Life / Double decker bikes are getting popular in Poland? [18]

I'll have a guess - does it pivot downwards as speed decreases or do you pull a lever to lower you as you brake?

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]


Awwww no no no, psychologically even that would be too much.


Hmm, yes I think I've already met those two Dutchmen!

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

31 HOURS? NO TOILET? A total nightmare for many of us I can assure you.

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

The coaches appear to be less than ideal, been unable to speak with the person suggested in the post above, if anyone knows of anybody travelling by road via the tunnel happy to have a paying passenger, please let me know the price, will pay the driver as we set off in cash.

Law / Those of us in Sterling GBP are having our backsides kicked [35]

5-05-2010 1 x GBP = 4.7341 PLN GBP PLN transfer rate on 05/05/2010
4-05-2010 1 x GBP = 4.5825 PLN GBP PLN transfer rate on 04/05/2010

Anyone recall what gave GBP a boost or PLN a kick between the 4th and 5th May 2010 to cause the Pound to gain an unusual amount of ground overnight back then?

Bureau de change here in Poland offering 4.27zl today, around the lowest its been for some time.

News / New road taxes in Poland? [13]

Is this compulsory road pricing and toll roads across Poland now with no alternative fast roads to use? Yet more costs... sigh...

Law / Those of us in Sterling GBP are having our backsides kicked [35]


Looks like a well-known British/American chocolate firm is feeling the pinch too with GBP so weak, as a good few of its exec staff were on my budget airline flight recently.

Law / Those of us in Sterling GBP are having our backsides kicked [35]


Yes, not so good at all.

Is Poland set to raise interest rates at its central bank? If so, is that already factored into the poor forex of the £ and US$ v the PLN I wonder.

Law / Those of us in Sterling GBP are having our backsides kicked [35]


That I realise, but the Bank of England are kicking the pound deliberately too IMHO.


Will do.

But the problem with wage increases is surely that it causes the cost of living to again rise as purchasing power of individuals rises? Then you're back to needing wage rises again, round and round? Maybe I'm guessing wrongly but it seems likely to be a never-ending trap.

UK, Ireland / EXCHANGE RATES BETWEEN POLISH ZLOTY AND BRITISH POUND [73]

Locally in the city centre at the moment, the GBP seems weak, at near its weakest ever against the PLN. The boards are saying they will give you 4 zloty 25 gr per one UK pouund (ie £1=4.25zl). Just a few days ago it was 4.41zl

This may be the result of the Bank of England's numpty Mervyn King - listen to what he said to the Commons' Select Committee. A major face palm moment, although he may just be trying to devalue the pound to boost UK exports (a policy that has not worked so far in 2 years). If the BoE continues to keep base rates at 0.5pc and talk of money-printing again, well... it ain't rocket science. Question is, what will really happen given the Greek and other factors?

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]


I've heard the same from Poles I know here who used to travel on the coaches to the UK. They also told me it used to be fifty quid return!

I can also recall a low cost flight back to the UK last year I took that had a drunk man and his friend (Polish I think) refuse to sit down and then staggering around the aisle as the plane came into land over Stansted. He shouted a bit as the crew tried to seat him and that then set the young passengers off wailing. Imagine that but for 13 hours, not much fun, I'd not want to pay 429zl for that.


There was a bloke the size of a small mountain sitting at the back of a bus I was on, using the Polish word for tart seemingly at every woman on the bus it seemed. This went on for 20 mins. No, I was not brave enough to tackle him and neither did anyone else, he was enormous.

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

A grateful thanks from me to you, Gumishu :o) Much appreciated!

gulp 429 zl on the coach even booking 5 weeks ahead !!

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

Thanks Gumishu. Do Sindbad have English speakers on the line? I tried to understand their online timetable last week and seemed they were only going via ferries from the timings.

Language / Learning Polish...looking for a software package? [10]

Thanks Vincent :)

Language / Learning Polish...looking for a software package? [10]


Got a link? I can't find the free one. Thanks

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

Thanks Wroclaw Boy, I noted his details down in the past for removals etc, will poss give him a bell for this too, cheers

For 551 334 143 am getting the not valid number message

Nevermind, give this a bump and see if anyone knows which coachline goes via the tunnel

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

Hi Teflcat,

September, very rough, mega bad.

I need to accompany the cases, so prefer a coach to a shipper, but thanks for the recommendation, might need them in future for something else.

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]


Did dover bolougne many years ago - I would never do a ferry again ever after that.

Travel / Which bus from Poland to London via the Eurotunnel? [27]

Yes, and never again.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Over on this forum, the bulls have gone very quiet lately housepricecrash.co.uk

I am seeing quite a few for sale banners and signs outside older apartments in Poland, as well as big signs outside the new blocks.

And as an outsider admittedly, still have observed the price per square meter in the cities here seems well out of step with average salaries, leading me to suspect high multiple mortgages are being loaned, high deposit values from families (or Bank of Mum & Dad as it's called in the UK) are being given, or foreign money is buying. High multiples and bad mortgage debts have huge dangers - some of you PMd me to say that Polish banks are very careful. If they turn out to not have been so careful, will the Polish central bank do a Mervyn King and slash rates to 0.5% and say to hell with inflation as they have in Britain, pretty much? I just wonder if Poland really is doing so well or is living in lala land like Eire was.

Blue touch paper lit I suppose, but had to get it off my chest.

UK, Ireland / Polish burglars 'tied up pensioner and stripped her of jewellery before leaving her to die [28]

The newspaper article in the UK ends with "Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons."

After the Facebook juror contempt incident, this is becoming a greater issue in the UK. In most or all US states, things are different. But there are strict rules for jurors in the UK. (Facing jail)

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

DD, thanks. I could post so many contradictory things I hear from so many different people I bump into that it would risk trying your patience, so I won't. Thanks for taking the time to give me a flavour of things. I hope whoever wins the election they strive to genuinely put the welfare of non-racist, non-homophobic, decent Poles and Polish residents first. (I would like to say the same for the UK, but there I have totally given up all hope.)

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]

Some of the packet soups by Wienary, I may return to the UK with a suitcase load...

Of course, the beer, I have been unable to go wrong so far.

Bigos (hunter's stew) does nothing for me, but stuffed cabbage is a hit.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


You are genuinely or ironically stating the newspapers here do not lie or spin in favour of one party over the other? Seriously? :o) In the UK, much of the Press has party bias, that is well-known, and I would not put it past any UK papers to tell porkies (porky pies, slang for lies) to favour who they back.

...edited to add...


Some Poles say to me (particularly older ones) in not very good English so maybe I misunderstand them, but they say stuff like PO are too chummy with Russia and the EU and selling Poland's assets for a song, and too matey with Putin etc etc etc. What's the truth? I don't know, obviously. I just smile and shrug when they say that.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Thanks DD, certainly I have come across disturbing reports just now when I googled re the homophobia. Again I do not know enough about things here to say anything worth reading, but I am very much against homophobia and very much against racism or anti-Semitism etc. On the other hand, UK mainstream politics is full of quiet t*ssers anyway that I wouldn't trust further than I could throw, I am fed up with the lot whether Labour, Tory, LibDem, PO or PiS etc. They all talk and nothing good gets done.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

DD, thanks. Yes I keep hearing vague stuff like that about PiS from some Polish people in the UK, but when I asked some other Polish people here in Poland they said there was a smear campaign against PiS in the press. And as you say, one of the twins or brothers was friendly with jewish folk.

I really am confused about where the truth really lies, there's lots of spin in the UK press too, so you can find it incredibly hard to get to the truth of it all there too.

Teflcat, I will sit on the fence a bit there, not sure after the New Labour IMO mess. Now I see the Tories are wimps and the BoE governor is now a Sir, so they all seem the same cr*p to me.

Seanus, I think the Telegraph says it's been going on for 20 years with that group, not just suddenly

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

DD/Seanus,
This Jewish group has apparently even met the Pope and are all over the web, apparently with a history dating back to 1936. Although personally I'd never heard of 'em before.

Seem legit to me, even the Pope met 'em. ejpress.org/article/47779

So PiS is against this Jewish group and their compensation claim (but not Jews in general) I take it?

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


I'm an outsider so asking genuinely - what is it motivating you to keep PiS out? What repels you?