My trip to Poland - I hated Katowice, loved Krakow, and adored Bielsko

You're making my point for me really.


It relates to the English Civil war.


Cov has also been 'regenerated'. This word however is just a euphemism for 'we've built a load of overpriced city centre flats that are now in negative equity, and opened a few bars and a Starbucks'.


I was trying to give an example of something remotely positive about Brum. It was either this or spaff about how its 'the home of the Balti'.


Blind loyalty is never good.

Im certainly not blind to the bad point of the Midlands..I havent even lived there for 20 years and Ive still got the accent, which believe me is a social hindrance! I was jkg about Spaghetti junction.

I love this comparison of Midland towns to Polish ones though. Perhaps we can start a comparison of other towns in Poland to ones in other countries... maybe even do a bit of twinning.

Since we have a number of Coventry residents or ex-residents on this thread and since I am currently working there for at least two days each week for my sins, I would like to ask them a question.

Please give me the name of a pub in the city centre where I can get decent beer without getting a severe kicking or volleys of verbal abuse. I'm sure there must be some!

I think Cov is twinned with Warsaw. The only thing they have in common though is that they were both flatten by the Gerrys. In the post war reconstruction Warsaw went for a recreation of their pre war buildings whereas Cov went for the new concrete monstrosities. I reckon Warsaw got the better deal. :)

I'v had good beer experiences in the wetherspoons on Trinity Street, i forget the name... But as a rule I tend to leave before getting too involved on a night out... I dont think Coventry is a safe place to go serious drinking...

I have come to that conclusion. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll save my pennies, abstain during the week and fly off to Krakow for the weekend then.

This thread should be renamed "Birmingham over shadows my trip to Poland".

The Brits are colonising again. Run to the hills, ha ha ha.

Are you Brits just doing this because Poland is one of the countries you didn't rule?.

Anything said, can and will be used against you in a court of law.

We'd rather have Krakow than Birmingham?

What would happen if a place in Poland was likened to Cork or Limerick?
Would people start posting about bark bottle-stops and five line rhymes?

Never having been to Birmingham, I wouldn't know but youz don't seem to think much of it (except the origianl poster)

I am still trying to figure out what "capital of culture" means? Is it when a particular city has high unemployment, they try to inject some investment in to it by giving it a funny title?

An auld Limerick about Krakow would be great, I will get back to you on that one.

i only wanted to talk about my trip :(

Ended up talkin bout all sorts of unrelated stuff...

You still can....


This has a note of familiarity, check any other thread about Poland....

I have been to Bielsko as my aunt lives nearby and my cousin recently moved there. Just went there for the day and took the train in. What was it that you didn't like about Katowice.

apparantly it looked too much like Birmingham :)

I thought Kraków was like birmingham.

And you know what? I'm not justifying my comment to you again.

Katowice was run-down and old, dingy and dark. It was intimidating and dirty. Overall it was probably the ugliest city I have ever been in.

This is my opinion and I'm done explaining it

Who are you talking to? This is your thread so you dont need to justify your comments to anyone. Sorry if we got carried away with our Midland talk, it was just a bit of fun, didnt mean to trash your thread. Please carry on.

Fair play to you, ha ha ha
about time you told everyone to shove it, it is your opinion and your prerogative.

I agree with sapphire, carry on, i think it was all in good jest.

Tell us more about your trip to Poland and compare it to whatever you deem necessary.

Back on topic

I did a "crazy communist tour" and they brought us to Katowica, it was very interesting.
I thought it was especially clever, for various reasons,
1) the place is a dump
2) communist built

so these guys were clever enough to turn the whole thing on it's head and create a business out of it.

I arrived in Katowice in 2006 and I immediately became agoraphobic (OK, well, only for a day). I stood on my balcony in Superjednostka (the huge apartment block in the centre) and looked down on the broken roads and paths filled with scagheads and skinheads. It was grey and dark.

Anyway, since then I've briefly lived in Italy, Bielsko Biała and England but I'm now back in Katowice. Wow, things have changed. Better dressed people, coffee shops, bookshops, pedestrian areas that are primed for street cafes. Rents are up (unfortunately) and building work is being done everywhere. If only they could do something with the station. That place is ugly!

Krakow is fabulous. Stunning. Bielsko Biała is pretty much the squares, Listopada and the mountains, though. Beautiful but small.

I LOVE KATOWICE!!!

Im from Helensburgh (small town near Glasgow) but i have lived in Katowice for over 2 years now. Its not beautiful but i love the place. I have never had any problems or "scary" experiences there and im short (5 feet 3) and i cant fight :). Its all a load of hype especially about the train station, its very ugly but not dangerous. If u know any locals they can show u some great pubs, clubs, restaurants etc also i find the locals are very friendly. I live in the city centre and i have walked and staggered home at all hours of the day and night and..........Ive never had a bad experience. Alot of my mates and family have been over to visit and they have all had a great time and no problems, several of them have visited more than once.

Give Katowice a chance :)

Well, we Poles took London, Brits can take Katowice.

You know what's funny - everytime I see the british flag here (and it's 2 years now) I wonder: "What a strange flag, what happened to polish one???"

and then I realise that's ok, it's britain ;D

What did the Brits expect putting a huge gherkin in the middle of the city?
like a moth to a flame,
the Poles went in their droves.


Give'em an inch....


I think the exact same thing here,
bloody English schools think everybody in the UK speak like the queen,
boy oh boy,
are their students in for a shock!.

No never, nothing like Birmingham.

Did you know that there are at least 10 Million people now living in London.

I would imagine it's quite crowded there now. Wonder how many Polish people there are in total in London now ?

:)

Where is this is Krakow, I have never seen this. Please let me know exactly how far it is from Krakow. I would like to visit this.

SeanBM:
I think they should build a huge vodka-like building near gherkin. It would be awesome!

Lir:
I would say 500 000 just in London?

Assume you mean Polish people who came into the UK in the last ten years or so ?

There aren't many Polish people where I live, I expect that is because there is no Polish Community in the area.

:)

in last 5 years. and believe me - they are there, you can cant notice them ;)

I've heard good joke in "2 pints of lager":
Janet tells Gaz about statue of Jonny(?): "He sees everything. He is everywhere. Like God. Or polish people"

The longer I live here in uk, the more I appreciate this series. Absolutely brilliant :D

It is IN Krakow.
Take the tram no. 18, 19 or 22, get off on Kapelanka (near the UFO-like bank building), go down Twardowskiego St (5 minutes walk). Enjoy.

...jeeeezz... Now, that's what I call ugly :D

Oh I think I have lead a rather sheltered life! I lived there for a number of years and no one told me about this place. The only lake I knew was Krispinow.