Travel / Which places in Praga, Warsaw are MOST DANGEROUS at night? [15]


Ul. Brzeska? Very different now than 20 years ago (there's even art shops thee), and even ul. Mała round the corner has improved. There are parts further north round pl. Hallera which still have the same character however no real bars. Thees a couple of 'old school' beer sheds by Rondo Starzynskiego if they're still there and of course Chaplin's on Targowa. I hope that one survives the lockdown.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Pork Scratchings? There are plenty of brands (most of them unknown pub ones). I've never seen any in Dealz.


It flies off the shelves here in Warsaw, however their range is an odd one; heavy on confectionary (a lot of it Ukrainian), a few breakfast things that Americans buy but Brits and Poles don't and brands of tea that most supermarkets sell.

What puzzles me is the various brands of Poland's national dish, instant ramen. They sell ones with unusual Japanese flavours that I see people pouring over but not buying. It all tastes the same to me As you say, Poles tend to buy crisps there, which are better than the local brands and are unfamiliar to me. Probably specially made for that chain. They do sell liquorice allsorts, unbranded but made in Pontefract (so genuine). A lot of Haribo sweets of the type that are popular here, though cheaper because of the way the chain buys in bulk from the Pontefract factory.


Don't be so stupid and trollish. Why the hell shouldn't people discuss what's in the shops here in Poland? If you ever visit, you'll be able to see for yourself what there is and isn't in the shops, instead of trolling a discussion about a Polish shop chain that you've never heard of.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


I was in Dealz today. Apart from sweets, tea, biscuits and breakfast cerea (and only a limited selection of those things)l, the only U.K. food they had was Heinz ketchup (this is the land of bloody ketchup) and 'Ye Olde Oak' hot dog sausages (unsold for ages since this is the land of parówki/berlinki).

I blame brexit.

UK, Ireland / Advice about UK life insurance options [27]


This may well exist, however it's certainly much rarer than in the UK due to state financial death benefits, funeral traditions and probate rules in each country.

Most funeral services in the capital will have dealt with foreigners though. For repatriation (cadaver or ashes) they all use the same specialist logistics services (since different countries of origin and destination have different rules)

Off-Topic / "the butched launch of cyberpunk" by the economist (Poland in denial again) [19]


Botched?


Following the market. Normal really; they have to cover their costs.

History / Świętowit/Svetovid, God of our ancestors - Does He watch over us even now? [47]


No more or less than other Slavic deities (which all correspond to deities in the other pantheons). In Poland now, they seem to prefer the creator God (Prabog, or nowadays just Bóg), much higher up the pecking order than Svetovid the 4 headed god of war.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1450]


My granny used to make it; it's almost the national dish of Scotland. Brings back fond memories, however I'd rather they stay memories.

Some people like it, and I see various types of instant porridge on sale here.

Here, I only use oatmeal for crumbles or biscuits.

History / Will Poland rebuild classical buildings? [24]


Largely no, due to costs and tastes. There's a project to rebuild (part of) the Saxon Palace in Warsaw however it is taking a long time. People here prefer skyscrapers right now.

There are plenty of neo-classical (and similar) mansions in the countryside that are shells and will probably stay like that. Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą is a good example. There are even more that are in poor structural condition and often have disputed ownership.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


France, Germany, Italy and Spain would disagree with you there. As would a few other countries and most people that aren't deluded.


Hard to know what you actually mean by that, if anything...

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


Wow; I've been there but didn't recognise it. Busko and Pińczow are both well worth a visit.

UK, Ireland / Advice about UK life insurance options [27]


I did this too. You can file the papers with your lawyer who will deal with everything.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


We'd all survive (and the UK now has to). The question is: at what cost?

They didn't exactly win friends or influence people. Even though they had one of the largest armies in Europe and one of the largest military budgets.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1450]


It's not very nice. If you're there for any length of time, you need people to bring food in.


I will try this.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1450]


Some people have raw tomatoes at breakfast here. Cucumbers too.


Jajecznica is very similar however it tends to be overdone compared to scrambled eggs. Just people's taste I suppose.

UK, Ireland / Advice about UK life insurance options [27]


The undertaker would normally take instructions from your next of kin. In the absence of instructions, they'll just keep you on ice.

Travel / Weird and wonderful Polish train fares [79]


A few times (from Warsaw to Łódż and Katowice) I've found first class tickets for a lower price than second class).

UK, Ireland / Advice about UK life insurance options [27]


They wouldn't be involved; they don't operate the undertakers or the mortuaries..


Your family in the UK would need to contact a local undertaker in their town who would bring your body over (they are used to doing this). It is expensive, however it's possible to be cremated (without ceremony) in Poland and have your ashes sent over instead.

Any undertaker (nowadays the UK ones mostly belong to large chains) is used to managing this. For an insurance policy, any standard UK one would do. Specific ones for funerals don't cover international issues, however a normal one is fine providing it pays the money into your estate; the cost of the funeral is then taken from the estate during probate.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


It was normalised long ago.

PiS do not have a valid claim.

UK, Ireland / Advantages of living in Poland as opposed to the UK. [126]


Lack of opportunity to see the sea without flying. Poland doesn't have a large (or good) coastline. The beaches round the Tri-city can be fun since they're city beaches lagrely however they're still full of people and the sea isn't good to go in.

I had a weekend in Kołobrzeg (very Teutonic in appearance) a few years ago. It is a strange place. Some decent bars and restaurants, but otherwise very sub-Bridlington. Sort of Skegness with pine trees.

For a holiday or a weekend break, inland is better. I prefer Świętokrzyskie for trips.

History / Pre-war or today's Poland? [50]


They're obviously not coping with the current situation.

Chilling when you think how much they admire pre-war (and PRL-era) authoritarianism.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


He's flogging a dead horse (and beating a horse in the Polish sense), and advocating for PiS.


Exactly this.

History / What have the Germans hidden in Poland? [28]

Sadly no. Part of the beauty of amber is that it's an organic material.

It dries out fast. Centuries-old amber jewellery is rare. Sad, because there'd be lots in Poland. There are a few church altarpieces with amber detailing; if they're in good condition, that's usually because they replace the amber elements as they dry out.

History / Secrets of Polish Freemasons at the National Museum, Warsaw [9]


In Poland, probably yes.

Remember there are several different organisations in Poland, some large, some small. People tend obviously to be most familiar with their own. The person you were speaking to may not be familiar with the women-only or the mixed groups which can be large.

The make-up od individual Lodges also varies from city to city.

About museum presentations on the matter, there was also an excellent one at the Regional Museum in Płock not long ago, and a couple of smaller ones rounf the country immediately pre-lockdown.

Life / Are Poles suspicious of Facebook? [50]


Remember, Covid has doubled or trebled this.


Working nicely and achieving more and more.

History / What have the Germans hidden in Poland? [28]


To conceal it during the occupation. It didn't work.


Amber dries out very quickly. In the Amber Museum in Gdańsk the (few) old pieces are heavily restored and fragile.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


The London Agreement


The Two plus Four Agreement.

Jaro (and a deceased person who closely resembled him) have been rattling this particular sabre for nearly 20 years without any other effect except perpetuating the feeling of martyrdom and hard-done-by-ness that they politically depend on. Absolutists need enemies, and if they haven't got them, they have to try to manufacture a bogeyman.

If it had legs, they'd have actually done something more substantial than grandstand to the domestic media and issue diplomatic communiques that are wisely ignored.

Just hot air.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


There you go again. Remember, low grade rhetoric isn't a substitute for accuracy.


Really?


It doesn't, actually...

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


Unfortunately you're parroting more of the same. Some questions for you:

- Which court (if any...) has jurisdiction to rule on financial reparations for WW2.?

- In which year were all reparations finally settled?

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


You're confusing issues, perhaps out of desperation.

There is no possibility of further general state-to-state settlements arising from WW2.

Kaczynski's sabre-rattling is intended for home consumption only, as you well know.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


Did you think I was talking about that?


Where? The international courts don't deal with WW2 reparations any more.

The PiS whining about this is intended entirely for the home market and is to say the least undignified.