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Posts by sobieski  

Joined: 1 Jun 2008 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 6 Jan 2016
Threads: Total: 106 / Live: 95 / Archived: 11
Posts: Total: 2,118 / Live: 1,951 / Archived: 167 		From: Poland, Warsaw
Speaks Polish?: Good
Interests: Polish culture and history, cooking

Displayed posts: 2046 / page 66 of 69
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sobieski   
12 Nov 2014
Travel / Christmas Fair in Gdańsk - worth visiting? [6]

Is anybody on this forum from Gdańsk? I would like to know if the Christmas Fair is worth visiting (coming from Warsaw). I heard the one in Wrocław is quite good, but what about Gdańsk?
sobieski   
13 Nov 2014
Travel / Christmas Fair in Gdańsk - worth visiting? [6]

There is a Christmas Fair in Warsaw but last year it was nothing special. It was moved from the Old Town Square (ideal location) to the central railway station. arguably the ugliest location possible. It also was much smaller as the years before.

The Christmas Fair this year will be held at the Barbakan, under the Old City walls. A much better location I should say.
sobieski   
17 Nov 2014
News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]

I don't think these local elections reflect the national mood. Actually they never do, because local issues dominate. Look at the number of big cities where the independent city presidents renewed their mandate. Also 17% for PSL....that does not reflect their votes in national elections.

Myself I voted here in Warsaw Bielany for a local party which focuses on local problems. For all other positions I voted Green, because I do think PO and HGW could do a much better job - look how they handle the reprivatisation (not to speak of the controversy her husband finds himself in regarding this matter), but also didn't want to vote for these PIS morons, so I decided just to be cross.

Results of the election. See who won seats in your area

PO loses in favor of PiS and local committees - in this way the elections to the district councils can be briefly summarized. But in any part of the Warsaw situation is slightly different. The balance of power in the districts of Warsaw will change. Until now only 18 districts in the three are not ruled by PO. Now the platform will certainly rule in eight, PiS certainly in the three (so far only had one). In the remaining seven the situation is not yet clear, the alliances shall be decided by the local committees.

warszawa.gazeta

If you see the results in Warsaw, it is clear that in quite a few districts local committees are getting a lot of votes, which I think is really great. They know the local issues and problems.
sobieski   
19 Nov 2014
Life / Least doctors per capita in Poland? [4]

Very entertaining map. I never thought there were so few doctors in Poland though.

The European Union has 28 member countries. And kinda like Captain Planet, when their powers combine, they make for a pretty great place to live.

But that doesn't mean each country is without its flaws. It's like the Planeteer who controlled the element of Heart. Sure, he helped make Captain Planet. But he was the worst at getting haircuts.

Anyway, here's what every European country is the worst at.

thrillist.com/travel/nation/what-every-european-country-is-worst-at
sobieski   
19 Nov 2014
News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]

Care to inform us if you voted and if not...for which reason?

About PKW, this is a question of plain incompetence, nothing more. They were so stupid to install a new computer program six months before the elections. That's asking for guaranteed trouble.
sobieski   
19 Nov 2014
Life / Least doctors per capita in Poland? [4]

They make up for it with an excess of chemists

That is for sure. From my home to Metro Młociny, a 2 km stretch, there are 4 chemists. I don't know how they all manage to survive.
sobieski   
19 Nov 2014
Travel / Cool Hipster Areas in Warsaw ? [11]

it's the back bit from the courtyard off Miodowa, especially the upstairs bar.

Never heard of that one, maybe it could be explained that the family Labrador takes up a lot of time :)
Anyway, I always prefered Nowe Miasto. It somehow feels a bit less Legoland than its cousin.
sobieski   
20 Nov 2014
Travel / Cool Hipster Areas in Warsaw ? [11]

Furnished like the living room of a fairly arty flat in the PRL days - open all night and sort of hip but not pretentious

I will check it out for sure, am passing Plac Zamkowy quite often.

designer dogs are hip in Poland these days

What are designer dogs? Ours is a common labrador (well not common because it is the family dog - so has to be special :) )
sobieski   
20 Nov 2014
Travel / Cheapest Way from Warsaw to Chopin Airport ? [15]

every few minutes at busy times).

ztm.waw.pl/rozklad_nowy.php?c=182&l=1&a=175&n=7002&o=02&k=B
175 goes every 15 minutes during the rush hour, and otherwise every 20 minutes or worse, not what I would call every few minutes.
sobieski   
20 Nov 2014
Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

The Lidls here sell out of the cheddars very quickly, but they are mad busy branches most of the time.

Well my local Lidl is 100 metres from the metro terminus in Młociny and is very popular and they don't run out of the stuff (still had it today)

For next week Lidl will (according to their weekly promotions gazette) offer Cheddar (the 3 kinds) even at a reduced price - 6,66 instead of 8,99 PLN.
sobieski   
20 Nov 2014
Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

I think, Sobieski, Wroc has fewer Lidls than some other cities and that is why there is such a crush at the branches here and stuff sells out like locusts

To my experience, next week's action always starts on Sunday - almost everytime I see the staff filling the shelves on Sunday afternoon. As for absolute madness nothing equals to the day when they sold Wittchen handbags some time ago :). Never knew women could be so rude to each other :)
sobieski   
20 Nov 2014
Travel / Cheapest Way from Warsaw to Chopin Airport ? [15]

There is also (for them who live in the south of the city) bus 148 from Metro Imielin.
Anyway, here are all the connections together:
ztm.waw.pl/?c=571&l=2
I personally prefer the train - 175 can be pretty crowded and is notorious for pickpockets
Problem is that it uses two different train stations and two operators...confusing for foreigners arriving in the city.
sobieski   
21 Nov 2014
Life / What do you like about Poland? [100]

I'm favouring Eastern Poland.

I for sure prefer Opole and Dolny Śląsk - a much more down-to-earth approach with the urge to get things done. But for sure no Polonia old-country romanticism. The few times we venture across the Wisła I sometimes think it is another country.
sobieski   
22 Nov 2014
Life / What do you like about Poland? [100]

She sounds like someone we could all do with (or use, in US English)

Wroc...do you speak Polish at all? I remember you mentioning about needing an English-speaking person in your local Lidl?
sobieski   
24 Nov 2014
News / First Remembrance Ceremony at Lidzbark Warminski [17]

Well, we put each year at the 1st of November chrysanthemums and a candle on the monument for the First Polish Armored Division - Maczek's boys - on Plac Inwalidów here in Warsaw. Their dust-ridden Sherman tanks liberated my Flemish village in September 1944, so for me this is emotionally very important.
sobieski   
27 Nov 2014
Love / How many Polish girls are married to foreigners? / How many Polish boys to foreign girls? [104]

90% of rumanian girls i know are married to men 20 years older and are uneducated in most of cases. which is just sad

This was the case with all the Polish girls populating specialized Belgian/Dutch marriage agencies after 1989 and well into the 90's. Girls with an education but wanting to escape economic misery in Poland almost at any cost, even when this meant marrying a loser or a country bumpkin 20 years older. I think that is now the same with girls from the Ukraine. The other way around it was often Belgians or Dutch who couldn't get a partner at home, and went that direction.
sobieski   
1 Dec 2014
News / Self-important Warsaw mayor [18]

Seems almost 60% of Varsovians yesterday thought differently. They could also have voted for a PIS clown who doesn't even live in Warsaw (and publicly told he didn't see the sense in doing so), doesn't pay taxes here but on my expense wanted to make public transport gratis.
sobieski   
7 Dec 2014
Life / What should a foreigner do when invited to join Christmas dinner with his Polish-friend's family? [21]

We will eat salmon - cannot stand karp.

There is a bus from the Kaliska station, and trains as well. The bus is generally faster and cheaper, but less comfortable

I thinkk you are talking about Polskibus here...I think they are quite comfortable. But it is true what other posters mentioned - madness to take any train without reservation on the 24th.

Anyway, I think Christmas Eve is one of the most endearing days in Poland.
sobieski   
8 Dec 2014
Travel / Cheapest Way from Warsaw to Chopin Airport ? [15]

Exactly. During the rush hour, especially on Fridays, the train would be the best option, because the bus also gets stuck in traffic jams.
sobieski   
17 Dec 2014
Travel / Do trains in Poland arrive on time? [38]

For a true Polish train experience I would recommend Warsaw to £ódż, alternately Pruszków-Warsaw, Grodzisk Mazowiecki-Warsaw. No Pendolino experience there,only true daily commuter horror.
sobieski   
19 Dec 2014
Travel / Do trains in Poland arrive on time? [38]

Here we have the same story again: you simply ignore the fact that the line is vastly modernized

It is vastly modernized since many years with no end in sight. If you would take the train on this line frequently you would know, but obviously you do not.

Marzena Gawrych everyday rides from Brwinow to the Downtown Railway Station in Warsaw: From a few months it's terrible. I understand that repairs are inevitable, but why they are so badly organized? On Monday once again the timetable has been changed and once again we have an hour break in trains courses. From Brwinow they depart at 6.29 and 6.39, and then only at 7.33. In order to be on time for the eighth at work, I have to get up early and take one of those trains that which depart later than 6. On Monday, of course, the train was late in Brwinow, then drove very slowly. Transfer to Warsaw instead of 35 minutes lasted almost an hour. These delays are notorious, and this is the worst. For this reason I'm often late in work.

warszawa.gazeta.pl/warszawa/1,34889,17061495,Kiedy_skonczy_sie_gehenna_pasazerow_kolei___Tracimy.html#TRrelSST

I am traveling on the Warszawa-Grodzisk line several times per week for my work, and I can testify it is a horror.
And since this funky Pendolino is flashing by it only got worse.
sobieski   
20 Dec 2014
Law / Karta Pobytu - Is the plastic card only given to non-EU people? [8]

A permanent residence CARD for eu citizens is possible since april 2014.It's called dokument potwierdzajacy prawo stalego pobytu.

I have this since a few years, but it is a salmon-pink piece of paper - strongly resembles the first page of a passport. Definitely no plastic card.

Anyway, I intend to check it out at Długa 5 here in Warsaw next week.