are charged at around 23p

Wish there was a cheaper alternati:(ve

UK, Ireland / Fit Polish staff missing [39]

wine bar

What's the name of your establishment and where are you based ? I will ask around

Life / Best Sat Nav devices for use in Poland [41]

Thanks guys. I've trawled the internet these last couple of weeks without a great deal of success. That normally means that what I'm looking for isn't easily available.

TomTom seem to be the market leader in the UK but even if you buy one of their maps specifically for Poland the small print states that it only offers 26% coverage which is crap !

I have come across automapa.co.uk

This seems to offer over 90% coverage for Poland but is geared towards the pocket PC market so StupidWelsh you might be bang on the money with your suggestion.

Another option I guess is to buy one in Poland the next time I am there.

Life / Best Sat Nav devices for use in Poland [41]

Thanks- I think I will wait a few months to see what comes onto the market.

Nokia have a new smartphone coming out called the N95. It will have an integrated GPS receiver and if I'm lucky also full coverage of Poland.

Travel / Accommodation in Wroclaw [27]

I've also seen and and found it very impressive !

The thing is when my friend told me we were going to see a painting I have to tell you I wasn't really all that excited about the prospect.

The Panorama is a cylindrical painting. The Rotunda was purposely built to house it.

Apart from the sheer scale of the painting what impressed me most was the way the museum uses props to bring the painting to life. For example, one scene will show a grassy area with a painting of a wooden fence. The museum then artfully place a real wooden fence in front of the canvas and tastefully add tufts of grass here and there.

The clever use of props gives the painting an almost 3D effect.

At the end of the day it is still only a painting so some people won't be impressed no matter what. Personally, I would recommend seeing it.

Life / Best Sat Nav devices for use in Poland [41]

Thanks but do you know the extent of the coverage ?

TomTom also has coverage of Poland but on reading the small print I found out that only a quarter of the country is covered.

Life / Polish PAYG sim/Network [24]

You can buy Polish sim cards at

phonetek-nation.co.uk/product_details.php?id=1474

I think they only stock Heyah but it's great value for money when you're in Poland. However, using this card to call Poland from the UK works out pretty expensive.

Life / Best Sat Nav devices for use in Poland [41]

I see your point Car Thief-I don't really need a Sat Nav I just feel the urge to have one :)

You also make a good point about the increase in theft of these devices. Even if you remove the device from view when you are parked up criminals have now started looking for the sucker marks on the windscreen as a telltale sign the car may have a Sat Nav in the glove compartment.

UK, Ireland / Polish Migrants makes room for '20 to a house [59]

Sadly, this type of story is often true.

I'm one of the first to defend Poland and Poles against racist remarks but we also have to accept the truth.

Travel / Holidays in Sopot, Poland [22]

Just come back from a short break to the Tri City-my first ever visit !

It was fantastic !!!

Just to add to Anna's excellent advice:-

* The pier in Sopot (Molo) is the longest wooden pier in Europe and is wonderful for an afternoon stroll.

* Krzywy Dom (sorry for the spelling) on Ul. Monte Cassino. A building that looks like it's come right out of a Salvador Dali painting. Made to look like the structure is melting it certainly catches the eye. Not much inside to get excited about but there you go.

* WielkoRyb (sorry for the spelling again). A very eccentric pub/bar walking distance from Monte Cassino. The interior looks like a dream of Jacques Cousteau after he's tripped on some absinthe. Well worth a look !

* The cliff face at Orlowo is a beautiful place to walk as are the beaches along the Hel Peninsula

Travel / Hotel websites that show all hotels available in areas of Poland? [18]

21stcenturypoland.com/accommodation%20in%20Poland.htm

They also have a google map so you can browse where their hotels are located.

Real Estate / Apartment purchase in Poland [226]


JK-My girlfriend works for Carisma in the Tri-City. She's a real estate broker who focuses on land purchases. If you're interested then let me know.

Law / American beer business opportunities in Poland [84]


Go for it RegionPolska.

I do have to admit that American beer is considered to be inferior to European beer only due to it being so light/lite. However Budweiser has done well in the UK marketplace and regardless of what others may see there is always an opportunity for global brands to gain a foothold in emerging economies.............if only for the kudos factor amonst consumers.

Real Estate / Buying a plot and building a house in Poland? [26]


Excellent insight there ! It's very true that when business is booming companies pay little attention to providing good customer service as they know another one will be coming round the corner.

Having said that not EVERYONE is a crook.

Law / American beer business opportunities in Poland [84]


I share your sentiment UKinPoland and I wouldn't want someone to risk their money based on my advice alone but I'm sure RegionPolski isn't going to make a move simply by canvassing opinion from an internet forum board.

I actually disagree with your comments about listening to the majority etc etc. Business is about finding an opportunity that nobody else sees and then exploiting it.

The majority of people in the UK had never heard of Tyskie or Zywiec but these brands are growing quickly in bars and supermarkets across the country.

Also, Budweiser is a massive global brand and I'm actually surprised it isn't already in Poland.

Law / American beer business opportunities in Poland [84]


"Import kudos" is exactly what I was trying clumsily to express.


Of course it has something to do with it but perhaps not as significant as you might think. Zywiec has been readily available in the UK for quite a few years. The many Polish clubs dotted around the country have stocked it so I'm sure that Poles would know where to get it if they yearned for some beer from the motherland.

Zywiec's introduction to British stores and pubs isn't purely aimed at Poles. In my area you don't see many Poles going to pubs. They're here to save money not drink it away.

Travel / Polish National Tourist Board [8]

I'm sorry American. No offence intended but even hard work, if it's channelled in the wrong direction, is ineffective. I'm not referring personally to your loved one but to the Polish tourist board as a whole.

Personally, tourist expos can only take you so far. The tourist board cannot rely on people coming to them asking for information. They need to launch marketing campaigns and be pro-active.

The web link you gave me is for a professional looking website however, when I started clicking on the links I discovered that there is actually very little content on there. Example: When I clicked on Krakow there were only 3 short paragraphs about the city and not a single photo !

I'm even confused as to which organisation is the actual tourist board as there seem to be a few organisations claiming to be so.

Travel / Isn't Warsaw a Sh*thole? [20]


Wilanow

Lazienki Park

Stare Miasto

Some wise man said "whatever you look for you will find".

Travel / Polish National Tourist Board [8]

America,

Just to offer another example.

This year I have been to Poland a few times and before I go I have the usual chit chat with work colleagues about where I am going etc. They are shocked that a flight to Poland from the UK takes only about 2.5 hours and I am equally shocked at their reaction to this fact :)

If people knew what Poland was about and what to expect there and then decide NOT to visit then that's fine-at least they are making an informed choice. The trouble is they know virtually nothing about the country, it's geography or climate. This failure to "educate" potential tourists falls at the feet of the tourist board.

BubbaWoo gives examples of Spain and Australia to demonstrate how effective marketing can be. I'd like to add Bulgaria to that list. I'm of Eastern European descent myself (parents are Polish) but I have never considered visiting Bulgaria for my holiday even though I have more knowledge of this part of Europe than most Brits. Yet Bulgaria is quite succesfully marketing itself as a holiday destination to British tourists.