Life / Jack Strong ( Film about Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski ) [48]


No.


No


Yes.

Remember that the Cambridge Four were acting out of political conviction and for what they believed was the good of their country. We still regard them as traitors as many, many people in Poland regard Kuklinski as a traitor.

Real Estate / About to move to Warsaw. Any advice on where to live? [31]

Yes, that's him. Working next to Blue city. See above.

I agree that KS could be a little quiet however 15zl in a cab and you're in the heart of the city. Also, you might be surprised by how much there is going on within a 5 minute walk. If I was single, KS or the middle bit of Saska Kepa would probably be where I'd live. I found Zoliborz a bit staid and elderly but with all the drawbacks of living nearer the centre. Pretty though.

Another possibility would be the area at the back of Zloty Taras however that's a little further from Blue City and could be noisy. Plus the area by Rondo ONZ doesn't have a great reputation.

Real Estate / How easy is it to rent an apartment in Poland prior to moving? [11]

I see. Don't worry, renting is very straightforward - often there's no contract involved because the owner doesn't want to pay tax. A pain if you need a contract so you can claim the cost of the apartment from work, but easy enough to find somewhere that's perfectly legal.

I've never heard of anyone sorting out the accommodation before they come. The few times I've needed to find an apartment it's taken no longer than 2 weeks to get a good one.

A nice place to start is Gumtree.pl (a bit like a European Craigslist). Good luck apartment hunting!

Life / Jack Strong ( Film about Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski ) [48]

Did Kuklinski commit atrocities and then say "I was only obeying orders", as you weakly analogise? No. He did however commit treason. We don't laud Blunt, Maclean, Vass etc as heroes (unless we're extreme anti-establishment). We do however expect that an army officer does not pass on strategic information to the other side, no matter how noble he believed his intentions were.

Real Estate / About to move to Warsaw. Any advice on where to live? [31]

Warszawski, there are some homes (even flats) like that in Stary Zoliborz (an area I've just moved out of after a few years) - however most are worth far, far less and in fact you can pick some of the more modest flats up for not very much. Still a good area though.

By the way, a lot of people in good areas are very much cash poor. Not everyone raises credit to invest based on the value of their home. Most don't. And homes in Warsaw generally take longer than that to sell, despite 99% of them being cheaper than the price you mention.

Not much use to the OP though who wants to be nearer his work at Blue City. I'd recommend Stara Ochota (the bit often called Kolonia Staszica). Nice housing stock, a safe area and near his work. Can be expensive though in which case the other side of pl. Narutowicza might be a good bet.

Real Estate / About to move to Warsaw. Any advice on where to live? [31]

I wouldn't call Stary Zoliborz the most affluent, unless you mean asset rich/cash poor. Nor would I suggest that state housing necessarily drags down an area - there are council blocks in Belgravia after all and in Stary Zoliborz all I can think of off the top of my head is the Kolonia on ul. Promyka where flats are no longer cheap and the bits down by the citadel entrance which are fast becoming gentrified.

The mix of housing (plus the constant influx of people) in Warsaw does mean one big thing though. That there are very few truly bad areas. Even Szmulki is looking better now.

Life / Jack Strong ( Film about Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski ) [48]

That's it for you maybe. I've heard plenty enough people express the opposite opinion and even more people say that it's a grey area.

Nobody likes it when a soldier or other public official breaks their oath. Especially when their colleagues don't.

Real Estate / How easy is it to rent an apartment in Poland prior to moving? [11]

Most landlords don't require documentation. They may ask, however the rent being paid is what they're concerned with. As for flats before arrival, there's no point, in Warsaw or other big cities anyway. Even in smaller towns you can usually find somewhere quickly. If you're Polish I'm surprised you need to ask.

Real Estate / About to move to Warsaw. Any advice on where to live? [31]

There are some nice neighbourhoods. The old bit of Saska Kepa, the nicer parts of Zoliborz, the far bit of Bielany, Stara Ochota, for example. I wouldn't include Marina Mokotow in that though, unless a huge gated estate counts as nice.

To the OP, I'd recommend Stara Ochota. It isn't cheap but is a nice area with a few good restaurants and bars nearby, is very close to the city centre and close to Blue City. Otherwise,the area round ul Grojecka is cheaper and pleasant enough. There's also those flats behind Blue City, round ul. Pandy. That might be a bit quiet for a younger person though.

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]


The margin for the accession to the EU was far too small to suggest that the country as a whole was 'desperate'.

The educated middle classes were keen, however many were not, sadly.

Work / English lad looking for work in Poland [39]

Anto. you'll be out of luck. The reason that so many Polish people have to leave their homes and travel to foreign countries to get work, whether they want to or not, is that there are very few jobs here in Poland; and certainly nothing at all for someone of your age and skill level.

News / Polish Doctor Burzynski finds a cure for incurable cancer [22]

Probably because it isn't 'a cure for in curable cancer' at all.

UK, Ireland / British workers filling majority of low-skilled job openings - welcome back home, Poles! [8]


As long as the builders are sober enough to do it right maybe.

Though people fought long and hard for certain standards of wages and if salaries are constantly forced down, who will the consumers be? Pixies?

Genealogy / My grandmother's last name was Krolik, is this name Jewish? [66]


Hopefully the story will stay buried. If your mother had wanted you to know, she'd have told you. If you found out what it's all about, you may well not like it. And cousins that you don't know aren't really family.

Genealogy / My grandmother's last name was Krolik, is this name Jewish? [66]


Not that bizarre. Siblings just sometimes dislike each other for a whole lot of reasons. In any case, it's usually better to leave old wounds closed.

UK, Ireland / British workers filling majority of low-skilled job openings - welcome back home, Poles! [8]



We also have a minimum wage - something that people fought for. Though that's pretty close to rock bottom anyway.

Travel / What is the cheapest way to get from Modlin airport to Warsaw? [106]

What price do you do the run between Modlin and Metro Mlociny for?

Travel / How do I get from Chopin airport to Pole Mokowskie metro? [14]

Yes. Or 188 bus to Metro Politechnika, whichever comes first - it doesn't make much difference except that 175 is more frequent.

I'd be wary of these online things - they are very often inaccurate (and the 2 mentioned here use the same software so it isn't one confirming the other).

I fly in/out of Okecie 20 or 30 times a year and have been using that airport for years. Most people if not using a cab would just get a bus to the metro as I often do.

Travel / How do I get from Chopin airport to Pole Mokowskie metro? [14]


That's among the craziest suggestions I've ever heard here. Did you get it from a website and have you ever been to Warsaw?


A taxi would cost closer to 40 than 20.

There's are buses from the car park right outside the arrivals hall (you can't miss the bus stop - there are always people waiting so you'll see it as soon as you walk out of the airport door) to:

Metro Centrum (2 stops - 7 or 8 mins -away from Metro Pole Mokotowskie) - the 175 bus, and to
Metro Politechnika (1 stop - 3 mins -away from Metro Pole Mokotowskie) - the 188 bus

They run from early morning to late at night several times an hour. There's a ticket machine in the bus stop. As Sobieski says, don't forget to validate the ticket (in the yellow machine) as soon as you get on.

News / Polish Doctor Burzynski finds a cure for incurable cancer [22]

You mean it was all a conspiracy by doctors to prevent the advancement of medical science? Amazing how they did it without all those other doctors, nurses and other clinicians noticing.

Come off it.

Love / Confused . . . did I Misunderstand Him? Found out he is from Poland. [13]


If he's 30 or 40 years younger and you're a cougar, why hesitate.

If its just a 10 or 20 year difference, that's small in the scheme of things and since you evidently go to the gym, I doubt you look like Queen Victoria.

Go for it.

Study / Looking for a top ranked university with affordable tuition, good FT rankings in Europe? Kozminski University! [2]

If you're posting about a private 'university' you might take a bit more care with spelling and grammar. It frankly comes across as trying a bit too hard. Is your name really Matt? The way you write English suggests it isn't.

And if you're advertising an EMBA thinK about emphasising quality and especially flexibility over price.

Life / What is a Multiplexer? Could someone please explain? [5]


We do. Most European countries use them in one form of the other. In PL, people like to talk about technical details whether necessary or not. You'll notice this in Media Saturn when people are firing lists of pointless questions to the sales assistant when you just want to buy something and go.

It's just a system combining several input systems into one output Basically transmitting data (either Multiplex TV or, phone called or internet etc) through one cable or channel rather than many. Which makes it cheaper.

At the moment they're setting up a multiplex TV platform - not unlike the UK's digital free-to-air channels. There's some very minor but loud controversy about allocating slots because one particular TV station wants a slot without meeting the financial conditions.

History / Alexander the Great - Macedonski. Poland connection? [254]

Pure comedy. Talking away (or rather copying and pasting from other for a) about something that only some people in only one country (entirely unconnected to this forum) are concerned with.

Life / How many British citizen's live in Wroclaw? [9]


No. Not in the UK. You can give any address when you apply for a passport. Since 9/11 banks want to see a utility bill or a tax or other government letter when you open an account as proof of address, but then again, you can give any name you like to the electric company and any address you like to the tax office. Anybody can add themselves to the register of voters. I use an address that I've never actually lived at, simply because I can receive mail safely there.


I bet there's more than you think, living quietly in the suburbs - maybe you don't notice them unless you hear someone speaking.

Life / How many British citizen's live in Wroclaw? [9]


Zameldowanie in what sense? The concept of a Meldunek doesn't exist in the UK.

There was the old Foreign Office LOCATE service but there was no real need to use that if you live somewhere safe in Europe and in any case it was scrapped worldwide last year.

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

That other bit of Hala Mirowska?

I'm off there with a large empty shopping bag then!

Language / August - What does it mean as a word definition given by Google Translate? [13]

And nobody's bothered to explain to the poor OP that się is the reflexive pronoun meaning not very much on its own which google translate read (because for text messages people usually write ę as e) as Sie. which is the same as Aug.

Law / No residency permit or PESEL number - worried that I'm here illegally [15]


Like that, but plastic and looking like a Dowód Osobista. I lost it a year or so ago (off the side of a ship!) and haven't bothered to replace it - if I need ID, I just use my spare passport.


Same here, before EU entry. My work used to sort it out. I remember it took ages to apply for and when it arrived, they must have backdated it because it was almost expired. I only had one, because it was easier to pop me on a train to Berlin. Then I just stopped bothering and nothingbad happened.

USA, Canada / Looking for Polish beer in the United States [39]

I wonder if they did a special edition of it as a one off for export?
Nothing shows here: beerme.com/brewerylist.php#K but these are breweries not brands.