Doda is too kitschy and vulgar for my taste... I hope Sara will end up being a more sophisticated singer than her (I can already tell that most probably she will, fortunately :)).
What do you think of the voice of this little Polish gem ?
She's exceptional - it's not only about her beautiful voice, but her singing is very mature and she puts soul in every song :) And she definitely has a star quality about her. Imagine how she's going to sing when she's older! Wow!
At the same time she's a sweet, modest girl :) I just hope her mother will protect her in that big world out there - she's very young and pretty...
For me they would be, if there were people buried there...
Since I was a kid I was taught not to walk on graves, not to step on them or walk over them, because that's disrespectful.
Maybe that's why graves in Poland usually look like this:
And not like this:
At the cemetery in the countryside where my relatives are buried there are all kinds of graves - made of stone or just a pile of sand with a cross, but they're always the size of a human and noone walks on them no matter how old and neglected they are. Some are clearly that old that probably there are no relatives to tend to them anymore, but still you know they're there, even if there's no cross left, because there's greenery growing on them surrounded by a path made by people who's been walking around it for years.
I would feel uncomfortable walking on a grass in such a park knowing that there are dead people lying there.
As for retards with attention span of a goldfish, why should they be of any concern to us? Four pages of an utterly pointless thread.
Yes, it was quite a pointless exchange, because johnny_reb and Joker are simply taking it out on Poland due to their arguments with pawian. On the other hand some of the PF members have shown their true colours thanks to this exchange and we can always use this thread to write about what there is to see and to do in Poland :) It can be useful for people who are actually interested in visiting our country.
We Americans keep trying to figure out what in Poland is worth spending 20 hours in the air, $5000 in cash
For you - nothing is worth it, not only visiting Poland, but also Europe, as you made sure to inform us, so you can stop trying to figure it out already :)))
Disney World sounds like much more fun and entertaining
it's completely irrational to fear for one's safety in Poland, but that seems to be the calculus of potential tourists.
Yes, it looks like it is a concern for foreign tourists. The two international travellers I wrote about in another thread who were travelling around Poland for three months even decided to address those concerns in a separate video, because they were getting a lot of messages from people who were asking them whether Poland is safe now:
Of course, it's ridiculous. Women with kids and elderly people don't pose any danger to tourists. Even with such great numbers of refugees Poland is still a safer tourist destination than many other countries (even than some Western ones).
and be seen to be having fun in a place where they perceive there to be a lot of refugees.
This is a nice, but misguided notion. Refugees from Ukraine are sightseeing Poland too, they're visiting tourist attractions too. They've suddenly found themselves in a completely foreign country and they want to get to know it. And you can't think about war 24/7 or you'll go crazy (although they feel guilty about being safe, while others aren't). Refugees need to relax too and their kids need to have some fun. They also have to have a fairly "normal" life here - they're looking for work, their kids usually go to Polish schools and kindergartens.
Poles will become closer to understanding Russians through housing so many ethnic Russian or Russian-speaking refugees in their homes.
How, if even those Russian-speaking Ukrainians/refugees don't seem to understand you? And I'm guessing that ethnic Russians who are pro-Putin or pro-RuSSia in this war chose to flee to RuSSia. Why would they come to Poland?
I am afraid I would be bored to death after spending a week in Poland.
Good, so don't come to Poland - problem solved :D
However, I doubt you'll ever make it to Switzerland either... :))) Especially that Switzerland is probably too expensive for you anyway :P
Nobody sane in Poland wants Venice there and a million daily "look here" tourists.
Well, for once in your life you may have a point, actually... I've been to Venice and I loved it as a tourist, but... There aren't that many locals living there anymore. It's not only because of the insane number of tourists (and often their behaviour), but also because of what tourism did to that city in general. And because of how iconic/popular this city is rich people from all over the world are buying out flats and even whole buildings there as their summer homes. That makes it an increasingly expensive city for ordinary local people.
I remember that one Pole living in Gdańsk commented under the video made by two Swedes which I posted earlier, that he's actually glad that his city is underrated, because if it gets more popular it will also get more expensive for locals. I guess that as with everything - there are advantages and disadvantages.
i have noticed many young mothers are with strong polish men.
I think it's because Polish men from the younger generation take better care of themselves.
For example, all of my cousins look good, they aren't like some kind of body builders or anything like that, but they do have some muscles on them. They also pay attention to the clothes they're wearing, good cologne, etc. It's the stark contrast to the generation of my father and their fathers (my uncles). It's nice to see that things are changing in this respect in Poland. They're also more ambitious, educated, outgoing, adventurous, they have interests, they travel, etc.
I think you're generalising though. All kinds of men are getting married and have children in Poland.
What about women of this forum ? Do they have also a preference for strong men ?
I do. I like it when a man is well built or at least has some muscles on him. He has to have brains too though and a good character :)
@jon357, I don't claim that Poland is a more interesting tourist destination than Italy or the UK. It isn't. So, if someone from the US, for example, would have a once in a life time opportunity to visit Europe he or she would obviously go to one of the bigger, richer Western countries that are a "must see" in Europe. That's why I asked johnny_reb if he ever been to Europe at all.
However, if someone from the US, for example, has Polish roots and is interested in visiting Poland for that reason, then such a person can spend a few days in Poland and then use Poland as a base to visit other European countries, since Europe isn't that terribly big. You can go to Germany or visit Prague in the Czech Republic or even go somewhere further.
Also, there are people in Europe who've already seen all those "must see" places and would like to discover something new or different. To see different architecture, find out about different history (for example communist stuff) and customs, check out the local food. And Poland is cheaper than the West, so it can be a plus too.
In my opinion Poland isn't boring. There are no boring countries, there are just boring people, imho :) There are even Poles visiting Transnistria, so expand your horisons, people lol
I've seen videos of two travellers-youtubers (an Irish guy and a German-Italian woman) who were sightseeing Poland for three months
Here's a video in which they're summing up their trip to Poland. They've concluded that Poland is undiscovered and underrated and they're planning to come back :):
@jon357, what can I say, I'm a sucker for Christmas lights and not everyone is as jaded and well-travelled and experienced as you are :)))
@jon357, I don't know the exact numbers, in which country there are more churches or less, but there's enough to sightsee. And people from UK, Italy and Bavaria aren't the only people in this world.
the built environment is largely unexceptional unless you come from somewhere like Texas with very little history and the nightlife is either rowdy or boring.
And yet there's plenty of people visiting Poland (no, not just to drink cheap booze, but to actually sightsee the country) and enjoying nightlife here :)
As for "very little history" - you must've hit your head today pretty badly.
@jon357, I didn't "get all worked up" - I am explaining to you why I wrote what I wrote. I'm also debunking your bullsh1t.
Not all visitors get that excited about typical examples of unexceptional architecture
In case you haven't noticed, I'm not inviting anyone to Kielce. My city has never been a great tourist attraction and I never claimed it was.
Indeed, however there just aren't that many
Bullsh1t again. There are historic churches in every city, town and even villages.
Hence the OP getting a bit bored.
No, that's not why she was bored. This thread was set up by an English woman whose partner was "basically a functioning alcoholic", as she put it, that wouldn't go anywhere with her besides the pub and a store and so she was bored. I'd be bored too if I were in such situation.
I don't care if you find them boring. I didn't claim that they're somehow exceptional or terribly interesting. They're a typical example of architecture of that period in a rather small city. And as I wrote that architecture was built in classical style (or neoclassical) - that was my point - that I am personally used to that style of architecture.
whereas in Poland you would be lucky to find historical ones.
Now that's a complete bullsh1t. Churches were actually the type of buildings that was most likely to survive in Poland, it seems to me. There's plenty of historical Polish churches.
Some elements of the interior of that Romanesque Church in Opatów:
@johnny reb, but I don't want people like you to come to Poland, so I honestly won't mind if you stay away from my country and stick to watching castles on TV lol :)))
Aren't I? (...) From Poles, it's usually a kind of form of special pleading, hoping that by making stuff up
Yes, you aren't. And don't be an a$$hole, I'm not making stuff up. But mods are growing impatient, so let us take this discussion to Random.
In Poland?
In Kielce. Majority of tenement houses along the Sienkiewicz Street are built in classical style (maybe it's called "neoclassical" in English, I don't know). In Polish it's called "styl klasycystyczny" or "klasycyzm". The church where I was attending masses since I was a kid is part of a Baroque cloister complex. So every time I would get bored during the mass, I would look at all the elements of Baroque interior inside that church.
There isn't that much.
There isn't that much of what? Of classical (or neoclassical, if you will) and Baroque architecture? I'm not some kind of great architecture expert, but from I've noticed there's plenty. Poland wasn't created yesterday, you know, and so there are all kinds of architecture styles present in this country.
Yes, the Malbork Castle is a German castle, but it's in Poland now, so you have to come to Poland to see it, sorry ;) As for compulsory guided tours - you can choose the audio-guide option and simply take the headphones off, if it bothers you that much.
As for castles in świętokrzyskie - there are only ruins left. There is, however, a fully preserved and functioning Romanesque collegiate church in Opatów:
@jon357, it's not new to me that you're not taking criticism of your nation or anything British too well, so I've got to say I'm a bit amused right now ;) :))
"A shocking Foreign Office report reveals a huge rise in the number of arrests of Britons overseas."
"Arrests of UK citizens in Spain - by far the biggest problem country - have gone up by a third. In France, they have rocketed by 42 per cent in one year."
Isn't it true about that Foreign Office report?
There are many much better ones at home.
But after visiting British castles someone may want to see something different. For example, I'm personally rather jaded with classicist and baroque architecture despite it being pretty and elaborate, because I grew up being surrounded by it. That's why visiting the beautiful and spotless Vienna was a bit "boring" for me in this respect. A lot of Paris is classicist it too, so lets say that not all of it was so terribly interesting for me. But I wouldn't advise other people against visiting Vienna or Paris, just because I personally didn't find some aspects of those cities that exciting.
As for castles in Poland, the Malbork Castle is the largest castle in the world measured by land area (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). I think it's worth seeing just for that reason :)
@jon357, sorry, but if authorities in a given country are actually barring the British from having too much too drink by limiting the amount of alcohol that can be sold to them and where they can drink it, then I doubt it's just a false image created by the media. And as I wrote, I've seen a documentary about it (actually more than one) and I saw with my own eyes how they behave (and they were British, not Polish).
I don't think that many people from Britain would be interested in seeing those in Poland.
In case you haven't noticed - I'm discussing with Americans.
It wears off quickly though. How many castles can one look at?
Well, going abroad as a tourist means spending a limited time in a given country, it's pretty obvious that you won't be there indefinitely. And once you're done with castles, you can move on to churches and palaces lol
Btw, I've seen videos of two travellers-youtubers (an Irish guy and a German-Italian woman) who were sightseeing Poland for three months, as far as I remember, visiting different cities. They didn't seem to be bored :)
I even feel like visiting Łódź after watching their video lol :)) (I was in Łódź before, but that was long ago and I wasn't there as a tourist.)
@jon357, not just by Lenka. The British did have such a reputation, not only in Poland. I've even seen a documentary about it lol o_O Maybe it changed, but it definitely was there, so don't jump on Lenka.
200% agreed but poles thinks it is,NEWBEES in the western world.
Oh, actually, it's the opposite. Poles are often convinced that there isn't anything much for tourists to see in Poland, especially for those from Western Europe, that Poland is poor, ugly, boring and dirty and people in Poland are horrible :))) I had the same mindset until I stumbled upon all those videos on YouTube of foreign tourists, travellers, people who moved to live in Poland (including from the US), refugees from Ukraine or even people just driving through Poland being often positively surprised and impressed with Poland and even Polish people :)
Poles are often shocked that other people like Poland, that they think it's beautiful, developed and... clean! (that's the most shocking part - clean! :O lol) We experience the greatest shock if someone actually wants to live here, because they like it in Poland and not for work or because they've met a Polish woman lol
I agree. I can jump on a jet in Detroit in February when it is minus -20* in Michigan
LOL Johnny_reb, have you even ever been to Europe? You sound like one of those Russians who think that because Russia is so big, they have everything there already and they don't need to visit anywhere and see anything else. That's very narrow-minded, imho. For me such people are very boring people ;)
Btw, Polka music isn't Polish lol 🙄
I don't know what's your idea of "exciting". I think it may be different for different people. For example, lying on a beach and eating pork or chicken isn't my idea of "exciting". Nice and relaxing, sure, but not exactly "exciting". Additionally, I'd get bored of that pretty quickly. For me visiting Paris and seeing the Louvre was exciting. I could spent days in just the Louvre alone :)))
I researchedd Poland and found besides Auschwitz (...) Salt Mine and the War Museum by day four I would run out of places of interest
If that's all you found then you researched poorly or Europe is simply not your thing. From what I've noticed, Americans usually visit Europe for it's historic architecture and culture. I'm guessing that's probably not your cup of tea.
For example, here you have a video of two Swedish guys visiting Gdańsk on their way to another country and loving it (their English is great, btw - they talk almost like Americans!) - one of them is calling Gdańsk one of the hidden gems in Europe:
And the first comment I see under that video is from an American (I'm guessing):
"Sabby S The architecture in Europe is so amazing compared to the the US..."
I don't recall having to return to shop anything I bought in Poland, besides one pair of elegant winter boots that I bought at CCC quite a few years ago. It was a Polish brand - Lasocki and they weren't cheap for me, so I decided to return them and they repaired them without any questions or problems whatsoever.
My mother, who is pathologically stingy, keeps buying very cheap shoes at those "Chinese" shops and she says they fall apart pretty quickly and my father has to glue them up. I don't know if this cheap, Chinese stuff has any warranty though.
Also, if you're buying something in Poland from an internet shop, you can return it within some period of time (usually two weeks) without giving any reason.
There really isnt a lot to do and most places are boring
Strange, because foreigners are often pleasantly surprised by Poland and find it interesting, from what I've noticed.
Nobody smiles either
This is a cultural difference - it's a bit as if a Japanese complained that noone bows in the US. Nobody is as "smiley" as Americans. Poles smile if they have a reason to do so.
everyone stares at me.
You must look very weird then, if that's true ;D, because Poles normally don't stare at other white people.
