Life / Moving to Poland Part-Time (probably Katowice) [56]

Hi guys,

I've read a few of these threads already but none which relate to my situation specifically. I'm looking at buying a flat / house in Poland in July. The reason is partly work but mainly because my girlfriend is Polish and will be moving back to Poland in July, currently she lives in Valencia, Spain. I live in the north of England and will be keeping my house here. And we met in Norway just to add to the confusion!

So I'd like to know a few things really.

1) I'm not really fixed to Katowice, so suggestions for a good place to move to? For work it's important to be close to factories and allied industries. I read about somewhere called Mysiadło on a previous thread which looked lovely. Also, katowice is good for flights and I'll be doing a lot of flying back and forth.

2) Good tips for learning Polish...websites, cd's etc.
3) Any advice about buying a house / flat...is is the right time, where to get mortgage, what I could expect to pay?
4) Any advice on cultures and customs...besides learning the language is there anything else I can do to to bridge the gap with her family...apart from eating kaszanka or flaki.

Thanks,