Law / I was fined for not having a tram ticket in Poland. How does this affect me? [68]

You shouldn't have trespassed in the first place. And now it is pay-up time. Why do you judge yourself better as people who live here, and have to pay?

Life / How do the Polish feel about air pollution in their cities? [35]


It is a bit of a surprise that Bielany is doing so well..Arcelor Mittal (Huta Warszawa) being so close by. But maybe it has something to do with the fact they installed some years ago very strong filters on their chimneys...And the abundance of green spaces nearby (Las Młociński, Park Młociński, Las Bielański and Kampinos) for sure helps as well.

Law / I was fined for not having a tram ticket in Poland. How does this affect me? [68]


And why wouldn't ypu pay your fine?

Law / Does anyone know the process to get long-term residency (stała karta pobytu)? [9]


In practice it is for ever as well. But yes the card is only valid for 10 years, automatically to be renewed. The interesting bit here is that is NOT a karta pobytu. Mine is a salmon-red piece of paper looking as a passport page printed on 4 sides, stating 'Dokument potwierdzający prawo stałego pobytu".

It is my understanding they are only issued to EU citizens, but I might be mistaken.
And you cannot get one of these if you do not have a "meldunek stały".

News / Y Shaped high speed rail line Poland [78]


The money spent on this 30 minutes (billions of PLN) should be spent on everyday commuters.

News / Y Shaped high speed rail line Poland [78]

I do not know where you live...but part of the Warsaw ring road is finished (southern half).
As for high-speed railways... It would be much better if they invest these billions in upgrading the existing network, repairing all these ruined stations. Pendolino & co are PR-wise maybe cute..l.but it does not help the everyday commuters. Yes, they are not the capitalist expat big shots travelling first class Warsaw-Kraków, but they are the mainstay of PKP.

But then, upgrading the local train network around Warsaw does not make sexy headlines. Personally speaking, I do not give a fig about these high-speed lines. Travelling to Kraków 3 hours or 2 hours 30 min...what's the problem? What I do care about is that there is a decent.clean and plentiful local train network.

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

Valley Spire is in my local Lidl in Warszawa Młociny now stocked on the regular cheese shelves with the "nowość" sign on it. So it looks like it will be permanently on sale.

News / Y Shaped high speed rail line Poland [78]

There is no dedicated high-speed line in Poland. The only line designed for high-speed trains is the CMK (Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa) Central Railway line.
This is suitable for speeds up to 250 km/h and runs between Silesia and Warsaw, and has a length of 224 km.
But this is used not only by IC and EC trains, but also by the slower IR.
During speed tests in December 2013 the new Pendolino did 293 km/h on the CMK.

Life / Up-to-date prices for Driving Lessons in English in Warsaw? [5]

Hi, if you have a valid driving license from another EU country, there is no need for that.

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

I tasted for the first time the beers from the Koreb brewery, at the Christmas Fair here in Warsaw. Really good stuff. We talked a lot with the co-owner. They are mainly a local £ódż area brewery.

pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browar_Koreb
koreb.pl
He explained that they brew their beer in a traditional way (not like the chemical soup called Żywiec), and so the bottled ones only stay drinkable one month at the most.

They produce foremost for the £ódż area.
I am looking for a place in Warsaw where they have it on tap.

News / Car theft in Warsaw (the most popular cars among car thieves in Poland) [54]

From what I read in various articles, that's one possibility. Second one, they steal them for spare parts. Given the price of spare parts for Japanese cars...

Still the drop in numbers of cars stolen is remarkable.

News / Car theft in Warsaw (the most popular cars among car thieves in Poland) [54]

Merged: Top-4 of most-stolen cars in Warsaw 2013


warszawa.gazeta

According to police statistics the top-4 of most stolen cars in Warsaw during last year is as follows:

1. Toyota - 388
2. Honda - 386
3. Mazda - 184
4. Volkswagen - 117

In Warsaw during 2013 (until 26 December) 2108 cars were stolen (plus 896 in the 10 districts around the city).
For 2012 the number respectively was 2102/729

And a whole lot better if you look at the statistics for 2001: 11500/3500...

For Poland as a whole the most-stolen car is Volkswagen.

Love / Rejected - Rafal thought I was ugly? [85]

I am still mystified why you would take such a matter to a forum? I mean...you should talk with friends about this. Why some forum guys/girls are qualified to give you advice?

Love / Rejected - Rafal thought I was ugly? [85]

There is something oldfashioned called friends. You know the people you go out with for a coffee / beer / tea / wine, and ask this all in person.

News / News from the Poland's media front - Drop in sales for Uważam Rze. [15]


OK that's fair enough. Thanks for the explanation


Ah well there is always that rag Nasz Dziennik - although that is rather Comical Ali.

My Polish is up to standards, thank you very much (at least it was when I wrote the last memo during this working year - in Polish -, and presided the last departmental meeting of this working year, also in Polish.

Give me Newsweek everyday.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


Let's see...
- He intends to clean up the pigsty called the Vatican Bank
- He wants the clergy to lead a life of modesty and shun luxury cars
- Even the cardinals in the Vatican now have to register in and out when going to "work"
- He attacks paedophile priests really hard
- He wants to reconciliate the Church with the people
- He thinks gays and divorced people are....people
- When he was still an archbishop he went to work by public transport
- He is living very modestly as a Pope

And please define "dumb masses". Everybody else besides yourself?

Btw Pius XII was a virulentanti-Semitic, who did not mind working together with Hitler, and wrecked his Centre Party in Germany.
He did not lift a finger when the Nazis deported the Jews of Rome, right beneath his window.

News / Surprising ranking of Polish supermarkets (Biedronka expensive?) Living expenses in Poland. [35]

Hmmm, we buy our fruit & veg at the market here in Wolumen. Fresher you don't get, and price wise...I would think they are maybe a bit more expensive as Lidl & Co...but these few zlotys...

There is an old guy there selling eggs with two yokes...at 1 PLN per piece 3x expensive as the eggs you can buy in Lidl...but the taste infinite much better. Real eggs.

Likewise for meat and bread. We have our local shops for that. Rest comes from Biedronka & co.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


Of course you would not like him. I would say he is the opposite of being a media star. Longing for Pius XII, do you?

News / Surprising ranking of Polish supermarkets (Biedronka expensive?) Living expenses in Poland. [35]

Exactly. We - the people on this forum living and working in Poland that is - do not have time to drive around all the supermarkets. We (our family) just shop at the supermarket which is on the way back home from work I guess. If you would have to for each article go to a different shop.... If you would calculate the fuel cost...We mostly shop at Biedronka, Lidl, Carrefour and for special items in Alma.

P.S. Btw Pamela, why did you not ask me to elaborate me on this Polish-language article?

News / News from the Poland's media front - Drop in sales for Uważam Rze. [15]

Sure, no problem. But can other posters linking to Polish sites expect the same request? Or is it linked to my political persuasion?
It is about the drop in circulation of "Uważam Rze" - see English Wiki link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwa%C5%BCam_Rze.

Basically a PIS mouthpiece, specialized in Smolenkist fantasies. The drop in circulation is remarkable.

USA, Canada / Are prices for Laptops, Cell Phones or Tablets in Poland cheaper than in the US? [18]


Simlocks can be easily undone everywhere in Poland.

Law / European Health Insurance Card - help with Poland's ZUS? [12]


Anyway, EU regulations state that you pay taxes and social contributions where you reside.

Law / European Health Insurance Card - help with Poland's ZUS? [12]

Yes,you are talking here about the "Dobrowolne Ubezpieczenie Zdrowotne". You have to undersign a contract with NFZ, and then every month you pay your own health contributions. Monthly rates (payable to ZUS) are fixed per quarter, this quarter it is 343,19 PLN.

But of course you need to have a Karta Pobytu for that.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]

Why do you also sound like Torquemada on a bad day?
Btw...I have asked this a few times...What is your opinion of Pope Franciscus? As compared to pope benedict and pope JPII ?
Somehow I have the idea he is not of your ilk....

History / Poland must get back Lwow, Wilno and Brest back [318]


Because their bricks were stolen to rebuild Warsaw.


I suppose you mean Schlesien?

News / Why is Amazon not present in Poland? [57]

There is a difference between DD and CC cards. Direct Debit cards do not have a CCV number. You need a credit card for that one. I am using my Polish CC without problems. I cannot complain about Amazon.co.uk.

(Though their employees might think differently)

Law / European Health Insurance Card - help with Poland's ZUS? [12]


Nope, you get a European insurance card if you pay your health contributions. They are linked. And this you can do only in the country where you are registred.

Study / Are there any German or British universities in Poland? [21]


His posts suggests he is aiming for a non-Phd working visa