Life / My first impressions of Poland, long time ago [37]

when i arrived here in 91 i was struck by a number of things.

the video exchange: outside, and all the latest movies... before they were released in the cinema.

audio cassettes sold on the streets, in kiosks and a couple of record shops... all fake. sometimes the music didn't match the label.

Sky tv: when the code changed you simply took the card to that 'special person' and an hour later you were watching tv again. we used to have channel 5 here when my mother couldn't get it in her hilly part of england.

i remember the first Levi store and mcdonalds opening in wroclaw. and the first guy to sell dr martens boots.

there was also the russian markets where you could by the strangest things.

Travel / US visa free "extension" while on a Poland travel visit? [6]


As a nation of immigrants I would have thought they all have one.

yes, i know... a cheap shot by a mod.

Food / Traditional Polish meal for my Polish boyfriend in the US? [71]


that's how we do it in this house.

Life / Things we enjoyed as kids in Poland [140]

I remember drinking the short-lived EB beer.

Life / Things we enjoyed as kids in Poland [140]


i had one of them a couple of days ago.

some of those things from yesteryear are still about.

Travel / Travelling from NI to Poland [32]


it's only bumpy for 60km. And besides I noticed a couple of weeks ago that it has undergone improvement recently. They have repainted the white lines on a 20km stretch.

Life / Animal Rights Movements in Poland [56]


a cow is usually kept on a chain to keep it restricted to one area of pasture and to stop it wandering off. not all fields have fences and gates. i've noticed the same with horses in little, old england.

News / Heavy storm / tornados cause chaos and flooding in Poland [23]

there are some videos on the net. there are/were flash floods. not just in warsaw.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]


one doesn't bribe the professors. one just has extra (expensive) lessons with them.

that's how it used to be.

Genealogy / Valentine Stolarz, Anna Banas, Jacob Mastej, Francis Bil [30]

check the place names at wikipedia. u'll find many places called Zawadka. This is your problem.

Austria = south/south-east poland

use the history of poland against the place names. that way u will narrow down the exact place.

News / Poland and Kresy being reunited? [162]

Do you live in the same Poland as I do ?

Poland is doing just fine as it is.

Genealogy / Valentine Stolarz, Anna Banas, Jacob Mastej, Francis Bil [30]

have u checked Ship's Records.

in one line it sometimes gives next of kin... and possibly a location.

part of your problem is that there are many places with the same name in Poland and u have to find the correct location before u contact the local archive or church.

you may find some records in Berlin, Germany. This would be for those in 'Prussia'

some Ship's Records are located in Hamburg, Germany.

useful sites: jewishgen, family search, genealogy.com, ancestry.com

UK, Ireland / What's the rule on 'the UK' but just 'GB'? [60]

the united states

the united arab emirates

the united kingdom (of...)

united shows a plural. the goes in front of plural countries, islands...

france

spain

britain

no the with singular countries. example: america

Love / 'Battered husbands' - still a taboo subject in Poland [387]

u're right. i'll assume what i heard was bull.

Love / 'Battered husbands' - still a taboo subject in Poland [387]

this might be just a myth, but i'm sure i've heard that 'battered' wifes get issued with a little book and every time the police are called.. a signature and date are entered.

someone please tell me if this is bull or not.

Genealogy / Searching for relatives in Poland: Sobczak, Rutkowska, Jawainck [6]

just a thought:

the place where both names seem to occur most is around Włocławek/Płock.

annieo, do you know where your family are from ?

Love / 'Battered husbands' - still a taboo subject in Poland [387]


but do they know where to get it and will they attend the meeting.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

A lot of posts about students/pupils cheating in class.

What about teachers who give out answers because they think the tests are too difficult. I've had Matura students tell me about this.

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


travel first class and you'll be ok.

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]


which means that if it continues posts will be binned

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]


I doubt it's pleasant.

I could relate a hit that took place in this neigbourhood some years ago. All related to car crime and Polish mafia. For obvious reasons, nuff said on that.

The bad guys would follow a car straight from the showroom... wait for the driver to park... then once the driver had entered his house... another set of keys was used to take the car.

About the time that this was rife many people here were buying steering locks etc.

Sometimes, if you knew who had taken the car u could buy it back for the cost of the parts.

It all seemed to come to an end not because the police had a clamp down, but because of new wealth and the flood of mid to high end motors.

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]


certainly Polish, possibly Russian and Ukrainian too.

for the most part it's all hearsay. it's what u hear from friends of friends etc.

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]


Not quite. it was often little mafia rings that took cars.

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


there are more individuals with their own sense of style in German cities. ten minutes in the area of alexanderplatz, berlin will prove that. the same young Germans in that area have no problem with Poles. Add to this the fact that at least one of the big stores there has (on each level) a plan of the store layout in Polish and German. Poles and Germans get on fine in Berlin, especially the old east.

the germans in the east seem to have something in common with Poland's recent past. there is some common ground. why would they have a negative view of Poland ?

Travel / Wroclaw to Cologne [13]

I can't argue with that.

the cheapest train will cost about 150zl one way, but tickets at this price are limited. you have to book in advance

Love / Marrying a Polish girl near Wroclaw [12]


there are a couple of castles in the area that some folks use for weddings.

congrats btw

Travel / Wroclaw to Cologne [13]

cheap: would be by bus/coach

best: would be to find someone going by car and share the cost. (also cheap)

i don't know if there is a direct rail link.

Travel / Sailing in Masuria Poland - boat rental [4]


i've spent three holidays there.


i can't help with this.

Generally:

most people seem to go where the wind takes them. meaning that it's a truely relaxing way to spend time.

most of what you see is water and the shoreline, which is mainly trees.

not a good idea to swim in the water these days. too much waste in the water in some places.

make sure you have a decent rope when navigating the canals. the reason being that you can sometimes get a tow.

there is a bird sanctuary where low speed and no engines must be observed.

get off the boat once in a while and walk through the forests or along country roads.

there are plenty of bars and places to eat in the port areas.

the mozzies can sometimes be a problem. cover the hatch with a mozzie net.

most boats are about 5m in length.

Life / Do you know any POLISH radio that actually plays music in POLISH? [11]


i think that there is only one, but neither those i know or myself listen to it.

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


if u would like photos of bullet ridden buildings, potholed streets, grime covered buildings, lack of colour as in no window boxes or flowers in parks, inappropriate buildings etc, then i'd be happy to post some.

as for wroclaw we will see no improvement for quite some time as the new, behind schedule, stadium has drained the city coffers.

the fact is that i like Poland and especially wroclaw, but i'm used to the place. it's home.
outsiders have a different view, which should be a wake up call to those who develop the country. a multi-million zloty/euro investment in a depressed area only highlights the surrounding neglect.