Travel / Cancel PKP ticket possible with refund? [3]

i believe so - at least you could 6 years ago ...

if it's still possible, don't expect to get the full value back, though

/cjj

Life / Driving in Poland, Zebra crossings in stupid places? [26]

From my experience of a local (busy) roundabout, and the way people drive round it, it seems like they're as surprised as me when they leave ...

And don't we just *love* the strange 'cobbled' areas which look decorative but are usually considered as "extra road if you run out of tarmac bits" - at least they let the locals drive straight across the Chwaszczyno one without even a twitch to the steering wheel.

Law / No Karta Pobytu anymore for EU citizens ? [8]

I needed a passport for millenium bank about 3 months ago -- whether or not KPs were being issued they didn't want one. quite happy with my passport though.

/c

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]

Ah, I remember the year they were building the roundabout in Chwasz and the detours meant dreadful traffic jams. I made the mistake of actually *stopping* when the traffic-light went red in front of me. Tosser from about 2 cars back jumps out straightaway and in no time at all is banging with his fists on my window screaming at me that I must have nothing to do and that some people need to get to work in the morning.

So I duly abandoned all signs of feminine self-control and screamed back at him in relatively filthy English. I wished afterwards I'd laughed ...

At least he didn't reach in for my throat - that was the low-loader driver a few years previously...

And then there was my boss a few years back - he was driving to Warsaw with me in the passenger seat. Car in front, car coming: and what does he do? Decides there is indeed space in the middle of the road and pulls out to occupy it. Sure there was space - he was straddling the white line and there was about 6 inches on each side.

neanderthals, the lot of them.

Real Estate / How much to build a house in poland [7]

and don't forget they tile garage floors here :)

Life / Fireworks! Where to buy them in Poland (3-city)? [13]

Be careful Griff :)

A few years ago I was at a similar event in Sopot -- which included a van full of police arriving at the front door. A neighbour had reported our host for illegal fireworks and so the polis turned out in what looked to be close-to-full riot gear.

Had to be talked down to the state where they realised they were dealing with a foreigner who hadn't the slightest idea he was breaking the law.

I don't know how much bother it would be to get yourself a permit ...

/c

Law / My father is 100% Polish, mother is 0% Polish. Citizenship in Poland. [29]

["No, no, no. You don't have a right to your money. You have to help THIS guy over here. THIS guy, who doesn't work because he doesn't want to. THIS guy who doesn't strive to better." Obama has promised that to give people who don't pay taxes cash back. Where does this cash come from? It's from hard working people like myself.]

You're coming to Europe to escape this? I think I've missed a point somewhere ...

/cj

Life / Help Needed, Which Snow/winter tyres tires to buy in Poland? [7]

Hi Tee,
This isn't my text - I asked someone who has bought tyres in the past (in Trojmiasto)

"These are big rims - so tyres will be big too, though I would think 400 was a bit much unless they were tall tyres, like for a 4x4, which these are not, I think.

Please note that two things make a tyre a "winter tyre":
1. thread - obviously
2. softness of rubber - summer tyres get very hard below 7 degrees Celsius - and hence less traction, though no tyre - except a studded one (illegal here) - will grip on ice!

I will phone around my suppliers and see if I can locate a set that is reasonable quality and still an affordable price - but it may take me a day or two to do it - OK?

Wojtek
"

Back to me : what are your current tyres? Are they all-season or specifically 'summer' tyres? Might be worth checking their specification online to see what they're capable of...

Also, don't forget about snow chains. If you plan to do any countryside driving you might need these. They're a pain to use but sometimes there's no other way ...

Oh, and with regard to countryside driving: be prepared - carry a shovel in the boot...
/cjj

Life / Help Needed, Which Snow/winter tyres tires to buy in Poland? [7]

It might well be that the biggest problem you have in the winter is with other drivers. The urge to tail-gate doesn't leave people just because it has snowed ...

Life / NHS/NFZ assistance for British expat [12]

Are you near Wrzeszcz?

Life / NHS/NFZ assistance for British expat [12]

I asked because there's some NFZ outfit on Grunwaldzka just up from Aleppo. Not sure if they do 'basic' doctoring, but I *do* know that the receptionist speaks English :)

Life / Help Needed, Which Snow/winter tyres tires to buy in Poland? [7]

Just got this update ...

"I have asked my friendly tyre person and got the following info:

You should be able to get good winter tyres for your size at 350 zl, balancing and putting them on included in this price.

e.g. Kleber or BF Goodrich (both my Michelin) or Winterstar (by Continental)
Do NOT use the Polish Kromoran!

I have often used Kleber in the past and did not complain

They also have (still had as of this morning) used tyres of that size for 250 to 350 FOR A PAIR, so it works out125-175 each, including putting them on, balancing etc.

They are a friendly out of town shop in Osowa
Ul. Kielenska 157
phone: 58 - 552 86 65
"

Life / How to wire a plug in Poland? [16]

>Anyway I just checked in my house and sometimes the live wire is on the left side and sometimes on the right side :)

This is what you get - from our experience those nice, neat double socket plates force the wiring to be reversed from one side to the other.

Any time we wanted to force consistency on the wiring we had to settle for 2 separate single sockets mounted side by side.
That was 5 years ago so it's possible things have changed for the better.

c

Life / How to wire a plug in Poland? [16]

I wasn't implying laziness -- merely that consistency hasn't been considered necessary.

Another thing that surprised me was the stiffness of the cables - I presumed it was because they weren't ducted but rather buried directly in the walls (and plastered over) and therefore needed to be resilient ... However, it meant they were especially difficult to bend - it could be that "left" or "right" decisions were simply "this is the way the cable lay". :)

And don't get me started on "why should the cables go round the top of the walls rather than the bottom?" :D

/c

Work / Any advice to help with my move to Gdansk/Gdynia in March 09? [20]

Hi,
Welcome (in advance) to Trojmiasto.
Can we ask what the job is?
Living here will be 'different' but the locals seem to have a similar sense of humour to the Irish (what part of Ireland are you coming over from?)

/cjj

Work / Any advice to help with my move to Gdansk/Gdynia in March 09? [20]

Yes, I've heard of ThomsonReuters. In Gdynia, yes?
I'm originally from Enniskillen ...
/cjj

Work / Any advice to help with my move to Gdansk/Gdynia in March 09? [20]

My husband is Polish so the rest just happened (eventually).

I'm a software team leader so no teaching for me...
/cjj

Life / What to wear for winter in Poland [51]

What not to wear might be more helpful ... e.g. avoid mohair berets.

Travel / Train Stop Closest to Gdansk Airport? [6]

Nope.
There is a link planned - but it hasn't been built (started?) yet.
I'd suggest taxi or bus

Life / Does anyone compost in Poland? [3]

I compost. Badly, but I try.

Getting containers wasn't easy (memories of buying them from the city in canada) - in the end got some used large plastic drums with lids and bored holes all over. ..

We live in the country and our farming neighbours all keep a pig ...

Work / opportunities for architects in Wroclaw? [6]

You are sure that an architect in Poland has a similiar job profile to one in the UK ?

Travel / Nice place to holiday in the North of Poland? [26]


Note that during the later part of the summer, the water is often out-of-bounds due to algae. The water is very quiet, gets very warm, and then turns red and icky.

We've given up heading for the beach there and head north instead -- either the north coast proper, or somewhere on the north side of the Hel peninsula.

Chałupy, on the Hel peninsula, gives easy access to both the Baltic and the Bay of Gdansk.
villabaltic.pl/ : never stayed there but know the people who own it and they speak fluent English.

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]


I'm not sure about culture-shock, but I miss
.. speaking English at anything near native-speaker speed
.. being able to understand people around me in the street
.. being able to talk to my children's teachers
.. Irish bacon
.. people with a similar outlook on life to mine
.. working with people who had similar attitudes to their career
.. being able to make jokes and have people understand them without killing them by explanation
.. having any sense of shared history and culture with my neighbours
.. friends with whom I could just sit and chat
.. places to go in the evening like gyms ... sports complexes ...
.. shops that are open on Saturday afternoons
.. being able to read the instructions on medication
.. being able to talk to my doctors in good English
.. being able to walk into a bookstore and just browse ...
.. long Irish evenings at mid-summer ...

ok - that's me started - how about you? what culture shock are you experiencing ?

/cjj

Travel / What is a milk bar and are there any still remaining in Poland? [14]

Trojmiasto has some - main street in Wrzeszcz has two :D

News / 20TH ANNIVERSARY FÊTE MOVED FROM GDAŃSK TO KRAKÓW [5]

makes for less traffic chaos in gdansk ... i'm content
(memories of bush's visit when they closed the road into town)

Life / Polish city streets - why do trucks go around spraying water on them ? [28]

and why not in Gdansk ....

Food / baby food in Poland - culture differences in feeding babies. [23]

He didn't get it. We addressed the anaemia with iron drops and I kept to my own ideas of what he should have and when.

Iron drops .. now there's a dilemma. The instructions said to give them half-way between meals on an empty stomach. Just the thing for a strong-willed, fast-growing baby who wants his stomach to be constantly full of formula :D

Food / baby food in Poland - culture differences in feeding babies. [23]

Rot in children's front teeth is very common here -- baby bottle-mouth.
Young children - 3, 4 years old - with a line of black teeth along the front.
That must say something about what the babies are being given to drink, and how.

Life / Why build a supermarket with 20 checkouts with only 3 till staff? [46]

I don't weekly shop in Tescos anymore. In my experience there will always be 4 or 5 people in front of me and I will wait at least 10-15 minutes.

Now I only visit for specific items and walk away if I have to wait. My time my money my decision. I lived in Canada and it spoiled me -- customers are treated there like the cash cows they are. Here they seem an inconvenience to the otherwise smooth-running of the store

On the contrary I've had no problems with Real. Sure there are queues sometimes - but there are usually a dozen or so tills open and more often than not I get straight to the belt.

UK, Ireland / Irish Primary schools to teach Polish [223]

This should be a startling experience for children* - and I would be curious to know how they're going to manage to teach it (effectively) ...

oh, and what "enhanced earning power" it will give them in later life (presuming it's not just to let them understand what k*rrrrrrrrr** means as they hear it muttered in the playground)

*re the whole idea of declensions / conjugations / whatever

oh ... and this bit: "Northern Ireland primary schools "
... would those be Catholic primary schools or Protestant primary schools ?

overall : what a strange notion ... (but is Ms R not given to strange notions? how many grammar schools do they have by now setting their own entrance tests?)

p.s. i think the Protestant schools should be forced to teach Irish, but that's just my 2p-worth :)