Food / I am a cider drinker, where to get it in Krakow [40]

big carrefour stores have a wiltshire cheese in the main fridge. alma and real do kerrygold cheedar, red and white at the cheese counter.

a wine shop in lodz does spanish organic cider that isn't bad. 22pln for 1L. pricey. I've also found polish cider in champagne bottles. like scrumpy with little fizz. similar price.

Life / Cost of Living in Lodz [50]

if you don't go out much and have no vice's Lodz is very cheap. You will get a small apartment for 1500pln including charges no problem. Fresh food is readily available from local markets. It is cheap and seasonal. Often you have farmers selling their produce directly at the height of season. Strawberries generally are between 5-15pln per kg depending on availability. Tomatoes are 5-10pln per kg, potatoes similar. Prices are will below western europe and are a better quality for fresh food as it is produced locally. salaries vary from 400pln in retail services per week, to about 1000 for a good office job in a foreign company. Remember taxes are high versus western countries but you get health and social coverage for that.

UK, Ireland / Irish Student Locating to Lodz - Can I bring Irish Car? [9]

i'd advise you buy a LHD with an irish reg in ireland and drive it over. There are always over a dozen for sale at any time on the websites. You cannot register a RHD here, despite the government losing a case in the European courts. When you get here with the car you could then change the reg.

Life / Cost of Living in Lodz [50]

You would live on 3000pln if you use public transport and don't have a hectic social life. Social wise many locals have excellent english. Meeting people here and certain pubs/social outlets mean you could meet plenty of anglophiles quickly. Many foreign companies have a large foreign english speaking workforce. Dell, Phillips, Gilette, P&G, Infosys, SWS, Flextronics, Sercom all have a good portion of foreign staff.

Life / Cost of Living in Lodz [50]

rent for own place starts at 1000pln
bills 300-500 depending on season and building
drink, whatever you fancy (beer 5-9pln per pint in pub, 2.50 in supermarket)
food: fresh food is cheap and excellent. you can get good cheap chicken and pork here. beef is poor. meals out start at 15pln for a main course, average about 22pln.

Love / Advice Please! Meeting my Polish boyfriend's parents!! Gifts, customs... [105]

don't make the schoolboy error and drink beer. ask for a juice or a coke when you get to the house as here Father will force feed you vodka. Pace yourself and good luck.

And I agree with flowers for Mamo, Polish women love them.

Law / Signing a contract from Poland Telecommunication (TP) I didn't understand [20]

If you are only an english speaker they would have trouble enforcing it. You are supposed to have a translation or certified translator present. You have up to 15 days with insurance. Contact TP immediately and CC the ombudsman to keep them on their toes.

UK, Ireland / Too many Poles in UK? [52]

I really doubt, judging by spelling and general errors, that this guy is an adult. Maybe best to ignore. These are things an average person would know by the time they're 7.

common repeated errors:
too = to
manny = many
you = your

History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

POLENGGGs+BB what about Alsace-Lorraine, do you think the French will give that back? Simple fact is that the borders of Europe today are very unlikely to change ever again (not in my lifetime anyway). Even the Irish have accepted partition in order to prevent bloodshed.

It would take the complete collapse of NATO and the EU for it to happen.

The Poles were the least complicit nation in re-drawing borders after WWII, all the major powers used and betrayed her. When you get Alsace-Lorraine and Kaliningrad from these powers, then come looking for Western Poland and the Sudetenland.


Short answer: NEVER

Love / Maintenance for child born between Irish/Polish parents. [60]


Under Irish law a father has to go to court just to get visitation rights. The mother has all the power. Fathers never get custody. It is very unfair (except in this case).

Inka: Change your number, get a barring order on this clown and have you solicitor inform him that he is never to contact you again. Go to court and get a judge to make a maintenance judgment against him, it is enforceable anywhere in the EU. If he quits his job he is the only one that will suffer.

Polonia / i need advice for a korean friend [13]

The child can return to Europe as a citizen when he/she is 18. The mother has no right to reside in Europe while raising the child. The top EU court has upheld this ruling.

Hundreds of cases of Nigerian women having babies in Ireland and trying to stay on the basis their child is Irish born and therefore a citizen. They have been deported with the child and the child can return on his Irish passport at 18 only.

Travel / Best way to get from Lodz to Warsaw? [48]

Had to do it several times. had to take a taxi, not cheap but alternative is taking last bus from Lodz and spending the night there. cost me about 200pln.

Love / Advice Please! Meeting my Polish boyfriend's parents!! Gifts, customs... [105]

don't touch beer. you will be force fed vodka so just stick to juice (they drink them separately)! polish women LOVE flowers, so them for the mother. a bottle of pure vodka for the father from the airport or some good scotch. try all the food, no matter how bad. You may discover the joys of pickled herring, hhhmmmmm tasty.

UK, Ireland / Polish and Irish people are related? [137]

unfortunately read somewhere that there is as much Saxon DNA in modern Irish as Celt.

UK, Ireland / Polish and Irish people are related? [137]


Little Christmas (on Jan 7th) now a bank holiday in Poland from this year. makes no sense at all except church got a petition together and Govt too frightened to reject it. .

Travel / Best way to get from Lodz to Warsaw? [48]

Hotels in centre and sure to speak English.
Ibis and Campanile 3* at southern end of Piotrkowska.
Andles at Manufaktura 4*. Grand on Piotrkowska 3/4*.
Also local state owned hotels, Centrum, Savoy, Polonia Palac. Would recommend you stick to first 3 quality/value wise, although the last 3 are very near train station.

There are buses direct from warsaw airport to Lodz, not very comfortable but quicker that going into city and getting train.

Travel / Best way to get from Lodz to Warsaw? [48]

try downloading google translate toolbar and it will roughly translate web-pages in polish for you.

Love / Polish girlfriend may be pregnant - what girls from Poland think on having a child without marriage? [54]

Judging from your previous posts, are you sure the child is yours?

If she has a normal Polish family there will be massive pressure to marry. Would advise caution and a dna test, she will suit herself at both (you and other guy) your expense.

Travel / Best way to get from Lodz to Warsaw? [48]


There are white buses direct from Warsaw Airport to Lodz train station (about 15 seaters). Cost about 40pln one way. Not the most comfortable but much better than going into city for a train. Information desk at Warsaw airport should be able to help. Easy enough to find and leave every few hours.

Travel / Best way to get from Lodz to Warsaw? [48]

This bus drops you to Lodz Fabryczna train/bus station. Plenty of taxi's and 2 blocks from city centre. Ibis is about 4 blocks south along Kilinskiego. Ibis pronounced Ebis in Polish.

Real Estate / Monthly Rental for a decent flat in Lodz - cost? [13]

anywhere from 3000pln PM up, plus basic bills of about 750pln.

Travel / Any interesting things in Lodz? [10]


as will a series of love e-mails now. i'd advise you remove your mail quickly or prepare to be spammed.

Lagawniki in the Spring/summer will be ideal for BMX and all that.

Real Estate / Monthly Rental for a decent flat in Lodz - cost? [13]

No all apartments are not centrally heated, but anything in that price bracket will be. The inclusive bills vary depending on what is metred. That price would roughly cover Elec, Gas, service charge (waste and cleaning communal areas) and Water. TV and internet are generally your own business.

Real Estate / Monthly Rental for a decent flat in Lodz - cost? [13]

If you have central heating it will be in every room. We have an apartment in a modern block and NEVER put on heating. neighbours run it so high I ofter open windows in freezing temps.

UK, Ireland / Estimated number of Poles in Ireland thought to exceed 200,000 OR over 5% of population. [200]


Why should they, you clearly know nothing of Polish (or Irish) culture.


Great thanks for clearing that up. Nothing to do with Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen, Sean Fitzpatrick, bankers or the Irish all trying to become property moguls!


So true, the Irish have no responsibility for the property bubble.


Ahhhh, Poles can only claim the dole if they have worked up enough PRSI stamps over a number of years. "benefit" is a British term by the way.


Ahhhh, No. Under the Good Friday agreement (which carried with 90% support in the ROI) we have removed the clause from our constitution stating the aspiration to reunify the island as one nation. So WE have accepted the north as it is.

Not sure if this pillock is in the UK or USA but sounds like a classic lost 2nd generation emigrant. Struggles for identity in the native land he thinks he is a foreigner in, and is terribly educated.

UK, Ireland / What use is an irish childs pps number in poland? [7]

Sounds seriously dodgy. Give him nothing, he has no right to that info if he has been deported. He might be looking to get a passport for the child for some strange reason, kidnap, getting access to ireland again as the parent of a citizen. Could it be to do with claiming childrens allowance?

Run a mile.

Life / An example of what is wrong with Poland (fatal traffic accident and a tram) [55]

This is the same in Ireland and many countries. So facts can be established, blame apportioned and justice delivered.

It is a crime scene. How can a Policeman arriving on the scene make a judgment that it was definitely an accident and allow the scene to be destroyed. A PERSON (someones mother.grandmother) is dead, I think the greater good is served by us being human and having things done properly. What if she was pushed, the driver drunk, an operational error causing the death. Is the purpose of the investigating not to prevent the preventable as much as punish the offender, if any.

In any respectable country professionals are allowed to get on with their job in these situations, at the slight inconvenience of the public.

UK, Ireland / Does everyone know about countess Markiewicz? Polish connection. [16]

She married a Pole so had little connection really, may never have visited the country.

She was the first woman to be elected as an MP though.

USA, Canada / Opening a small shop, and selling many Polish items in USA. Do you think this would work? [32]

I've previously dealt with food importation to US. When it comes to food you have the FDA and Dept of Agri, among others. They can be a nightmare. Suggest you find an existing importer of food from Poland and let them deal with the hassle. Worth paying a premium.

UK, Ireland / LHD - buy the car in Poland or in Ireland and register it over here? [3]

best bet is to buy an Irish reg'd LHD and drive it over. Yeah there is a bit of paperwork (3 different offices, customs/tax/car reg) but it's the simplest way of moving over.