Real Estate / Extra costs when buying a flat in Poland [13]


About half of the agents that insist on the buyer agreement form kick up one heck of a fuss when I refuse to sign. I've witnessed lots of tantrums from them. Of course, the majority don't ask for a signature, but at least 2 out of 10 do.

The myth that Polish people don't use agents is sadly just that, a myth. Using agents is an unfortunate part of life here. I've pretty much given up on buying due to the pretty consistent discovery of a significant number of sellers still seeming to think they can achieve unrealistic prices.

Love / Observations and experiences so far about Polish women [93]


Well, it happens of course. But, personally I'd feel like I was her dad, even if I did look young. It does seem creepy but society in Tony's city sees things differently perhaps, ie the if you got it flaunt it baby flaunt it, mentality. While I too usually wouldn't care what others thought and believe in carpe diem, I think dating a much younger woman is just too iffy.

Life / Quiet Hours and Hot Water Supply [12]


:( Where's this? Which town? Sounds very harsh.

News / "Shale Gas Revolution" will make Poland a Leading Country in Europe! [202]

The UK's FT newspaper reporter Henry Foy in Warsaw reports
Poland's much-hyped shale gas boom could take as long as six more years to become commercially viable

ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ffa09b60-6036-11e4-98e6-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JGkw4ims

News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]


interesting!

News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]

Thanks Jon, it'll probably never be PiS there or here if I understand things correctly about this country (but of course I might be totally wrong as a foreigner with only a slight grasp of things here, if that!). My guess is that the less privileged or less prosperous areas have the greatest number of PiS votes in them. Wrocław seems to be pretty prosperous judging by the new cars on the road here (on tick or not I don't know) and the mega busy malls.

News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]

Would you care to comment on that? Is that something you would have expected or do you feel it was time to give someone else a chance?

News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]

Yes, I quite agree, indeed! Thank you Cardno, & thank you Looker.

News / Local elections - anyone care to comment? [52]


Is that 'the share of the vote' overall across the country? Because, of course, in many cities including here, PO have swept to victory by a massive percentage. The turnout of 46.4% is surely quite low too, isn't it?

History / The Two Saddest Nations on Earth... Poles and Jews [171]

Merged: 3 Minutes in Poland - a home movie of Nasielsk's Jewish community 1 year before WWII

ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_num=5221 (video scenes indoors are dark, but most scenes outside are light and clear)

npr.org/2014/11/16/364051174/family-film-offers-glimpse-of-three-minutes-in-poland-before-holocaust


I found these images from this footage moving. It's been made possible by the technical expertise in restoring it from a solid lump of fused film. (I have no personal connection to the film.)

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



I wouldn't even bother going to my local Lidl because I know from experience these sell out on day 1 in these parts.


And there wasn't any left. Just Stilton.

Work / Australian looking to teach English in Poland [25]


Commencement date started yet? There were a 50 or so young adults from Oz on a plane with me arriving at Wrocław recently. Or at least it sounded like that from the noise. Maybe there were just 3.

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

If you're passing Lidl on Wednesday anyway, try then.

Piotr & Pawel might at last be worth visiting because some branches are now selling Kerrygold mature cheddar cheese at 11.99 per 200g pack, and also for a little less they're also doing 150g packs of sliced mature. I recommend the Vintage. Look out for the special (narrow, tall) Kerrygold chiller cabinet if not found with the other cheese.

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

Lidl have Scottish mature coloured Cheddar 8.99/250g, vintage Cheddar (ditto) & mature blue Stilton 19.99/454g packs in some stores whilst stocks last.

Real Estate / How the Poland property market became a HUGE bubble [35]

:D

I've just noticed a flat in a prestige street reduced from 690 tys to 599 tys. It was reduced in July. It's still for sale now.

I had my offer on a place rejected last week. It has been up for sale for nearly a year and been reduced nearly 20% in that time. But it needs some work done to the staircase because of low clearance when going upstairs. For that reason, I put the value at 10% lower than the current asking price., but the agent and seller said nie. So I have walked away, because it's just going to be a silly idea to pay any more. I've found something else which seems to be 100 tys below the most recent selling price in that area, so I might go for that one although it's not ideal either.

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]



Thanks kpc. I'll use that to book. I wonder if it's the same site that asked for more on the screen than it actually cost to buy at the window last time I travelled. I can't remember now.

If you travel in the UK, a single or 1 way (ie not round trip) ticket each way or split tickets often work out cheaper - this free website can show you the best options

moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]


Nice set of instructions, thanks, and I can see they are scheduled for 15 December, etc, as the screenshot shows below.

But I don't see how to buy any tickets. Is that via another website?

• 
  Screenshot showing departures of EIP
  

Life / Is it common for Polish people to speak English in Poland? [122]


At times it seems like that, and then every now and again I come across youngsters or under 35s who barely know a word, even here in the big, bad city (with it's awful roads getting awfuller by the way as more and more people move here and drive like total berks).

I do envy you somewhat, it sounds like anyone can just come up to you and speak Polish suddenly and you can understand and converse. I can't imagine gaining that ability in a million years, and writing Polish is even more difficult. Yesterday it took me several hours for the penny to drop that an elderly woman had been asking me not to close a door, based on my fuzzy knowledge of the word for closed. I do envy people who can learn languages with ease. And this chap who speaks 9

youtube.com/watch?v=z-tTFKra3Ik

Life / The cheapest phone operators in Poland - Play is not worth it [7]


Surely you mean listening to pronunciation? ;)

I had a very poor experience with another provider, let's not name them but instead say their name sounds like a beverage that you can move around with.

Their systems failed to convert my money to internet data use, it was not my error, I am very sure of that because I know what the screen said when I clicked (it said I had converted my credit to a data use package successfully). I probably even took a screenshot at the time. As a consequence, I lost my top up in a very short space of time. When I politely told them and their shop in this city where I'd bought the SIM and credit they didn't give a monkey's and even suggested I didn't know what I was doing or had lied about it. I've never again touched their products and never will. Play, on the other hand, seemed OK when I used them a few years back.

Life / Is it common for Polish people to speak English in Poland? [122]

There's a much greater chance that someone between 10 and 30 speaks English than anyone older. Older ones might know a few words. These are not hard and fast rules, but what seems to be generally the case. That said, I met a fluent Polish lady who told me she was 78. She spoke with an accent but with what seemed like ease while at the same time assuring me she'd not spoken any significant English for decades, I think she said 30 or so years had passed since she'd last used English much.

Much of this has already been discussed here

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]

I am not sure, but it seems the Pendolinos will be operating on some routes from 14 December. I hope Wrocław included as it'll make Warsaw easier to reach.

btw the Pendo likely owes some of its design to British engineering in the 1970s with the APT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Passenger_Train#Further_uses_of_APT_technology

Real Estate / How the Poland property market became a HUGE bubble [35]

.


"located on a charming roundabout and is on the market for 399,000"

That's a joke, right?

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]

I used a bathroom on a regional railways train (the newer stock, perhaps 1990s) and the bathroom was more spacious than can be found on some new estate flats in Partynice. I'm not entirely sure that's an exaggeration.

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]


Nice :)

But I don't think I saw that one because the upper deck window configuration doesn't match.

Travel / Double-decker trains in Poland? [27]

Thanks, I'd never seen one here until last night. Quite surprised to learn they're common here!

Travel / How awful Warsaw bus system has become -anyone else noticed [4]

The buses and trams are very, very busy here. Getting a seat is by no means a certainty. I rarely get one on the 2 or 17 tram, nor on the 133 or 134 bus, unless I join at one or the other end of the route.

Law / I am citizen of EU. What happens when i register in Poland? [4]


Sure aboutall that?
You don't need an employer to get a PESEL, just proof of an address, such as a tenancy agreement or property purchase deed and your passport.

And I seem to recall some posters here have previously said they manage in Poland without any PESEL number and have been here for a decade or so.

Work / Chances of working in Poland as an IT System / Server Administrator? ( I have 3 years experience ) [17]

I might be wrong, but I don't recall that skill being in that much advertised demand here. However, there's nothing to stop you trying. As a starting point, see hays.pl/kariera-zawodowa/praca-it-telekomunikacja/