Travel / Płock or Włocławek? Two-day visit by English-speaking tourists in Poland [6]


Nice river walk for ten minutes. I thought it would be a nice town if the council renovated it. Then the truth was out when I saw a photomontage of the town before the war.

It was even worse than it is now.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

I don't know. That's precisely the reason why back in history I didn't buy a certain secluded property in Katowice next to the forest, surrounded by what I perceived to be agricultural land. With good reason as it turned out, as they built a car parts factory slap bang next to it. There was a glut of brown field sites available - but, the local authority thought hard about it, and decided "Oh no! Let's ruin that quiet green area. That'll teach 'em!"

Successive Polish administrations don't know the meaning of the words "protect the natural environment"

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


I was referring to her indoors's Dabrowa G estate actually, and not sneering at Dirk. Why would I? And it's all about location as we all know. The family house 120 miles from London on the East coast line was snapped up first point of sale, but who wants ruined old property on the peripheries of a Polish mining town (shut down) that was archaic when it was built, and after 40 years of misappropriation and neglect by the commies is well past its' sell by date?

That's why I was "amused" at the Polish way of measuring the land area, and saying "it's in such and such a place, the prices per square metre of developed land are x amount - so (3.25 million zlotys) that's generally how much it is worth".

As you've all been saying , that is clearly wrong. If we believe Jean Jacques Rousseau, it's actually worth nothing. Or rather, what someone is prepared to pay for it. I don't see how - in this instance - that makes me a glass half empty case.


Thanks Johnny, but I heard some phrase which has the same context, different words....

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


I am in a decent place, if you can call a wind-swept seaside town that. OK to retire to if you're Polish I suppose. Otherwise tedious without beer. Now off to the shops as this bloody government has forced me to join totally unnecessary Saturday night queues.

Grrrr!
PS appraisals mean very little in the scheme of things, unless, as your property, there are actually potential buyers interested. The price goes down by degrees every 4 months until there is some sort of interest. How do you interpret into Polish "dangle a carrot..."?

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


So what Kamil? The wife has a so called "appraised " 3 million in property "assets." I'm surprised you haven't heard the news. Several people got trampled to death in the stampede to view. It'll be the same story with you, unless your Wroclaw property is on Gestapo island, in which case it'll never sell, unless the prospective purchaser enjoys being flooded periodically.

Nothing to brag about I would have said.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


I speak Polish to an A2 level. If you knew something about linguistics (of course you do, because like the mother in law, you are an expert in finance, economics, politics, building construction, etc,) then you would know that that is enough to get by perfectly well if you are prepared to negotiate in communication a little. After wrestling with the English language all day, and marking students' dissertations half the night, I always preferred doing whatever to getting down to some good old study of my own.

I have no interest in being a citizen anyway. There are no advantages as far as I am concerned. I do not have contempt for anybody in reality. Only a healthy dislike of nationalists, and tedious know-alls like yourself.

Generally it's a case of live and let live. but if I see a gang of union jack wearing skinheads, all frothing at the mouth, and chanting obscene inanities about foreigners, then I do tend to cross the street, yes. Same in small town Poland.

You seem to embrace yobberry, It showed itself in you imagining that you had identified my daughter (when you clearly had not - but the nasty inference was there ) and you well know it. Yob behaviour. Some of us detest it.

And Ironside, I've had a half bar in the house for the last ten months . Friends indulge themselves from time to time, but I've abstained since the start of the last school year because it's now cycling season. Yes, I am clearly severely alcoholic. But thanks for your concern!:)

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


I can't help it that you have poor recall. You made a personal reference to her in an sms: I don't know about the traceability of the telephone number, but unlike you, I am not personally into all that and would let the authorities look into it instead if repeated.


I think you will find that the people who live in western Poland are against PIS. They solidly are in Tri-City as well, and so it's your gang who would have to do the hasty retreat.

Right - we're all clear then. Back to the bar?

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about:)

And I am rich Dirk. I've got a beautiful daughter, who you also deemed fit to include in your recent stalking of my personal affairs. Now, when we talk about who would be bashing people, for casting aspersions as to my daughter, if you were around, I would in fact be likely asking you to stand up and take your punishment like a man :) :)

And I thought the context was always clear. I referred to the Polish nationalists who were awol from school and never bothered to learn anything about the past.

Why don't we split Poland into 2, like the Ukraine would split along the same kind of lines? You nationalists can have the mosquitoes and your precious forest, or what's left of it, and Krakow, and the educated masses can have the land west of Warsaw. You don't want it anyway, because it's tainted by being German in the past, and is not Polish enough right?

Or at least the majority of it's citizens are against what you stand for.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Yes, you and Porky are the tossers who phoned me and harassed me at home. Next time it will be the FBI come knocking with a complaint for the two of you.

Nobody, but nobody here, is such a serial wanker as you are, so you really speak for yourself in the above post.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Nope. Met her indoors during PRL, nowt to do with them commies. Moved here fully in 92. I don't support communists. You Poles are the fools who bought Jaruzelski's book by the million, and 50 percent of you said he was right to declare Martial Law.

Clueless. If he was British we would have hung him.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Dougpol Towers is not in a "multi-storey block." And at least there is no smell of pig ****. Again, thanks for your concern. Whatever makes people think that their idea of success is mirrored by others?

And I don't know how old you are Dolno. I am 60 - so I haven't "ended up" anywhere yet. People here historically age quicker because they are used to acting old, but you lived in the UK, so know full well what I'm referring to. If you want to attack me because I don't like your obsequious priest loving State hegemony under PIS, you will have to do a lot better than that.


Of course!

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Quite successful in my field at one time til I took a back seat thanks. Spent 10 years teaching at uni and 15 as director of studies of my own language schools, but thanks for the concern.

As for fitting in here in Poland - I don't recognise PIS Poland, no. Poland for me is Central Europe, but you seem to want a Medieval Europe.


Really? Where is the roll eyes smiley when you need it? Ask educated women. But I recall that womens' rights don't count in your world.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

Dirk, you simply keep going on about "Christ is King" - ridiculous religious rhetoric, like "God was for the Huns", and about economic migrants or Islam. I'm talking about the wider picture, just like in a relationship between two people. The kind of daily life we in Poland want, what the future brings, our prosperity, and what we need for a happy life.

Non of this involves the PIS led nonsense of the two concepts in the first sentence.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Wrong thread.
Apart from spending more money than they have, messing with the Constitution, encouraging priests to brainwash the congregation into voting for them, thinking that Poland is a medieval country, being overtly nationalistic and euro-sceptic, introducing more bureaucracy, banging on about "de-communisation" which should have happened 30 years ago and is now palpably too late, bringing in new taxes such as raising petrol costs, being Pro-life which is so passe, promoting a demented individual as Justice Minister, creating a countrywide feeling of Xenophobia and populism (because they have no real economic policies), promoting the coal industry which has 30 years of real life in it at best (and vis a vis not giving a hoot for air pollution), interfering with local politics, messing with the school system that worked perfectly well,being minority averse ( and tolerating hate speech which is action able under European law), and generally being twats of the first order.......

Anything else you want to know? Of course you are clearly a republican, so would think all of the above is normal.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Because one needs to complain to the right people. such as the town hall. But....
There was an advert years ago on TV. A security guard was wandering in basement corridors of an apparently huge building late at night, when he heard a distant telephone call. At the end of a long dark corridor there was a door covered in cobwebs. At great length the guard produced an old rusty key and with great effort opened the door, it making a long groaning noise like in one of the Dracula movies.

There was an old telephone on the solitary desk in the corner of the room. It stopped ringing of course just as the guard was about to pick up, The whole room was full of age old decay, and with a perplexed shake of the head, the guard locked the door carefully and sauntered off.

The camera panned back to the door, with it's hitherto unseen sign.
"Carlsberg Complaints Department."
That is probably a cheap allegory for every Polish town hall.
At least it would be something to be acknowledged - something along the usual British fob-off "I will see to it that your concerns are brought to the attention of the management sir." Hehe...

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


That is correct - a renovation of sorts, on the cheap. A middle class area supposedly, but full of bums - but nowhere to go to the toilet. It stinks. Literally.


Dear oh dear. Look, it's a seemingly strange and misplaced and inane thing for Johnny foreigner that Poles are so proud to be indifferent and seem immune to all the **** around them. Do you think I don't ***** and complain when I go back to my home town and they ring the last orders at the bar at 11 PM?

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

..and it points to the excellent transition of the Polish police into a force that generally serves the community - even if they are useless at actually catching criminals (I cross both Katowice and Krakow police off this list of excellence because they are relatively thuggish, but Tri-City has a tolerant approach to policing, and I have never seen a ruck.)

From taking a sadistic pleasure in jostling, beating and murdering the population just 30 years ago, the police here have regained some respect of a large section of society. America is simply a police state to some of us who admittedly have never been across the water, but are force fed this sort of shocker.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


People who witnessed it will testify (truthfully,apparently) that she did no such thing Johnny. It's called perjury.
The British police also have form for that.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Can't get my head around the premise that in the States, "law enforcement" people are permitted to demand respect, when they in fact are the problem. Never going there!

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

Naw, the OP is some poster (a Pole) playing Devil's advocate. Poland ain't that bad.....:)
Meanwhile, life in Scum America goes on as normal with more police harassment.
theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/01/police-officer-woman-beach-punched-new-jersey-emily-weinman

Any thoughts Johnny? I was on the beach with my dog today, was asked to move on, we all had a chat and a laugh - no unpleasantness or threats. What a scummy situation this film is - makes you want to be tooled up to protect yourself (for a short while, admittedly.......) from the mafia cops.

Classifieds / Flat for sell, near Alchemia/OBC Gdańsk 5.5-6 yield [10]


If it weren't for that pesky Polish navy with it's false sense of importance, the city could build a bridge to link Oksywie to the city centre. Problem solved:(


The other side - nearer the airport...... with the new promenade, it has the potential to become the new Orlowo, if the Navy can be forced into line with it's refusal to allow access from the Navy Port.

Classifieds / Flat for sell, near Alchemia/OBC Gdańsk 5.5-6 yield [10]


Yes, high, but there's plenty of upside. In 5 years peeps will be wringing their hands and saying that prices weren't as high as they thought. I'm looking for a property in Gdynia, and Oksywie is 50 percent of your sq meterage, but we know why. Przymorze waterfront is fun for the tourist with it's bars, so all you need to do is sit on it - unless you need the sale for something else of course. Which is why you're selling, obviously.

If your property were 80 metres, with a sea view, I would have asked for a viewing..... Good luck!
Falowiec is weirdly apparently quite trendy, as you will know. Probably a starter opportunity for young profs.

Classifieds / Flat for sell, near Alchemia/OBC Gdańsk 5.5-6 yield [10]

Size? Price per square metre? What level? Let the dog see the rabbit. It would need to be a tasty rabbit. Fail to see the attraction of Przymorze myself........

Food / Name of a Popular Food Program (Show) in Poland? [9]

I used to go to Maciej Kurons's fish restaurant in Lazy. Splendid fellow!

Life / I'm British in Poland and I think that it's time to go back to the UK! [240]


I don't think so. If Walesa et al hadn't fought for their rights, you wouldn't be free now, would you? I have always, but always, get my money back if I return goods unopened within a week. The times I didn't, I stood at the door availing would be customers of the facts until the shopkeeper caved in and returned my money.

Always worked for me!
My advice would be to avoid shops that don't treat their customers right, such as the weeks' return, no questions asked. Of course, some Polish shops seem to think they can magically get away with sloppy service. Glad to disabuse them.

Life / I'm British in Poland and I think that it's time to go back to the UK! [240]

Yep - terrible back then. Still the customer service still stinks of arseholes today. On Saturday I wanted to buy a dog mat from Zoo Karina, the pet people. I told the girl that if it was the wrong size for the dog trailer I would bring it back and exchange it.

"We don't do refunds" she said, and was stoic when I said it was European Law to refund up to a week after purchase (cooling period?). She said that under Polish law they are correct not to give a refund.

Internet rulez then, and these shops will rightly cease to exist.
I hope DMZ is happy in Aus, and even though Avalon was a cantankerous nationalist, RIP

Law / Poland's ZUS/NFZ payments for businesses [27]

Yes, yes Delph, but in Britain when I claimed for petrol for example, the petrol bills alone were proof enough, as long as they were deemed realistic. Non of this instant recall NIP number business and invoicing, and the subsequent long queues at petrol stations that Poles are so fond of.

Law / Poland's ZUS/NFZ payments for businesses [27]


A pretty spurious argument if you ask me. For example, some ways of making a living are seasonal by nature - but lets not let that stop the government from ignoring that simple fact and screwing people over. It's not as if they didn't have other alternatives, like copying the British model, as the OP has stated.

If they went after tax evasion, which we all know is rife, instead of going through the motions of doing so, then there could be a fair National Insurance scheme.

Law / Poland's ZUS/NFZ payments for businesses [27]


To be more specific, successive hopelessly inept governments don't give a damn. It's a case of, if you are a successful S.C. with relatively large turnover, thanks for the 1,200 zl.

If you earn, say 3000 zl in a slack month, through whichever reason, then, tough luck, loser! And the voters (the rest of Poland of course don't want to think for themselves and are happy to be employed by some entity) are not affected so it's not their problem.

Scandalous. I tried working for the wife for 3 years, but the tax bill was even higher than the 1,200 zl payments, so I'm back with the ZUS criminals. My advice to the OP is to earn lots, then he can buy up forests or other tax dodges and then he wont be paying through the nose like the rest of us suckers.

Real Estate / Warsaw buyer or sellers market? Houses around the Milanówek area [20]

Blimey. That is not good news. Looking to downgrade from Dougpol Towers and I think I will make an offer for my friends' run-down flat instead. Handing 30,000 zlotys or so to an agent would make me physically sick:)