Travel / Which train in Poland am I less likely to get shanked on? [30]

Both TLK and Interegio are largely OK. I agree with SzwedwPolsce that TLK are a bit better. The trains with the really bad reputation are the nighttime 'osobowy' ones (daytime is OK), but it's worth mentioning that security has been stepped up quite a bit recently and I've traveled on them often without problem.

It's nevertheless a good idea, if the train is nearly empty or at night, to sit in the first carriage nearest the conductor/s (and security guard if one is there.)

Travel / Poland-My 9-day experience [239]


Well said.

Poland, for all its pluses and minuses, is an interesting holiday destination.

If you're looking for super friendly service, dirt cheap prices and a beach holiday, go somewhere else. If you're looking for good quality and value together with history, clean pubs and unspoilt countryside, Poland is a good place for a holiday.

No Eiffel Tower, hanging gardens of Babylon or herds of wildebeest sweeping across the Serengeti though.

Travel / Poland-My 9-day experience [239]

If you go to the Tatry or Beskidy, the scenery is magnificent. If you take your holidays in Skierniawice or Piotrkow, yes, it's boring as hell. The best way to see Poland isn't from a car window on the main trunk roads.


Yes - it's amazing.


Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Bradford has a thousand Indian restaurants, the National Museum of Film & TV and is on the doorstep of the Yorkshire moors.

News / Poland - the least liked German neighbour. [210]


So what are they doing and why?

Life / Do Polish Marlboros differ? [21]


Yes. I used to work in the factory. The blend they use in any given country is a result of market research to help the cigarettes meet local tastes. The Polish ones contain a blend of some imported (Turkish and American) and mostly local tobacco.

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


Ostensibly perhaps, but he writes on here about homosexuality so often, one wonders why it occupies his mind so much!

Life / As EuroPride visits Warsaw - is it the start of overdue social change in Poland? (homosexuality promotion) [144]


So would you or wouldn't you?

Life / As EuroPride visits Warsaw - is it the start of overdue social change in Poland? (homosexuality promotion) [144]


You wouldn't put your kid in a Toyota?

Food / Polish Preserves, any recipes? [14]

Try elderberry and apple.

Food / Do Polish beers contain adjuncts? [34]


Yes, though I would add that most of them are fizzy characterless chemical swill.

Life / As EuroPride visits Warsaw - is it the start of overdue social change in Poland? (homosexuality promotion) [144]


Who suggested preferential treatment?


You think compulsive theft is comparable to human sexuality?

"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives."

John Stuart Mill

Life / As EuroPride visits Warsaw - is it the start of overdue social change in Poland? (homosexuality promotion) [144]


You are right.


If anything, the various scandals held everything back.

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


This is about profoundly handicapped - the alternative is an institution.


So at least we know what you think. Conservatives never seem to tire of using words they think will offend on the internet.


Couples (or single people) are subject to the same stringent screening process whatever their gender - and couples who adopt (or foster) are expected to have been together for some time and consistently showing signs of stability. BTW, foster care is not an option for such young people except as a prelude to adoption - and I don't see Janet and John queueing up to foster or adopt a kid who needs 24 hour specialist care and has a low life expectancy. Do you?

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


Jaroslaw is considered by many to be homosexual himself.


The main exception being that they can be fired from a job on the grounds of sexuality with no redress.

By the way, why "orphans"? Most adoptions by same sex couples aren't orphans - they are teenagers who are often profoundly disabled, that nobody else wants, and who are adopted by healthcare professionals. Before supporting legislation that cruelly denies these youngsters a way out of the institution, why not adopt one yourself

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


We are. However the Europride these days has an international focus, and I mentioned three issues current in PL.

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


Except pensions, inheritance taxes, employment rights - and most specifically the legislative situation in certain countries - some still have and use the death penalty.


Most lesbians and gay men don't lose much sleep about whether or not heterosexuals "accept" them. If someone dislikes them, so be it. If someone dislikes them and has a legislative tool to hurt them with - it is a different matter.

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]


People ram things down your throat at "gay pride marches"? So don't go to them.


"They" want equality treatment under the law - not better; not worse; only equal, as do we all. "Societal views", whatever that is supposed to mean, are irrelevant.

Travel / How much PLN to take with me on my trip to Poland, Wroclaw? [10]


Budget for around that if you include accommodation and want to travel or go out at night. You can spend less if you shop for food carefully, but the 2500 average is misleading, especially for cities. You won't need insurance if you are a UK resident - look at the NHS website.

Food / Activia/Danone - why so popular in Poland? [13]

Even the people who make it privately admit it doesn't work. But, Poles often like to drink Kefir, yoghurt, soured milk etc., so the market for such products is quite sophisticated - and Poland has endemic hypohondria and is already a big market for useless 'cures'. A snake oil salesman's dream.

Life / Second hand English bookshop in Warsaw [7]

The best place is the Sue Ryder shop on ul. Bagatela, at the end of the street by the corner with pl. Unii Lubelskie - most books 9zl and they have a big selection in the back room too.

Language / So why did you give up learning Polish? [105]


In many people's situation, far more - even (especially?)nearest and dearest. That's why it's worth persisting.

Language / So why did you give up learning Polish? [105]


Or more pertinently, how many of the people you know, speak with most often and are a big part of your life are Polish speakers? This is the reason people learn Polish, not the number of overall speakers of the language.

Food / Gluten Free - Celiac available in Poland? [4]

Try Kasza Gryczana - it is everywhere in PL and gluten-free.

News / New cross war in Warsaw [530]


Who suggested anything about the exact spot? Though organising a stone set in the ground shouldn't be too difficult, even for PiS supporters.

News / New cross war in Warsaw [530]


No doubt there will be more than one.


No more or less so than anywhere else, but some politicians in former Warsaw Pact countries are perhaps more vindictive and mean-spirited than people might be used to in western Europe or the Americas.

News / New cross war in Warsaw [530]


For ever? Following that line of thought they may as well leave the decaying wreaths of flowers too.

History / The Untold Battle of Britain [205]


In fact America, Britain, and the rest of the world ceased to recognise them when it became clear there was a functioning government operating from Warsaw.


This is normal practice after a regime change. They still (both governments in exile - for a time there were two) continued to operate from the UK until 1990.


Your point becomes mere sniping since you fail to suggest a practical and achievable alternative.

Work / Some opinions about current pay rates (normal pay per hour for housekeeping in Poland)... [19]


Yes. 60 - 80 is a fair price though many people pay 50. I always paid 60 plus occasional tips. I know Poles who pay 20-30 for the same service (even in the capital) though that is too low to be ethical.

News / Komorowski won Poland's presidency vote? [125]


Check the meaning of the English word "hindered". Also check your knowledge of the Polish legislative system. It is bicameral and has a constitution - these together provide appropriate checks. LK however used his veto to hamper (even hinder) the political programme of a democratically elected government.

News / Komorowski won Poland's presidency vote? [125]

But good news nevertheless - at least Poland will have a president who doesn't use his presidential veto against the elected ruling party.