Life / Why can't Poland recruit Polish soccer stars? [42]


although Podolski is no doubt an excellent player, claiming he is the best Polish player of all time is stretching it a bit ........

not sure how old you are missewa, but he'd have to go a fair bit to be compared to some of the Golden Oldies of Polish football :o)

Gregorz Lato, Kazimierz Deyna, Włodzimierz Lubanski, Zbigniew Boniek .... Andrzej Szarmach.


has he coached anywhere else apart from MLS ?

News / OUR MOTHER -- POLAND [6]


hmmmmmm maybe i'm just lucky because my Mum is a Dr, she has the looks, charm poise and style ...... but without the need for plastic surgery or botox like nearly all Hollywood film stars !, She also is a fantastic cook ........ fair enough my Mum is going on in years but with that She brings worldly wisdom and advice, and to top it all my Mum is a fantastic Grandmother !

To me Poland is like my Mother ...... beautiful, full of charm and style, produces excellent cuisine ..... and I Love Her more with every day that passes !! :o))))

Law / Poland: the most attractive European country for future investors [55]


totally agree with you £ukasz ..... Polska is definitely on the way up and i see foreign investment in Polska as a good thing :o)

Law / I want to open a bar in Czestochowa [28]


Let me know how you get on .... I'm in Poland nearly every month so if it's up and running I'll pop in :o)

Also I have quite a few friends/family/business contacts in Poland, so if you require any help I'll see if I can be of any assistance.

Law / I want to open a bar in Czestochowa [28]

Hiya ....

Good luck with your venture :o)

What type of customers are you hoping to attract ? 18-30's ? ... or a wider range ?

I hope to be moving to Poland late next year and have a few business ideas, one of which is similar to yours ...... but I plan to be in Krakow ....or maybe Warsaw :o)

Life / GAY PARADE IN WARSAW, PL [87]

Just wondering why this thread is on Polish Sports ???

Have they made same gender sex a sporting event now ?...... and if so .... will it be considered for the next Olympics :o))))

Travel / WE ARE BACK FROM POLAND AND HERE IS OUR REPORT [96]

Really enjoyed reading your report ..... sounds as though you both had a great time in Polska :o)

Was this your 'once in a lifetime' trip to Poland, or do you plan to come back sometime soon ?

Life / Dont generalise: negative posts I have read about Polish people [8]

Hi ...

Glad you enjoyed your time in Poland ........ and I enjoyed reading your post :o)

Real Estate / Current price of Homes in Poland [41]


join the club ..... there seem to be quite a few other members of PF with the same plan !

Real Estate / Current price of Homes in Poland [41]


I believe the episode shown was from 2006, so prices were definitely more attractive then.

I still think that we'll see quite a few Brits moving to Poland, although not in the same numbers as the Poles who came over to England !

Prices have stabilised in many of the larger cities, and there has even been a drop in some - there was an article in one of the Krakow real estate magazines stating that there may be a 15% drop in property (apartment) prices over the next 12 months. Only time will tell. Also developers are more likely to give a discount or better payment terms due to the stabilisation of house prices.

I personally think that now is a good time to buy property in Poland; in 2010 with the introduction of the euro and hopefully the Football Euro Championships in Poland and Ukraine in 2012 we will see the next surge in property prices.

The only negative with buying is that the złoty to the £ is about 4.3 to 1.

Real Estate / Current price of Homes in Poland [41]


lots of Brits have bought property in Poland and made a nice profit .... how is it a con ?

USA, Canada / Canadian moving to Poland...any advice? [30]

I read somewhere that Poland, after Spain, has the most sq. metres of mall space in the whole of Europe.


..... a bit like anywhere else in the world !


Maybe not the ones you have met .... but then again it may be something to do with you and not the Poles.

Generally I have found the Poles to be extremely generous and hospitable people :o)


I wish you all the best in your new life .... I hope it all works out for you :o) I will also be moving out to Poland (Krakow) in 2009 , but the difference is that my wife and I already speak Polish fluently as do our two kids aged 6 yrs and 4 yrs; I think that will be the biggest hurdle for you to overcome .... the language !

Let us know how you get on :o)

ps. what line of business will you be in , and where in Poland will you be living/working ?

UK, Ireland / The Independent about Poles in the UK: "Poles are under attack." [83]



if you read my post I said 'majority of Poles' which implies there are some that are not, but these I feel are in the minority :o)


In previous posts on this forum I have stated that certain Poles were an embarrassment as they 'hung around the local park sitting on benches, drinking their vodka and swearing' - so I am well aware of some of the negative behaviours associated with Poles. However, in general the Poles who have come over to the UK have a good reputation :o)


Unfortunately the Brits on holiday or on stag/hen weekends abroad have become notorious. You don’t see (or at least I haven’t) groups of Italians, Germans or any other nationality behaving in the same outrageous manner as Brits –


True, but when you see a group of around 10 semi-naked, pissed guys roaming the streets of Krakow chanting obscenities and trying to grope the local girls, you can be sure they’re Brits.

I have nothing against well behaved high spirited fun, but I was referring to the


which doesn’t include all Brits in Krakow :o)


bigot/bigotry : A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own, and bigotry is the corresponding ideology.

This term has never been applied to me, so before you start calling people names make sure you have strong evidence to back it up :o)

UK, Ireland / The Independent about Poles in the UK: "Poles are under attack." [83]



Lets not draw a comparison to the stags in Krakow ..... these are two separate groups ......

The difference here is that the majority of Poles are well behaved, employed and contributing to British society ... unlike the rowdy, foul-mouthed British yobs on a drink-fuelled rampage, who may be contributing financially but are making the streets of Krakow unsafe for many of the locals and are an embarrassment to normal British tourists.

I have witnessed first hand the disgraceful behaviour of British stag and hen nights in Krakow, and hopefully the strong arm tactics of the Polish Police will soon deter these revellers :o)

Travel / My first day trip in Krakow [9]

Hi Matt,

Good luck with your stay in Krakow and with your job :o) What is your line of work ?

Not sure if it's the closest but there is a huge new shopping mall right next to the main railway/bus station - you'll be able to get most of what you need there, but sometimes it's worth shopping at smaller grocers/shops.

If you haven't already bought a street map of Krakow, I'd advise you to put that top of your shopping list - small newsagents/kiosks will usually stock them or try Empik which you'll easily find in Rynek Glowny next to the Mariacki Church. Most good street maps will have bus/tram routes included.

Best way to become accustomed to your locality is to take a short (...or long) stroll as there will be shops closeby which may cater for your immediate needs. Another 'must' on your shopping list is a Polish phrasebook, or sign up for some lessons.

I'm sure you'll find things daunting at first, but you'll get used to it. You'll probably find other expats living in Krakow who'll meet up and show you the ropes .... probably from this forum. I am in Poland usually once a month for 1-2 weeks, and am either in Warsaw or Krakow.

Hopefully by end of 2009 I would have made the move to Krakow with my family for good - how long are you expecting to be in Krakow ?

All the best with your new job and life in Krakow ..... let us know how you get on :o)

News / Polands World Cup. [9]


..... they are not going to host the World Cup ! ....... they were awarded the 2012 Euro Championships along with Ukraine, but by all accounts there is a possibility that Euro2012 may be taken off them if the stadiums and infrastructure don't start shaping up.

On his last visit Michel Platini was less than impressed by the progress the Poles had made in preparation for the tournament.

I agree Poland has problems with some of their fans, as do most countries, but I don't agree with your comment that Poland does not deserve to host a major football tournament - who would you have given Euro 2012 to ? Italy .... after the corruption scandal ?

England were given Euro1996, after a less than flattering history of football hooliganism .......remember the riots and burned German cars on London streets after England lost the semi-final ?

I was in Belgium in 2000 for the Euro Championships and witnessed appalling behaviour by English football supporters, and I use the term 'football supporter' loosely !

The English football hooligan problem has not gone away ..... look at away games in Europe for either the English national team or club team and usually you will find reports of trouble.

I hope Poland and Ukraine manage to get everything ready for Euro2012 and put on a great tournament ......

Life / How will I be treated in Poland by Polish people? I'm an English person. [26]


Poles in general are a very warm and hospitable bunch, so I think you'll be treated well; learning the Polish language or at least trying to will endear yourself to them; also having a Polish wife will help.

The advice given above in previous posts is worth making note of ..... especially the '


. As long as you come across as honest and sincere you'll be fine.

When do you plan to move to Poland ? I am in a similar situation except that I have Polish parents and although I was born in London, can speak Polish fluently.

My wife, who is Polish is originally from Wroclaw although we plan to move to Krakow in 2009. Our kids, aged nearly 6yrs, and 4rs are speaking both Polish and English.

Like yourself, I have been travelling to Poland very frequently over the last 10 years and feel equally at home in Poland as I do in England ..... maybe even more at home in Poland considering so many of my English-born Polish friends have moved over to Warsaw & Krakow.

News / Polands World Cup. [9]


Maybe one day ..... but at the moment Poland only has the Euro2012 Football Championships along with Ukraine :o)

UK, Ireland / where are the poles in london [9]


Hammersmith has a large Polish community ..... just take a walk down King Street and you'll think you're in Poland !

There are a couple of Polish shops and there's POSK which I believe is the largest Polish Cultural Centre in UK - closest Underground station is Ravenscourt Pk

Nearby you have St Andrzej Bobola's catholic church which is in Shepherds Bush, and Ealing and Acton have a thriving Polish community also.

News / Plac Wilsona Metro Station selected as most beautiful in the world ! [22]


Sure that the Polish government under communist times spread anti-west propaganda .... but this was not the view held by the person on the street!

In fact it was quite the opposite .... communication with the West was very limited, but most Poles aspired to the Western way of living.
The opinion that everything in the west is better than in Poland is still held by many Poles .... I believe wrongly; it's the old "grass is greener" syndrome !

Poles and Poland, I believe have a lot to be proud of .... there are many positive things happening in Poland, and I believe in majority of cases it is heading in the right direction.

Poland should also try to maintain it's cultural identity and not become a clone of the West.

News / Plac Wilsona Metro Station selected as most beautiful in the world ! [22]


I have to agree with you on that ..... Moscow Metro is something awesome !

However, I may be mistaken, but the award that Plac Wilsona Metro got was for the most recently constructed stations.

Food / Mushroom Picking Parties (Poland tradition) [74]

Many years ago when in Poland on a mushroom-picking outing I was told by an old mushroom picker that "all mushrooms are edible, but some only once !"

Life / A Brit living in Poland (update) [14]

I visited Canada in the late nineties and had a great time - I have family in Burnaby, Vancouver and stayed with them for a couple of weeks before driving to Edmonton where I also have family. Stayed in Whistler, Banff and Jasper. Not much to write home about in Edmonton apart from the huge mall which if i remember correctly has a ice rink, dolhin enclosure and swimming area with wave machine.

I suppose I'd look at relocating to Vancouver, although I have heard good things about Toronto where a friend of mine emigrated to with his family, and Montreal.

Life / A Brit living in Poland (update) [14]

So what will be your next destination ?

My wife and I have decided that we do not want to bring up our kids in England; although they have a good school at present, there are many other factors we have taken into account which have led us to make a decision to leave English shores for good in the next year or so.

If we weren't going to move to Poland, I'm not sure where we would move to .... possibly Canada ....

Life / ARE THERE ANY SOCCER FIELDS OR TEAMS TO JOIN IN WARSAW ?? [8]

I would also like to know about football teams in the Krakow area, something like a Sunday morning league standard for over forties :o)

I will be moving to Poland, most probably Krakow , in the near future and would like to know if there are any amateur football leagues, as well sports clubs which have indoor tennis courts, squash facilities, fitness swimming pool ertc... .... something along the lines of David Lloyd or Virgin Active Clubs ?

UK, Ireland / Polish girl married a British guy - when will she become British citizen? [29]


so Labour losing the next election will be down to the Poles ...... and you say the Poles haven't done anything for the host population :o))


the Brits don't want to do the jobs that Poles take ... the Brits are quite happy sitting on their fat arses and collecting benefits ! ..... a bit of a generalisation I know but I'm fed up with Brits complaining that Poles nicked all the jobs !

Jobs are out there ... if Poles are given them instead of Brits ..... whose fault is that ?? It's been well documented in the press that employers find Poles better workers than the Brits.

Britain was already in decline before Poland entered the Eu ..... you can't put the blame on the Poles ...or any other Eastern European country...... the Labour government is the reason the country is in the sad state it's in.

UK, Ireland / The best place to buy a house in the UK [120]

There are a few websites you could try;

findaproperty.co.uk
rightmove.co.uk

A good starting point would be to set yourself an affordable budget and keep to it, and not get stretched beyond your means.

Every city will have its crimespots, so you'll need to do a research to find out which ones these are.

Good luck with your property search .... let us know how you get on.

UK, Ireland / Polish girl married a British guy - when will she become British citizen? [29]


I believe it's 3yrs ... you have to be married and resident in Uk for the 3yrs before you can apply for citizenship. Best to check up with the Home Office to be entirely sure.


troll alert !

Michal .... time for your medication I believe .... the last dose must be wearing off .... otherwise you wouldn't be spouting so much rubbish !

Life / Tradition of blessing food in church at Easter in Poland [15]


we'll see who has the last laugh :o))