Life / Books, shows and movies set in Poland [16]


So? As long as they're available on Netflix and I can watch them - I don't care :P


I'm not sure what you mean, tbh... I wouldn't say that about some of the TV series that are available on Netflix, like, for example: "Fauda" (Israeli), "The Spy"(French-American, with Sacha Baron Cohen as the main lead), Börü/Wolf (Turkish), "Służby specjalne" directed by Patryk Vega... Also, there are good fantasy and sci-fi TV series where national character doesn't really matter that much (even if it's inspired by some cultures): "The Witcher", "Shadow and Bone" (based on books, of course, like any good stuff, the world seems to be heavily inspired by tsarist Russia among others - pretty unusual and, thus, interesting :)) or those new Star Trek series ("Star Trek: Discovery")...


Thanks, I'll try to check it out :)

@amiga500, I forgot to ask - what is that multicultural TV station that you mentioned called? I have such a TV channel on cable TV, it's called Ale kino+. It usually shows more ambitious films and TV series from different countries. I've watched there Australian miniseries "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (with Natalie Dormer), for example.

Travel / Had the most unwelcoming experience in all my travels in Poland, very unfriendly people. [115]



Well, that's "nice"... Are you going to say such things to your Polish friends too? It's pretty immature and unfair to make such comments based on one visit to Poland and some comments on the internet, especially that, as it has been explained to you already, majority of people commenting in your thread aren't even Polish.


Making death threats is "a Polish thing/mentality"? lol You seem to be jumping to conclusions about a whole nation very easily... I've lived in Poland all my life and I've never received any death threats. I've also travelled as a tourist both in Poland and outside of it and I've never got death threats in any hotel or a hostel. If your story is true then you were simply unlucky. Maybe that guy had some mental problems. What was the name of that hostel and in which city? And what places in Poland have you visited?

This forum had its share of trolls (especially one guy comes to my mind) and you sound like one - hence people's reactions to your thread. I'm not even sure if you're really from the Netherlands...

Life / Birthday traditions in Poland [30]

@owieczkaniewie, you're correct - it's about "Dziady" by Mickiewicz :)

Life / Books, shows and movies set in Poland [16]


Why not? It is global - it's available in almost every country on planet Earth... And there are some good TV series on it...


Really? That's cool :)

Travel / Had the most unwelcoming experience in all my travels in Poland, very unfriendly people. [115]

@maf, yeah, I was also thinking that something else was probably happening in that bathroom... lol


And in Alien's? lol Don't be jelly Cargo, if you work hard enough for it I might despise you almost as much as him :)

Travel / Had the most unwelcoming experience in all my travels in Poland, very unfriendly people. [115]


My thoughts exactly... lol

It's probably Strzelec35 anyway...

Life / Books, shows and movies set in Poland [16]

There were some films made in Wrocław and TV series either entirely or partly filmed in that city... For example, a Polish classic "Popiół i diament" ("Ashes and Diamonds") directed by Andrzej Wajda or another black & white film, but this time a comedy "Ewa chce spać" ("Eve Wants to Sleep"). The second season of an acclaimed contemporary criminal-thriller TV series "Belfer" ("The Teacher") was filmed in Wrocław and Warsaw:

m.imdb.com/title/tt6281238/

All I know is that on DVD/Blue-ray it has English subtitles available.

I haven't seen "1983", but I'll check it out if I have time :)

Btw, fun fact - Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies" was filmed in Wrocław - it "played" Berlin from Cold War times :)

News / PiS politicians` mailboxes hacked. Russian intelligence suspected. [33]


Yes, I can, I even kind of wrote about it in your thread about Territorials :P

Life / Books, shows and movies set in Poland [16]

@Silesia2Canada, I don't have much time right now, but I've tried to think of something connected to a given place, showing it...

So, for now: TV series - I can't say they're my favourite because I haven't really watched much of them, but I know they're popular:

"Ojciec Mateusz" (father Matthew) - rather family friendly based on Italian TV series "Don Matteo" about a "detective" priest. It takes place in Sandomierz - a rather charming city in my region which is more like a small town. The TV series popularised it, tourists visiting the city want to see the places where the show is being filmed, go to the same cafes, etc.

"Wataha" (the pack) - criminal-thriller TV series about border guard unit working on the Polish-Ukrainian border. It popularised the Bieszczady mountains area as a tourist destination.

"Przyjaciółki" (friends/girlfriends) - it's sth like "Sex and the City" Polish style since it's about four female friends in their 30's. It lacks the humour and wit of those American series, but it's watchable, shows everyday lives and is set in Warsaw, so I guess you'd get the feel of the city.

If your family is from Silesia then for historical context - "Sami swoi" - a cult comedy film with the plot taking place after WW2. Very funny :)

As for books - also historical context, this time for the city of Łódź - "Ziemia obiecana" ("The Promised Land") by Władysław Reymont. It was also filmed by Andrzej Wajda under the same title (the movie was nominated for Oscar).

Study / Studying Medicine in Poland with weak Polish? I speak native Slavic language - Macedonian [10]

Hmm, to be honest... tonsillitis is one of the symptoms of "angina", so I'm not entirely sure what's the right translation in English for the whole condition... 🤔

Study / Studying Medicine in Poland with weak Polish? I speak native Slavic language - Macedonian [10]


To be honest I have a hard time imagining this... Macedonian has some similar words to Polish language, but studying medicine is not having a chat over a beer in a bar... How would you pass exams?

As for "angina" in Polish - it's tonsillitis, not common cold or just sore throat.

USA, Canada / Looking to move to Poland within the next 5-7 years from the US and need some guidance on your process. [15]

@geauxlsu32, if you or both you and your wife are going to be retired then I guess the language won't be such an issue as in case when you would have to find a job here, but it's still an issue... Polish is a difficult language, I'd slowly start learning it already if I were you...

Btw, why Poland? Do you or your wife have Polish roots?

As for politics, in 5-7 years time we may have a different government, so I'm not sure if that's a good enough reason to move across the ocean...

Do you know already where exactly in Poland you would like to live?


What do you mean by that?

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [320]


Why shouldn't he? And what kind of bad message?
As for his job - he's the President of Poland and making such gestures is one of the things that presidents do.


Not really, Polish presidents are being voted in into the office in democratic elections and have the right to represent the Polish nation... Just like Yeltsin did when he apologised for the Katyń massacre:

tygodnikprzeglad.pl/jelcyn-przeprosil-za-katyn/

I suspect you don't have a problem with such a gesture in that case?

And, anyway, I don't get it what's your problem - Duda didn't apologise for anything in the name of anyone. He just put a wreath and said a prayer for the victims - it's the most basic, humane gesture...

Law / Polish citizenship by descent for "Brześć nad Bugiem" born 4 grand-parents? [15]

@APoleInBel, according to the info in that link I posted you have to get your Pole's Card first and only then you can apply for the Pole's Card for your kids. Also, if their father doesn't have the Pole's Card he will have to consent to them getting it (unless he doesn't have parental responsibilities).


I know what you mean, when I told my mother some years ago that I was discussing with Russians on the internet, she said that maybe better I didn't, because I'd get into trouble lol I'm not what sure what she meant by that... I can't blame your mum though, no wonder she's worried with all the stuff that has been going on in Belarus these days, I guess...

Law / Polish citizenship by descent for "Brześć nad Bugiem" born 4 grand-parents? [15]

@APoleInBel, 4 grandparents with Polish birth certificates sounds good:

migrant.info.pl/how-to-obtain-polish-citizenship.html

Do you know Polish language?

Do you have Karta Polaka (Pole's Card)? With Karta Polaka you can ask the Polish president for the citizenship, I think.

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [225]


Yes, it looks like it:

sjp.pwn.pl/doroszewski/zmuda;5532881.html

I didn't know that such word exists, I guess it isn't used anymore :)

Btw, guys, I'm not advocating for babies to be called "szmondaks" lol I meant that maybe Sdan's father calls his/her son like that, because he doesn't know what it means (if that word really is "szmondak", that is). It's just a theory though...

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Sorry, but this is a free discussion forum, not Russia :)

Velund, I'm sorry about your mother (if your story is true, that is), but me and other Poles discussed with another Russian living in Moscow for years and his only concern also seemed to be traffic jams in Moscow, not democracy and stuff like that :), even though noone from his family died from a heart attack because an ambulance couldn't get on place in time. I've also seen on YouTube videos ambulances being stuck in traffic jams in Moscow despite the fact there weren't any protests. The drivers simply wouldn't make way for the ambulances. So I'm guessing people's indifference was or maybe still is at least part of the problem. My Russian friend (living in Moscow) wrote that whenever she visited Warsaw she was amazed, because there was always some kind of demonstration taking place, so it can be done.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Nope, he can't. And as you can see - he doesn't even want to. I've seen such discussions hundreds of times, I took part in some of them too. The putinist's greatest worry are traffic jams in Moscow :), not democracy, fair elections, journalists and opposition leaders being murdered, etc.

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [225]


So?


Yes, but I didn't know about that and I suspect many Poles don't know about it either... I had to google the meaning. For me it was a funny sounding name that you can call a person jokingly. I can imagine people using it in a humorous way instead of "łobuz" (rascal) for example...

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [225]

I've never heard "żmuda" in my life...


The only thing that comes to my mind starting with "sh" is "szmondak" (shmondak)...

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


That's true, I've done that myself for photomanips, it depends on what and how many photos you have available though. I had a quick look at photos posted by Velund. The first photo (in the phone) - it doesn't look like it's him. The second photo - the guy is wearing a balaclava, so it's hard to say if it's him or not. Third photo - it looks like him, but he's the only one wearing something around his neck - it could be used to hide photomanipulation. The last photo - again, he's the only one wearing a balaclava. Additionaly, there's something wrong with that balaclava and the area on the right of his neck and head looks a bit fishy - it doesn't fit any of the cars, so it could mean sloppy photomanipulation. I'm using my phone now, so I would have to have a closer look later on my computer (preferebly with high resolution photos).

I've also noticed that he's the only one wearing yellow goggles. The soldiers are all wearing the same goggles.

Since Protasevich was working for a year as a journalist in Ukraine, it's possible he simply accompanied the Azov Battalion, as war correspondents often do. The founder of the Azov Battalion stated that Protasevich "fought" against the occupation of Ukraine with Azov and other units, but as a journalist he was doing it with words, not with a gun. That would mean he wasn't a soldier in the Azov Battalion or any other Ukrainian unit:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Protasevich

Those are my conclusions for now.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Cops don't threaten to blow up such a bus though, with killing all the innocent people on it as a result.

Language / Which books do native Polish people in Poland use to learn Polish? [72]


Oh, I loved that book! And the illustrations! (I had exactly that edition) It taught me more empathy towards animals, because it was showing what dogs were thinking/"saying" - it was written from their point of view. After reading it I started nagging my grandma during summer holidays (which we were spending in the countryside when I was a kid and a teen) to give more and better food to my grandparents' dogs (and cats) lol Btw, my grandma still has such tiled stove as in one of the illustrations :)

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Thanks, maf! :) I'll try it, if I find it somewhere...


lol


Yes, I made ptyś and other stuff as one of the riddles in this thread :) I don't think I ever had it with a pink filling though... Judging by the photos in Wikipedia the filling ineed looks similar both in the waffle bears and the warm ice-cream.

So, the waffle bears are called "misie bezowe" (meringue bears) in Polish, because of the meringue filling - it's light, fluffy and pretty sweet. I've always liked it, as far as I remember. The second photo shows the bears' insides (not for the fainthearted lol):

• 
  Misiecale.jpg
  
• 
  Misiewnetrze.jpg
  

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

@gumishu, two riddles in one day, nice :))


Yes, the bears are made of waffle :)), but the filling has been always white...
Do you know what they're called in Polish? The name is connected to the filling...


Those bears are a treat from my childhood days, I haven't seen them for years, so when I spotted them once in some supermarket I bought them out of sentiment and took this photo :) But I think that when I was a kid they weren't in the shape of bears, it was just that oval shape (without the bear's head and legs), but maybe I remember it wrong...


I've never had them, I only heard or read about them... To be honest I don't even know what they looked like... I suppose they aren't being sold anymore these days?


Piotr Jaroszewicz, he was a Prime Minister of Poland during PRL. He and his wife were murdered in mysterious circumstances at their home in 1992. He was tortured before death and the attackers allegedly didn't steal anything apart from two guns, I think. Some suspects were captured, but they were released because of lack of evidence. Theories circulated that the killers had been looking for information, documents, in Jaroszewicz home office, which could be used to blackmail people - for example, according to one theory Jaroszewicz was in posession of Nazi archives that could compromise political leaders from different countries. In 2017 the case was resumed and new suspects were arrested and accused of the murder in 2019 - members of some gang and apparently the murder was nothing more than a robbery. The trial started in 2020.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

Nope, nothing to do with chocolate either.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

Nope, they don't have anything to do with honey.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Railway stations?


Don't be - those easier riddles are a nice counterbalance to those difficult ones :))


Is this instrument some kind of dulcimer?


At first I thought that perhaps they physically prevent birds from flying into something, but I think you may be right...

Another riddle - what are those?

• 
  zagadka14.jpg
  

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


So, when you posted the riddle: "What is carried in this case?" - did you mean what was in the case when the photo was taken or what's the instrument the case is supposed to carry?


Yes, it's Szczerbiec, the ceremonial sword used in the coronations of Polish monarchs :)


Well, when I make riddles for this thread I usually try to make it at least a bit interesting and share some knowledge about the subject... Also, I mentioned already that my brother was in the army... And I wrote the truth - when I don't want to talk about sth then I simply don't - I don't lie or make stuff up or use smoke and mirrors... if you know what I mean :P ;) And, anyway, my personal life isn't the topic of this thread (I see not only women are curious creatures, huh? ;D).

As for the aerials - they look like the ones on the Kraków's railway bridge over the Vistula river, but I have no idea what they are for...

The sign - I've seen it for sure on some bridge and probably on a factory fence...


That's too easy for a Pole, so I'm going to leave it to others :)

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Is this instrument in one of those black cases?


So it's for one dish, not two (beetroots are not for the red borscht?)?


Yup :)) And do you know what sword it is on the badge?

It's a commemorative badge of Polish Central PSYOPS Group (PCPG) - in Polish it's called Centralna Grupa Działań Psychologicznych. They're an elite unit of Polish Armed Forces specialized in conducting psychological operations and their symbol is black spider on a sword - that's why they're called "black spiders". One former GRU agent blamed this unit in Russian press for protests in Belarus lol Some years ago a former soldier from this unit made it to the news in Poland - he was found in Polish mountains with frostbites, living in some self-made hut. He wouldn't talk to anyone. Eventually he started talking in the hospital, but only in Arabic and English. Fortunately, there was a Syrian doctor at that hospital, so he could communicate with him (that soldier served in Iraq and Lebanon). The doctors figured that he probably suffered from PTSD:

natemat.pl/1355,odnaleziony-w-tatrach-zolnierz-mowi-po-angielsku-i-arabsku-to-nie-pierwszy-taki-przypadek


Do you think I would write about it here if that was the case?? ;)) There isn't even a Wiki page about them, they don't have their own internet site... Do they even exist??? ;D Just kidding... No, none of my family members works for them :)

@Lenka, yeah, I wouldn't have guessed it either...

@pawian, when I was posting riddles during your absence sometimes when I thought that my riddle was going to be difficult someone would guess it right away and when I thought it's going to be easy, people had some problems (like with the dinosaur egg), so you never know... I don't think it was possible to figure it out from the photo itself why the dust bin was tipped over though, so sometimes more hints are needed :)