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Posts by jon357  

Joined: 15 Mar 2012 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 29 Aug 2025
Threads: Total: 74 / In This Archive: 51
Posts: Total: 24956 / In This Archive: 10045 		From: In the Heart of Darkness
Speaks Polish?: Tak

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jon357   
9 Mar 2015
Real Estate / Cheap Poland Flat Pricing online as low as 75,000 zl are these prices real? [26]

I mean there is hundreds of these apartments, multiple pictures and lots of information; Warsaw,

If it's in Warsaw it's too low even for TBS etc.

i would share the website info with you

Try domiporta.pl - it's the main real estate website and the prices are clearly shown. Plus TBS ones are always marked as that.

Although I don't share your views on immigration, skin colour etc, I must say that PL can ne a nice place to live. It can also be a difficult one.
jon357   
9 Mar 2015
Life / Advice needed on Dental implant in Poland [119]

Initially I had some worry that maybe they don't understand English,

Don't worry, they have a "girl" (evidently dentists in Kraków use child labour rather than employing a man or woman) called Magda Matoga whose English looks to be around FCE level, just like yours.

But this is normal for anyone who takes this sort treatment

Nobody called Harvey James (unless they're a Pole who did a deed poll for whatever reason) would use those phrases (and there are a few other howlers in your advert). Really, if you're going to write an advert masquerading as a review (and that doesn't inspire much confidence in your dental practice) you should at least shell out a few squid to have it looked over by someone who can write like a native speaker.
jon357   
9 Mar 2015
News / Is Poland's PO party left or right wing? [15]

They are all social democratic parties in the Western European mould

And fortunately this is the prevailing opinion in Poland, especially in the major cities.

In Poland there are politicians who are so far to the right on social issues that it is hard to imagine them ever operating elsewhere in Europe

Fortunately the electorate are decent enough most of the time to keep those individuals well away from power.

PO is a run-of-the-mill European Social Democratic party with sometimes surprisingly liberal attitudes. They get my vote largely because they aren't PiS.

Pretty well true - life has got better during their time.
jon357   
9 Mar 2015
Real Estate / Cheap Poland Flat Pricing online as low as 75,000 zl are these prices real? [26]

Most TBS are in that sort of blocks. Sometimes the Housing Associations sell leases cheaply however another possibility is that they are either uninsulated or there's an issue with the freehold.

That or they could just be very cheap or in a bad area, though 75k does sound cheap even in the cities you mentioned. In Warsaw, even the tiniest 1 room flat (16 to 18m2) in the worst area starts from 150,000 and there's very little around that price.
jon357   
9 Mar 2015
Life / How To Make the Poland Homeless Happy [7]

A good idea and the new Dowod Osobista (where nobody has an address printed) will remove some of the stigma of having one without an address on.
jon357   
9 Mar 2015
Travel / Abandoned / Derelict places in Poland to visit [22]

Any Polish town is run-down. Appallingly so. Not difficult to find terrible ***** everywhere.

Can't say I've noticed that myself though there are some parts of that city which count as faded elegance. Down in the south west you can still find some places that seriously need reconstruction and even ul. Mała in Warsaw has been patched up now.

Dzierzhinsky

Not really abandoned or derelict place since that photo was taken right in the heart of the capital right outside City Hall. Even far from abandoned, and a part of town that was redeveloped decades ago though visiting Poland one day (and maybe trying to learn a little of the language) would doubtless show you things like that. Just round the corner though there are some interesting ruins, some being rebuilt as we speak. There's interestingly a controversial osiedle that some want demolishing and replacing with offices though that won't happen until there's more money in the project.

There are the old tram sheds in Wola (near ul. Korczaka and behind Dw. Zachodnia) which are worth a visit and only a few stops away.
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
Language / "Cup of coffee" translated in Poland as Kubek kawy. Why not a mug? [70]

At least one in Warsaw and I think elsewhere. You're lucky and will hopefully be spared their presence. They use ones a bit like this. Drinking from them is a penance. Not to be used when wearing a white shirt either:


  • image.jpg
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
News / Next 100 years - Poland as great power? [35]

This one keeps coming back, quite often in threads started by yourself. Friedman is an interesting writer who runs a respected website (one that I'm happy to read) but this is not his best book and many of his predictions are somewhat leftfield. The fact that he's Hungarian by birth colours his views on Central/Eastern Europe and its relations with external powers. His prediction of a Polish-led bloc isn't impossible though not on the scale or at the speed he predicts, nor is the fragmentation of the Russian Federation (though perhaps not to the extent he envisages) and his World War 3 (basically Turkey/Japan against everyone else is pushing it a bit.

His technological predictions are interesting but seem to be missing things - not least advances in physics. His prediction that this decade will be marked by Russian meddling does seem to have come true, though he ignores great swathes of the world.
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
UK, Ireland / IMPORTANT - PETITION AGAINST THE SCRAPPING OF POLISH A-LEVEL QUALIFICATION [8]

Maybe it's changed. JMB used to do one I think, plus the old London board. Did you read this article a few days ago?

But there is a straightforward argument for why Britain should be polishing its polski in the future:

theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/06/polish-language-britain-exam-board-a-level
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
Language / "Cup of coffee" translated in Poland as Kubek kawy. Why not a mug? [70]

Nice pattern. The shape would annoy me though. I don't like tall thin ones either (have you been to one of those cafes in PL called 'Coffee Tube'?).

I used to have some of these from Boleslawiec but gave them to my ex.


  • image.jpg
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
News / Is Poland's PO party left or right wing? [15]

Yes. I'd say they're economically on the right and socially centre right. Whereas PiS (a rival party) is economically on the left and socially on the right.
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
Travel / Flights from Warsaw, Poland to the Northern UK are getting expensive - alternative suggestions? [13]

I think they used to, however there's just a (not always so cheap) cheapie that leaves before 7am - not much cop when travelling from Warsaw. I've used Katowice a few times but am frankly sick of doing that when I live a tenner cab ride from Okęcie.

The Eindhoven route is going to be interesting and does give a little time to drink some coffee. I do recommend the Air Baltic connection though.

Just an update. I didn't do the journey in the end, due to being unexpectedly somewhere else not by choice however did it a month after. It worked beautifully.

There are also some interesting routes via Brussels and I hear that both Wizzair and Norwegian are expanding their Poland-UK services as planes/licensing comes available. A real supply/demand problem for Warsaw - Northern UK flights. A tourist I got speaking to had paid £170 one way on Ryanair. I didn't even know that was possible.
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
Travel / Flights from Warsaw, Poland to the Northern UK are getting expensive - alternative suggestions? [13]

Birmingham and East Midlands are a bit nearer for me but the rest no - Bristol and Cardiff are a long way (my home in the UK is as near to Dundee as Bristol) Hiring a car isn't a possibility for various reasons. Luton is the most convenient on that list however a cheap flight there is not often that cheap nowadays - hence the thread.

I do somethimes use BA to Heathrow (occasionally very good deals on Club Class if you book in advance and once you've made your way round the optics in the VIP lounge and killed a few splits of champagne that covers the extra cost - plus the comfort's always appreciated) however the risk with Heathrow for me is that the queues for immigration are unpredictable meaning that I need to allow a lot of time for the train (therefore a lot of time to kill in a place I don't want to be) or buy a full price ticket for £124.

Using Momondo, there are sometimes some very creative journeys via Frankfurt or Schipol. A lot depends on when you catch them and still staggering really thet neither LOT nor BA fly direct to Manchester.
jon357   
8 Mar 2015
Work / The politics of companies in Poland about providing a relocation package for foreign workers? [8]

Yes

On the other hand, if you mean a relocation to a job provided by the government in Poland, it's another story - they probably have a protocol and should give you more information before you are relocated.

Yes again.

Some international companies may have their own policies however on the whole very few businesses provide an expat package now unless you're in strong enough position to negotiate one.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
Travel / Abandoned / Derelict places in Poland to visit [22]

Merged: Urban exploration in Poland

For those who like Urban Exploration and visiting unusual places (not just urban - many are in the countryside) this website might be useful. For those who don't read Polish so well, you'll find different categories on the right side (like castles, military, industrial, underground/tunnels). Fascinating:

forgotten.pl/miejsca.php?typ=domy,%20dworki%20i%20bloki

They have a facebook page too:
facebook.com/forgottenpl
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
History / Why Is Lipsk nad Biebrzą Called "Lisko Orliscko"? [23]

I suspect it's more likely to be much older. There were very few of that community who survived in PL sadly and those afterwards tended not to be in smaller places.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
News / Why no reprivatisation in Poland? Holocaust-era property ownership. [119]

Who's more likely to have their rightful property returned expeditiously, the Jew or the gentile?

Statistical likelihood relating to ethnicity of heirs is by the by - the legal basis under which the family lost the property is everything. The individual's religion is not relevant.

The answer anywhere on earth is "a citizen" (presumably without a criminal record).

No and no. Citizenship isn't relevant to ownership (though in Poland there are possibly illegal restrictions on regaining property) and a criminal record or lack of one does not impact on ownership.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
News / Why no reprivatisation in Poland? Holocaust-era property ownership. [119]

Jaruzelski, a Polish gentile

I don't think that makes any legal difference to the property issue. That is very much a separate issue. He received the house (or use of it) as an officer, before the Gdańsk shootings. There are many such property issues - buildings and land that were taken under the law. In this case the issue is whether or not the law was applied correctly.

With what "crimes" were the Polish Jews en masse charged, save for being Jews?

Again, crime isn't the issue, it's the basis on which a property was seized. If the property was seized by the Nazi occupiers (whether the owner was a Jewish Pole or a non-Jewish Pole) it was an illegal seizure and if proof of ownership can be established there's a chance of return. If it was seized after the war by a legal instrument, (whether the owner was a Jewish Pole or non-Jewish Pole) there is much less of a chance.

If the heirs by the way are not citizens, the whole issue is complicated further. In Warsaw there are still empty and derelict houses, some of them (the ones in my area, Stare Młociny, anyway) obviously the homes of very rich people.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
News / Why no reprivatisation in Poland? Holocaust-era property ownership. [119]

so long as restitution was considered appropriate.

It all depends on the legal basis (or lack thereof) under which property was confiscated. An example is the ongoing saga about the late General Jaruzelski's house. It was nationalised under a legal clause that allowed abandoned properties to be nationalised for industrial use. Although it arguably had been abandoned (the owner was in New York) it was never used for industry - only for housing army officers. Hence the claim at the moment.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
Travel / Flights from Warsaw, Poland to the Northern UK are getting expensive - alternative suggestions? [13]

I'd looked at that one back in December and although I like £ódż Airport (small and user-friendly, easy queues and close to the city centre), East Midlands at Castle Donnington (the back of beyond) has poor transport links and together with the flight times and travel to £ódż would make a very long and uncomfortable journey. Same with Birmingham flights.

The £ódż-East Midlands flight would be great for someone travelling to Nottingham/Derby/Lincoln etc.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
Travel / Flights from Warsaw, Poland to the Northern UK are getting expensive - alternative suggestions? [13]

I just booked some flights between Poland and the UK and was a bit shocked. These flights aren't around Easter or any public holiday although I didn't have much choice on the days I'm travelling.

- Ryainair Manchester to Modlin started from around £100 (and that's before their various extra charges and travel to Modlin/from Manchester).
- Wizzair Luton-Okęcie is similar (and again, trains to the North)
- Stanstead-Modlin is dear too except for the morning flights (useless if you're coming from the North)
- Warsaw-Doncaster is at awful times of day.

The most expensive were the ones between Warsaw and the North of England. Add on to that, the increasingly expensive train fares in the UK from the airports to wherever you're goung (I don't do coaches). LOT/BA sometimes have good prices, but only sometimes and only to Heathrow, which is a long way from God's Own County and a hassle of an airport especially when your flight comes in at the same time as some 747s with huge queues for security. Travelling to Scotland can be expensive and involves changes too.

It seems that the airlines haven't really caught up with the number of Poles, Brits and others travelling between the two countries. There's now a Norwegian Airlines flight (to I think Gatwick) but really the number is still small considering the obvious demand.

In the end, I found an interesting way. I'm not in a rush travelling out, so:
- A 23zl Wizzair flight to Eindhoven, a quick and cheap train journey from the airport to Amsterdam.
- Time for a pleasant afternoon strolling round the canals, looking at tulips and maybe a nice cup of coffee in a coffee shop, then
- Amsterdam to Leeds Airport on Jet2 (£40/220zl).

For the return journey I'm more time constrained so it's a cheap advance train ticket from the North to Luton and £116 (ouch) on Wizzair back to Warsaw. If there was more time, I'd have come back via Riga on AirBaltic (I did this last time, cheap, a quick transfer there and much more civilised than Ryanair) or Brussels. Bboth cheaper routes than Manchester/Liverpool - Warsaw.

Since quite a few of us here of both nationalitites make these journeys regularly, does anyone have any other interesting and moneysaving suggestions?
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
History / Why Is Lipsk nad Biebrzą Called "Lisko Orliscko"? [23]

Just an idea, but that name could either refer unofficially to a hamlet outside a village or town (a bit like unincorporated townships un the US) or could even be (you'll like this I suspect) the Jewish name for a place (that did sometimes happen in PL). That or somewhere that has been long bulldozed during post-war reconstruction and has something else there now.
jon357   
7 Mar 2015
UK, Ireland / Why English do not like Polish? [417]

haha, it would be hard to find more ignorant people than Brits

Quite easy to find such people really. A statement like the one quoted is a pretty big signpost.
jon357   
6 Mar 2015
History / Why Is Lipsk nad Biebrzą Called "Lisko Orliscko"? [23]

Very unlikely, unless it was a large country estate in which case something would probably come up on google. It really does look more like an old nickname (the rhyming suggests that too - I can imagine hearing that in PL even now). It could of course be a nickname for the farm, but that's much less likely.

Of course there could be the x factor - it could be something entirely different. The question is, what?
jon357   
6 Mar 2015
News / Why no reprivatisation in Poland? Holocaust-era property ownership. [119]

Some are able to. As explained earlier it depends on the basis the property was taken on. If it was nationalised post-war, the previous owners are no more able to claim it back than in any other country. If it was taken illegally during the occupation, there is a higher possibility, though this does not always work.