Life / Polish Attitudes toward America [36]

Lindsey Graham, an effeminate neoconservative anti-Trump senator

Life / Polish Attitudes toward America [36]

Is Roger5 really Miss Lindsey?

Travel / Activities for Children in Warsaw's Old Town [3]

Very helpful link, thank you.

Travel / WARSAW OLD-TOWN RESTAURANTS? [25]

Merged:

Restaurant recommendations in Warsaw's Old Town

In addition to our time in Mragowo, we'll also be spending two days in the Warsaw Old Town. We'd like to find a couple of quality restaurants in the Old Town with a casual family-friendly atmosphere (3-year-old child) that specialize in traditional hearty Polish food. I seek to avoid places offering hipster, new-age, or foreign cuisine. I've read the reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor, but you never know who's writing these. I think I can get better advice on this forum and would be very grateful for it.

Travel / Bank ATMs at Warsaw Chopin Airport [8]

Thanks. I've heard stories of Germans trying to withdraw money outside the eurozone and the ATMs asking for a 6-number PIN. Does this ever happen in Poland?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Based on the all helpful information I've received here, we plan to first withdraw money at an ATM at the Warsaw Chopin airport, then take a subway/bus to the Warsaw Central Station, then a train to Olsztyn, then a bus to Mragowo, and finally a taxi to the hotel.

Any tips on what bank ATM at the airport to use and where it is located?

Can anyone give some advice about how best to get from the Warsaw Chopin airport to the Warsaw Central train station? We will have a good amount of luggage and a child with us, so I would guess a subway might be more convenient than a bus. Any tips on which subway line to take and how to find the departure platforms in the Chopin airport?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Great, that sounds straightforward enough. Do you happen to know whether taxis out there would have child carseats?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Which restaurants in Mragowo do you recommend? We're looking for good-quality traditional Polish food (but no fish).

Jon: What bus stop should we get off at? Are there several in Mragowo?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

The hotel has assured me that their staff speak English. I will rely on them for help as a last resort.

I'm too lazy to learn Polish.

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

A nice and fairly new 100 square meter apartment in a nicer part of Frankfurt can easily get over €2,000/month. It would be rare to find places that expensive in Berlin.

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

My god those are some low prices. If the absolute worst case scenario involves having to pay €16 for a ticket that should cost €1 or €2, I think I can live with that. Thanks so much for your input. Now I just need to figure out which bus stop in Mragowo to get off at for Hotel Mercure Mragowo.

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

The problem with booking in advance is that we can't be sure about when we'd arrive in Olsztyn. The flight could be delayed or our train from Warsaw to Olsztyn could be delayed. I'd rather pay a bit more for the flexibility. Based on your experience, what would you say is the maximum a bus ticket from Olsztyn to Mragowo could cost per person if purchased at the station immediately before departure?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

OK. Is it easy to catch a bus from Olsztyn to Mragowo? Do the buses leave from the Olsztyn train station? What bus service is the best and how can I see the departure times and prices? Thanks!

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Why is that road so dangerous? We will be driving during daylight hours on a Sunday. What is the safest route to drive to get to Mragowo. I'd be willing to take a longer route for better safety.

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Thanks for the information. We're going to look into getting a car. I'll have to ask whether a child carseat is provided by the rental car company.

What about the best way to exchange euros for zlotys? Is there a bank at the airport with an ATM?

Life / Why are the lines in supermarkets the slowest and the longest in Europe? Usually only very few employees work [18]

Have you ever been to a store in Germany? I'd be happy to only wait in line for 20 minutes.

Law / Poland's Laws and Regulations: Health and Safety, Licensing, Crowd Management, etc. [11]

Merged: Health and Safety in Poland

How would you assess Poland with regard to health and safety regulations and their actual enforcement in practice? What about smoke detectors, circuit breakers, quality of electrical wiring, lead in water, bans on burning garbage, contaminated foods, etc.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Russia has a 13% flat income tax, one of the best in Europe. Poland has a marginal rate of 32%. That's a huge difference, especially given that both countries are fairly poor.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Kündigungsschutz it's called. Kündigungsfrist is the notice period the employee must provide when quitting.
There are a number of Germans who abuse the rule, taking 6 weeks or more of paid sick leave every year in addition to their 6 weeks vacation. It's nearly impossible to fire some who is lazy but thick skinned and can withstand harassment aimed at making him quit. The system in the US us ok, no protection but really high pay. Poland unfortunately seems to have the worst of both worlds.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

What the hell is the point of having a 3-month probation period at all if an employee can be fired just as easily thereafter?
It's unlikely that Mr. Trump follows Polish Forums, but if he did, he'd tell you you're hired.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Looks like they'll be making me an offer of around €5,000/month, which everyone keeps saying is like 5 or 6 times what the average Pole earns. Nevertheless, 5k is not really that much in a country like Germany, and especially not in the US. Prices in Poland aren't really that much cheaper than Germany I've found by researching. About 1/3 cheaper I'd say, which is nowhere near enough to justify the low wages being talked about on this forum. I'm really willing to give Poland a shot, but I'd need about €7,500/month to be worth it. We'll see what happens.

I know a guy who passed out drunk in the client's parking garage with a bottle in hand and needed to be taken to the hospital. He wasn't fired.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Point taken. In other countries with similarly high taxes like Germany, however, simply sucking is rarely sufficient for dismissal. I would expect high taxes and high job security to go hand in hand.

Could someone with experience working in both Poland and Germany give their take on this please?

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

So you're saying an employee who has passed the three-month probation period can still be fired or let go for any reason, but the employer has to provide a one-month or three-month notice period? That doesn't sound like very good job security.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Thanks, my company will be taking care of all that for me. Any thoughts on the "permanent" employment contract? I just saw some nice apartment ads in Wroclaw offering air conditioning! That's impossible to find in Germany.